What does a victim advocate do?
A victim advocate provides support and assistance to crime victims, helping them cope with the difficulties of their ordeal while fighting for the justice that they deserve. As a victim advocate, they must educate victims of their legal rights, help them understand the court procedures, identify their needs through various assessments, provide counseling, coordinate resources and other services, and support the victim throughout the court proceedings. Moreover, a victim advocate may create programs and strategies that will help the victim's emotional and psychological health.
Victim advocate responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real victim advocate resumes:
- Present at statewide summit on alternatives to incarceration using Microsoft PowerPoint.
- Conduct intakes following ethical protocol, maintaining client confidentiality according to HIPAA.
- Conduct outreach efforts to promote services including PowerPoint presentations and speaking by panel.
- Ensure legal compliance integrity and confidentiality in accordance with company policy and HIPAA regulations.
- Assist patients in securing medical coverage by screening refer patients and coordinating the application process through successful approval.
- Serve as liaison between EAC's and other departments that work with EAP members and participants.
- Educate women about the dynamics of domestic violence and the services offer by the YWCA and other community organizations.
- Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor and work as a team member with the YWCA staff and administration.
Victim advocate skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Victim Advocates are proficient in Crime Victims, Safety Planning, and Criminal Justice. They’re also known for soft skills such as Compassion, Time-management skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Victim Advocates that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Crime Victims, 11%
Participate in public awareness, outreach and educational presentations concerning advocacy for crime victims and crime prevention; including annual observances.
- Safety Planning, 9%
Provide information and referrals for community resources and assist clients with safety planning, identifying options and problem-solving.
- Criminal Justice, 7%
Maintained cooperative working relationships with domestic violence victim services, appropriate criminal justice programs, social services and alcohol/drug abuse programs.
- Social Work, 7%
Mentored Colorado State University students in developing social work skills.
- Advocacy Services, 6%
Provided professional and comprehensive advocacy services to military and civilian victims/survivors of sexual assault/sexual harassment, and domestic violence.
- Mental Health, 4%
Determined eligibility for services and authorized, referred and/or coordinated necessary services for clients, including mental health services.
Most victim advocates use their skills in "crime victims," "safety planning," and "criminal justice" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential victim advocate responsibilities here:
Compassion. The most essential soft skill for a victim advocate to carry out their responsibilities is compassion. This skill is important for the role because "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." Additionally, a victim advocate resume shows how their duties depend on compassion: "communicate effectively and compassionately with crime victims, using tools of trauma-informed care. "
Time-management skills. Another essential skill to perform victim advocate duties is time-management skills. Victim advocates responsibilities require that "social and human service assistants often work with many clients." Victim advocates also use time-management skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "conducted performance reviews for all customer service representatives to reduce resolution time and improve customer satisfaction rates. "
Communication skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of victim advocates is communication skills. This skill is critical to many everyday victim advocate duties, as "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "developed and conducted all training on domestic violence/child abuse, stress and anger management, communications and parenting classes. "
Interpersonal skills. victim advocate responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." This resume example shows what victim advocates do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "conducted medical appointments and exhibited superb interpersonal skills with physicians, behavior specialists, and patient families. "
Organizational skills. Another common skill required for victim advocate responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of victim advocates all the time, as "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." An excerpt from a real victim advocate resume shows how this skill is central to what a victim advocate does: "conducted client intakes monitored facilities informed clients of organizational policies and procedures"
Problem-solving skills. Lastly, "problem-solving skills" is an important element of what a victim advocate does. Victim advocate responsibilities require this skill because "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." This resume example highlights how victim advocate duties rely on this skill: "attend court proceedings as needed, advocate for the victim until suitable family solution is accomplished. "
The three companies that hire the most victim advocates are:
- Magellan Health20 victim advocates jobs
- The Salvation Army3 victim advocates jobs
- Family Services2 victim advocates jobs
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Compare different victim advocates
Victim advocate vs. Resident
A resident, often known as a resident physician, is a medical doctor who just graduated from medical school and pursued the residency program for further training. Residents work with health care team members to provide direct medical care by diagnosing medical problems and devising appropriate treatment plans. Depending on their medical specialty and training, residents may assist in performing surgeries to patients but are supervised by senior residents and physicians. Residents must also have an in-depth understanding of ethical, socioeconomic, and medical-legal issues surrounding patient care.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a victim advocate are more likely to require skills like "crime victims," "safety planning," "criminal justice," and "social work." On the other hand, a job as a resident requires skills like "home health," "patients," "rehabilitation," and "customer service." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Residents earn the highest salaries when working in the non profits industry, with an average yearly salary of $67,437. On the other hand, victim advocates are paid more in the non profits industry with an average salary of $40,972.The education levels that residents earn slightly differ from victim advocates. In particular, residents are 4.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a victim advocate. Additionally, they're 15.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Victim advocate vs. Volunteer coordinator
A volunteer coordinator is an individual who is in charge of recruiting and managing volunteers to help convey the organization's purpose to the general public. Volunteer coordinators must use marketing tools such as outreach programs and emails to attract new customers and maintain relationships with existing customers. They keep schedules and records of the volunteers' work and also conduct regular training. The minimum educational requirement of a volunteer coordinator is to obtain an Associate's degree.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real victim advocate resumes. While victim advocate responsibilities can utilize skills like "crime victims," "safety planning," "criminal justice," and "social work," volunteer coordinators use skills like "patients," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "home health."
On average, volunteer coordinators earn a higher salary than victim advocates. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, volunteer coordinators earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $43,691. Whereas victim advocates have higher pay in the non profits industry, with an average salary of $40,972.In general, volunteer coordinators achieve similar levels of education than victim advocates. They're 2.6% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 15.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for victim advocates in the next 3-5 years?
Lesley Casarez Ph.D.
Director, Quality Enhancement Plan Program Coordinator, M.S. Professional School Counseling Associate Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, Angelo State University
Victim advocate vs. Case worker
Caseworkers are social workers who watch over the welfare of underprivileged individuals and at-risk families by counseling and providing them with assistance. Usually employed under the government or a local non-profit organization, a caseworker must conduct a thorough interview and house visits to determine the needs of the family. They then refer them to any programs or agencies that can give them the specific care and help needed. Furthermore, it is crucial to identify neglect and abuse signs, reporting them to the authorities right away.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from victim advocate resumes include skills like "crime victims," "safety planning," "criminal justice," and "advocacy services," whereas a case worker is more likely to list skills in "patients," "substance abuse," "customer service," and "foster care. "
Case workers earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $40,730. Comparatively, victim advocates have the highest earning potential in the non profits industry, with an average salary of $40,972.When it comes to education, case workers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to victim advocates. In fact, they're 1.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Victim advocate vs. Coordinator
Coordinators are responsible for liaising between the department they are assigned to and any other external party. They oversee projects or agreements. They are in charge of following through negotiations between the two parties regarding work. They see through the conduct of such contracts by ensuring that all terms are amenable to both parties. They maintain records and other necessary data and paperwork. They also ensure that office policy and guidelines are being followed. Coordinators also ensure that all projects are completed efficiently and effectively.
Types of victim advocate
Updated January 8, 2025
