Q72418

A victim advocate is a trained professional whose primary responsibility is to assist crime victims by providing emotional and legal support. Typically, a victim advocate position can be found within the legal system, as in a district attorney's office, or it may be within a non-profit advocacy group. Victim advocates can focus on a specific area of advocacy such as sexual assault, child abuse, homicide, elder abuse or domestic violence. They provide emotional support, crisis intervention and act as a resource for available community and social services. An advocate coordinates services and support for victims as needed; for example, arranging transportation, coordinating medical evaluations, scheduling court preparation sessions or accompanying a victim to their court appearance. An advocate is sensitive to the needs of the victim if there to uphold the victim's rights and to assist the victim in their journey through healing and recovery. Empathy, sympathy and the ability to enlighten others plays a major role in this particular line of work. Because of the content, this job can be stressful but is rewarding in the way of greatly helping others when they need you the most. A minimum of a bachelor's degree is necessary to become a victim advocate. A degree in criminal justice, social work or a behavioral science such as psychology or counseling is recommended. All advocates must have a thorough understanding of the criminal justice system, victimization, crisis intervention and cultural/ethnic diversity. The average annual salary for a victim advocate is $50,000. It is possible to volunteer in this field, which I would suggest in order to get a feel to see if it is what one would want to do.

Kimber, Joy. "Job Description of a Victim's Advocate." //EHow//. Demand Media, 23 May 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.