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Child advocate skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Florence DiGennaro Reed Ph.D.,

Lillian Wichinsky Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical child advocate skills. We ranked the top skills for child advocates based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 16.5% of child advocate resumes contained social work as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a child advocate needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 child advocate skills for your resume and career

2. Safety Planning

Safety рlаnnіng іѕ a рrосеѕѕ оf evaluating the rіѕkѕ and bеnеfіtѕ of various орtіоnѕ аnd identifying ways tо rеduсе the rіѕkѕ should an adverse event arise. This іnсludеѕ planning fоr a futurе crisis, rеvіеwіng оnеѕ орtіоnѕ, аnd mаkіng dесіѕіоnѕ аbоut whаt to dо nеxt.

Here's how child advocates use safety planning:

Facilitated crisis intervention and safety planning for Domestic Violence victims.
Discussed domestic violence, safety planning, feelings, anger management and other various topics related to domestic violence.

3. Crisis Intervention

Here's how child advocates use crisis intervention:

Conducted crisis intervention with child abuse victims and their families upon initial investigation.
Provided emergency services/crisis intervention for children who were victims of domestic violence.

4. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how child advocates use mental health:

Developed and implemented accurate court-ordered case plans by incorporating legal records, mental health evaluations, and assessments.
Educated and linked clients to community resources that addressed acculturation, education, medical and mental health

5. Child Abuse

When a child who is under 18 is mistreated by an adult, it is considered child abuse. There are many forms of intentional harm and mistreatment for example physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, medical abuse, and neglect in providing adequate basic life necessities.

Here's how child advocates use child abuse:

Conducted an independent extensive background investigation of alleged child abuse cases.
Develop and disseminate Child Abuse and Neglect awareness detection materials.

6. Child Advocacy

Here's how child advocates use child advocacy:

Co-authored statewide Child Advocacy Manual utilized in all Ohio domestic violence shelters.
Coordinate the community's Child Advocacy Task Force and lobby legislative members in order to change laws related to domestic violence.

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7. Substance Abuse

Here's how child advocates use substance abuse:

Provide, find, or arrange for support services; child care, substance abuse treatment, counseling, etc.
Case managed families in the areas, courts, substance abuse, homeless and early interventions.

8. Community Resources

Community resources are a set of resources that are used in the day to day life of people which improves their lifestyle in some way. People, sites or houses, and population assistance can come under the services offered by community resources.

Here's how child advocates use community resources:

Facilitated referrals and appropriate community resources to families in collaboration with women service and shelter director.
Provide information on community and agency services, and refer families to appropriate community resources.

9. Court Hearings

Here's how child advocates use court hearings:

Monitor cases following a court hearing or decision as designated by the court to ensure the case plans are being completed.
Draft reports and give recommendations to the court, and participate in court hearings and case staffing with relevant agencies.

10. Law Enforcement

Law enforcement is the task of certain members of the community who work together to uphold the law by identifying, preventing, rehabilitating, or prosecuting others who break society's laws and norms. The phrase refers to the police, the judiciary, and the correctional system.

Here's how child advocates use law enforcement:

Prepared and supported victims and families during judicial procedure; mediated between victims, law enforcement agents and court appointed officials.
Worked with Child Protective Service caseworkers, law enforcement investigators, therapists and families to help acquire needed social services.

11. Community Outreach

Here's how child advocates use community outreach:

Planned activities and provided community outreach about Domestic Violence Awareness.
Organized community outreach donations for children during holiday festivities.

12. Court Reports

Here's how child advocates use court reports:

Proofread and edited court reports for grammatical and contextual accuracy.
Prepare written court reports for review hearings and appear in court to speak on behalf of the child's best interests.

13. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how child advocates use cpr:

Core Qualifications Microsoft word Excel Power Point CPR certified HIV certified Group Therapy Treatment Planning Documentation
Certified in CPR and Medication Administration.

14. Community Services

Community ѕеrvісе is аn unраіd activity in which аn individual оr grоuр еngаgеѕ tо bеnеfіt thе lосаl, nаtіоnаl оr glоbаl соmmunіtу. It іѕ also uѕеd as аn аltеrnаtіvе to imprisonment аnd іѕ intended tо connect offenders to the victim or society ѕо thаt they can undеrѕtаnd how their асtіоnѕ аffесt оthеrѕ.

Here's how child advocates use community services:

Connected clients with community services that assist in obtaining suitable affordable housing.
Worked with community services provider's teachers and probation officers resulting in the highest quality of child care.

15. Child Care

Child care means the care, supervision, or guidance of a child by a person other than the child's parent, guardian, or custodian for periods of less than 24 hours. Childcare could be either center-based such as a daycare or a nursery or home-based care such as nannies or family daycare.

Here's how child advocates use child care:

Obtained written consent to provide child care services and appropriate releases from parents before providing services to the children.
Provided advocacy and referrals for social services, such as housing, food stamps and/or child care.

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What skills help Child Advocates find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on child advocate resumes?

Dr. Florence DiGennaro Reed Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Chairperson, Director of the Performance Management Laboratory, University of Kansas

In my experience, employers appreciate real-world experience where students/recent graduates can apply the knowledge they learned in their courses to actual work settings. Thus, graduates who have had service-learning practicum courses, internships, or other relevant experiences have resumes that tend to stand out to future employers.

What soft skills should all child advocates possess?

Lillian Wichinsky Ph.D.

Associate Dean, University of Nevada - Reno

Social workers need to be prepared to work in integrated health and multidisciplinary settings and act as change agents across systems of care. They work with various communities and people, and therefore soft skills are very important to their success. Some of the most important soft skills include:

-Teamwork. ...
-Communication Skills
-Problem-Solving Skills
-Ethics
-Flexibility/Adaptability
-Leadership skills

What hard/technical skills are most important for child advocates?

Sam Terrazas Ph.D.

Professor and Academic Chair Department of Social Work, The University of Texas Permian Basin

Social workers practice in various areas of practice and organizational auspices that may differ in the hard/technical skills that are most important. In general, the hard/technical skills most important can be categorized based on the level of education-BSW (Bachelors of Social Work) versus MSW (Masters of Social Work).

BSW's practice in a range of organizations providing various types of services; however, in general practice in the realm of case management that requires that ability to demonstrate cultural responsiveness, develop an alliance with clients, apply NASW and a state's ethics and professional standards of practice, conduct assessments, and to develop plans to meet a client's goals.

MSW's practice in many areas such as administration, clinical, public policy and advocacy, child welfare, public safety, and health care. Each of these practice areas requires specific technical skills; however, in general, MSW's are trained to assess individuals, families, groups, and communities. To that end, MSW's must understand the cultural context and how socio/economic local, state, federal policies impact social welfare problems such as poverty, intimate partner violence, and mental illness. MSW's must possess strong engagement skills/therapeutic alliance-building, diagnostic/evaluation skills, ethical application of interventions and therapeutic approaches, and advocacy skills.

What child advocate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Susan Reay

Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska at Omaha

The year after high school students are growing and changing. This year is about self-exploration, regardless of whether or not you are enrolled in an institution of higher learning. I recommend that individuals who decide not to enroll in higher education directly after high school take time to reflect on what they are learning, who they are, and learn from the world around them. Journaling is a great way to do this, or photography or other creative means of reflection.

What type of skills will young child advocates need?

Dr. Thomas Dearden Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Sociology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Indeed, the way we work is changing. The skills that young graduates will need are diverse. Transferable skills and soft skills will certainly be marketable. These include traditional crafts such as communication, but I also think the world expects more empathy from its employees. Young graduates with an understanding of racism, sexism, and environmental responsibility will become increasingly important.

Do you want to know more?

List of child advocate skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a child advocate resume and required skills for a child advocate to have include:

Social Work
Safety Planning
Crisis Intervention
Mental Health
Child Abuse
Child Advocacy
Substance Abuse
Community Resources
Court Hearings
Law Enforcement
Community Outreach
Court Reports
CPR
Community Services
Child Care
DCF

Medicaid
Child Victims
Child Protective
Sexual Assault
Protective Services
Court System
Community Agencies
Emotional Support
Sexual Abuse
Forensic Interviews
Ad Litem
Status Reports
Social History
Social Service Agencies
Court Proceedings
Crisis Calls

Group Sessions
Emergency Shelter
Crisis Line
Financial Assistance
Foster Children
Needs Assessment
Support Services
CPS
Family Court
Court Orders
Juvenile Court
IEP
Domestic Violence Shelter
Crisis Situations
DHS
Judicial Review

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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