The Menu

Children's Advocate: Child advocates work primarily in the shelter role modeling positive interactions with children for the parents.  Staff is also needed to provide childcare during support groups or appointments for women.  Skills needed include love for children, patience, and creativity, ability to work with both children and parents, and an understanding of the effects of domestic violence on children.

Court Watch Monitors: Court watch monitors regularly attend arraignment proceedings, document details and outcomes of domestic assault, and keep track of variations in sentencing, including fines, jail time, and dismissals.  Skills include transportation, attention to paperwork and detail and very good writing and listening skills.

Intervention/Legal Advocate: Intervention advocates are often the first contact a woman or her children have with help.  On call intervention advocates usually provide advocacy over the cell phone.  These calls involve empathetic listening, giving information about options, and problem solving for future actions.  Legal advocates help women through the court process.  You may be assisting someone in filing and attending a hearing for an Order for Protection, or assisting a woman in understanding the criminal court proceedings and cooperating with the prosecuting attorney.  Skills needed include a balance of fearlessness and respect in the face of authority, patience, patience, patience, listening, reliable transportation, flexibility, ability to work with law enforcement, attention to paperwork and detail, ability to follow up with information over time, and ability to be called out during the night.

Shelter Women's Advocate: Women's advocates work at the shelter making sure that everything there goes well, answering crisis lines, giving referrals, doing intakes and orientations, doing clerical work, cleaning, and hanging out with the women and children who reside in the shelter.  This also includes helping with activities at the shelter such as donations, providing transportation, helping a woman move out, etc.  Skills needed include listening, ability to relax and hang out, attention to details, tolerance for or liking for lots of noise and activity, and a warm, welcoming hospitable attitude.

Speaker's Bureau: As CADA becomes better known throughout the region, requests for speaking engagements increase exponentially.  Speakers go to rotary clubs, schools, churches, and other community groups to educate about domestic violence and CADA services.  We provide the materials and training; you provide the time and energy it takes to educate and speak.  Skills needed include excellent speaking and communication skills, patience, reliable transportation, and a good understanding of issues of oppression.

Administrative Assistant: "Office Advocates" save the day on a regular basis by bailing out overworked office staff; helping with paperwork, bulk mailings, making copies, and answering the phones.  Skills needed include patience, attention to detail, ability to put up with and/or organize chaos.