Anti-Trafficking Caseworker

Job Overview: Caseworkers serve clients through a holistic and broad spectrum of support, including but not limited to: connecting clients with legal service providers and housing resources, helping clients access public benefits, health providers, and psychosocial services and offering regular checks-ins to discuss safety and service plans. This position requires thorough knowledge and understanding of human rights, strengths-based, and trauma-informed approaches to best serve survivors of trafficking. This role employs key social work values, including survivor empowerment, professional boundaries, and requires familiarity with self-care practices and addressing vicarious trauma.

Major Responsibilities:

Case Management and Referrals

• Provide trauma-informed comprehensive case management for survivors of trafficking to help them feel safe, empowered, and stable.
• Ensure acute client needs are met in a timely and culturally appropriate manner.
• Complete individualized initial assessment and safety planning, orientation to services, support, referral, and advocacy services by assessing and evaluating clients’ distinct needs.
• Assist clients with referrals and access to appropriate resources including: shelter, physical and mental health services, and legal services to work towards a stable immigration status.

Partnerships and Community Engagement

• Identify barriers to services and advocate for higher quality of services while developing and maintaining positive working relationships with key community stakeholders.
• Advocate for culturally and linguistically appropriate services for clients.
• Participate in outreach, including development and delivery of technical assistance and training to community-based organizations, government, and law enforcement officials, and others.

Documentation and Reporting

• Ensure quality case notes and documentation, case file management and quality assurance.

• Prepare, distribute and document direct assistance requests for clients including rent, utilities and other payments. Maintain record of case management expenses in case file.

  Comply with all policies, procedures and protocols of the agency.

• Other related duties as assigned.

• Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion, and cohesion in IRC Oakland.

• Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Anti-Trafficking Coordinator

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Anti-Trafficking Caseworker will work closely with all members of Anti-Trafficking department. The Anti-Trafficking Caseworker will also develop working relationships with direct service providers in the following IRC departments: Economic Empowerment, New Roots, Health and Wellness, Housing, Resettlement, and Immigration.

External: Caseworker will develop working relationships with local legal providers, social services, healthcare providers, educational institutions, employment programs, anti-trafficking task forces, relevant consulates, law enforcement, and other community-based organizations to support achievement of program requirements.

Job Requirements:

Preferred Experience:

• Two years of relevant work experience in social service, case management, human service or related fields.
• Undergraduate degree, preferred, with an emphasis in Social Work, Psychology, or an equivalent field of study preferred. Significant relevant work experience can replace education requirement.
• Compassion towards and understanding of unique needs of survivors of trafficking.
• Ability to maintain a positive, cooperative, and professional demeanor with clients and partner organizations.
• Ability to de-escalate stressful situations in a trauma-informed manner.
• Ability to work well in a team-oriented, multi-cultural work environment.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, and high degree of organization related to the management of multiple clients, priorities, and projects.
• Spanish fluency required.
• Culturally sensitive skills particularly relevant to underserved communities preferred.
• Excellent organizational and case-file document management skills.
• Working knowledge of legal providers, social services, public benefits, community organizations, health care systems, and related human services in the Bay Area strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to contribute both independently and as a key team member.
• Reliable transportation and a valid driver’s license required.
• The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti-Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Working Environment:

• Hybrid work schedule.
• Standard office environment.
• Travel in and around the service delivery area required.

Compensation: Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits: The IRC offers a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. All US employees are eligible for sick time, a 403b retirement savings plans: up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus an 3-7% additional IRC contribution, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

In addition, full-time employees are eligible for 10 US paid holidays, 20-25 paid time off days, disability & life insurance, medical, dental, and vision insurance (employee contribution starting at $135, $7, and $5 per month respectively) and FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs. Part-time employees are eligible for a proportionate amount of paid time off. These additional benefits apply to employees who work at least 6 months within a 12 month time period.