Gender Based Violence Court Advocate
This position is a 30 month contract, 28 hours per week at $24 per hour; plus an additional 7 hours per week at the same rate if the candidate wishes to coordinate additional legal info sessions.
COVID 19 related constraints may require work from home.
Northwestern Ontario Women’s Centre seeks to hire an advocate to support women who have experienced gender-based violence to navigate criminal and family court events. This community-based position will work with self identified women, in collaboration with the Gender Based Violence Navigation Advocate, to ensure all legal actors (Crown, VWAP, Police, Bail Safety Officer, lawyers, etc.) connected to cases going to court have pertinent risk assessment and other contextual information and that safety measures are in place. The GBV Court Advocate will ensure safety and risk indicators are communicated across court sectors (Criminal, Family/Child Welfare, Youth, Mental Health) and monitor and track court outcomes for these cases. The GBV Court Advocate will be responsible for the collation and analysis of this data to provide an assessment of the effectiveness of the court system’s response to Gender Based violence. The GBVC Advocate will research alternative avenues for accountability for perpetrators of GBV and will coordinate several speakers or community information sessions to educate legal and service sectors and the general public.
This project is funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada to address the need for increased response to gender based violence as a result of COVID 19.
Duties:
- Receive referrals of women with court involvement from GBV Navigator.
- Educate women about their rights in court, accompany them to court events when possible.
- Build working relationships with relevant legal and court staff across sectors.
- Ensure women’s risk assessment information is shared among appropriate legal sector/ court players and across court sectors.
- Participate in High Risk Navigation meetings involving an active or pending court case. Attend court to monitor the progress of these cases.
- Ensure women and all legal players have the required and up-to -date information on each case.
- Develop a database to collect information from court events. Manage information and records as required.
- Collate and analyze data; present findings to service and legal sectors.
- Research alternative accountability measures and coordinate speakers or public information sessions on this topic.
Qualifications
- Educational background and work experience in legal advocacy, criminology, women and gender studies, social work or social justice
- Strong understanding of the legal system and the systemic response to gender-based violence in Thunder Bay and District. Previous experience supporting women in the social service or legal system is preferred.
- Demonstrated analysis of gender-based violence and anti-racist, anti-oppressive principles.
- Demonstrated understanding of the impacts of colonialism and the intersections with the systemic response to violence against Indigenous women.
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills, in addition to demonstrated organizational abilities.
- This position requires a high level of confidentiality and the ability to respond well in crisis situations.
Please email resume and cover letter (applications without a dedicated cover letter will not be considered) by October 12, 2021 to:
Hiring Committee, Northwestern Ontario Women’s Centre at [email protected].
Please do not contact the office directly – we will notify all applicants and contact those we select to interview.
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