Residence Requirements:

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS: CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. There is one anticipated vacancy at the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

Examples of Duties:

A Victim Advocate acts as an advocate for victims of domestic violence; provides an initial assessment of the victim and develops a service delivery plan, including identification of immediate and/or long term services; conducts evaluation and interviews according to specific guidelines and format;  provides crisis intervention counseling, and ongoing support as needed; assists victims through practical services such as referrals to shelters, relocation assistance and lock replacement;  acts as a liaison between the victim and criminal justice system, including preparation for court processes; advocates on behalf of the victim for police and District Attorney’s prosecution assistance; maintains contact and shares information with Drug Court judges to achieve the goal of consistency in handling domestic violence cases; attends meetings and serves on committees which focus on domestic violence; provides orientation for victims concerning such issues as criminal justice process and how to obtain and enforce Orders of Protection; maintains accurate records and statistics monthly;  links victims to appropriate community, substance abuse and mental health services; debriefs the victim and family following court proceedings.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

Completion of 60 semester credit hours from a regionally accredited or New YorkStateregistered college or university with a concentration in Human Services, Mental Health, Criminal Justice, or related field and completion of 500 hours of field work in an internship in Human Services Domestic Violence.

 SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:  Possession of a valid New York State Driver’s License is required at time of appointment. 

Notes:

NOTE:  1.  Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements.  2.  Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices.  A grade of “D” or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed.  If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of theUnited States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency.  You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

Subjects of examination: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Assisting and counseling crime victims

These questions test for knowledge of the principles, practices, and programs associated with assisting and counseling crime victims in New York State. Questions may cover such topics as identifying crime victims in need of assistance; understanding and recognizing the impact of domestic violence, rape, child abuse, assault, DWI, and other crimes on victims and their families; determining social, personal, emotional, educational, legal, and employment resources needed; referring victims and their families to those resources; using crisis intervention and supportive counseling techniques; assisting crime victims in working with the legal system; and working with volunteers.

2. Educating and interacting with the public

These questions test for knowledge of techniques used to interact effectively with individuals and/or community groups, to educate or inform them about topics of concern, to publicize or clarify agency programs or policies, to negotiate conflicts or resolve complaints, and to represent one's agency or program in a manner in keeping with good public relations practices. Questions may also cover interacting with others in cooperative efforts of public outreach or service.

3. Interviewing

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in obtaining information from individuals through structured conversations. These questions require you to apply the principles, practices, and techniques of effective interviewing to hypothetical interviewing situations. Included are questions that present a problem arising from an interviewing situation, and you must choose the most appropriate course of action to take.

4. Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.