Domestic Violence Liaison

• To increase safety, stability and wellbeing and improve outcomes for children and their non-offending parents in domestic violence situations.
• To strengthen DCF/DYFS capacity to provide effective assessment and intervention for families in domestic violence situations.

• Partner with DYFS caseworkers on site and on home visits, when appropriate.
• Assist with domestic violence assessments, DYFS child safety protection plans and case plans.
• Assist with domestic violence safety planning for the non-offending parent and children and provide direct advocacy, community networking and referral information.
• Help identify and address gaps and barriers that non offending parents face in obtaining needed support and safety for their children and themselves.
• Through case consultation and staff presentations, educate and mentor DYFS local office staff in their efforts to identify individual needs and offer appropriate interventions to address those needs.
• Model best practices in working with families in domestic violence situations.
• Model collaboration and cross systems advocacy to strengthen community partnerships and enable a coordinated community teamed response when domestic violence and child abuse co-occur.
• Help facilitate family team meetings that follow best practice guidelines and safeguards when domestic violence is present.

• Masters Degree and 3 years of experience in domestic violence services or Bachelor of Arts degree and 5 years’ experience in domestic violence services required or equivalent.
• Certification as a Domestic Violence Specialist by the NJ Board of Domestic Violence Professionals or working toward certification required. Twenty–five per cent of the requirements for classroom hours and supervised direct practice required for certification must be completed within one year of hire. Domestic Violence Specialist Certification may be substituted for the required degree.
• Licensed clinical social worker or licensed professional counselor preferred. Bilingual/bicultural in Spanish preferred.
• Strong clinical, communications, problem-solving, advocacy, networking and collaboration skills required.

• Working knowledge of the dynamics of domestic violence and coercive control, advocacy, courts, welfare, child welfare, confidentiality and counseling, ethics, systems collaboration, and accessing resources, prevention and best practices, empowerment, and child development, crisis intervention, collaborative approach, problem solving skills, group process.
• The domestic violence liaison will be expected to complete training on the DCF Case Practice Model, child protection and family team meetings. DCF contracts with the local domestic violence program for domestic violence specialist services. Clinical supervision of the domestic violence liaison is provided by the local domestic violence program.

New Jersey Association on Correction