Listing Category Exam Job Title Victim Assistance Counselor/Bilingual (Spanish) Exam # 19EOC68233 Minimum Salary 39945.00 Maximum Salary 51306.00 Salary Period Annual Exam Date 3/2/2019 Application Deadline 1/25/2019 Minimum Qualifications High school diploma or Equivalent, PLUS either: I. Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, Social Work, Human Services, Sociology or Psychology and six (6) months of experience (full-time or its part-time equivalent) providing counseling or human services support to individuals in need. This experience must be acquired during or following the relevant degree program. OR II. Three (3) years of experience (full-time or its part-time equivalent) providing client counseling or human services support to individuals in need. NOTE: An Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, Social Work, Human Services, Sociology or Psychology which included an internship of at least one semester experience providing client counseling or human service support to individuals in need may be substituted for the six (6) months experience required in I. above. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: NYS Class D Motor Vehicle Operator's license at time of appointment. This licensure must be maintained throughout employment in this job. General Description The primary functions of this position are to provide post-crisis counseling to victims of crimes, to assess the needs of crime victims and witnesses to determine the kind of assistance needed, and to provide follow-up and referral services with the purpose of reducing the negative impact of crime upon them. The most significant difference between this position and that of Counseling Specialist is that this position does not require crisis intervention immediately following a crime. Employees of this class work under the general supervision of the Victim Service Coordinator. Supervision of others is not a requirement of this class. Employees in this position must be able to speak and understand Spanish. Related work is performed as required. Typical Work Activities Assesses needs of victims and witnesses of crimes to determine kind of assistance needed, through the analysis of crime reports, interviews, etc.; Provides post-crisis counseling to victims of crimes; Advocates on behalf of the victims of crimes with Lawyers, Judges, Police, Court personnel, etc., regarding their court cases; Educates victims to help them understand the Court process; Refers victims needing services such as medical assistance, special counseling, emergency shelter, legal assistance to the appropriate human service agency; Assists victims in filling out forms for compensation and medical insurance claims; Compiles data from crime reports and prepares outreach service report; Advises victims and witnesses by telephone, letter or in person of the Victims Assistance Program and services available; Makes home and hospital visits to interview or counsel victims and offer assistance; Provides transportation to and from court for victims and witnesses if needed; Aids victims in obtaining release of personal property recovered or being held as evidence; Arranges payment schedule with defendants on court ordered restitution; Notifies victims and witnesses of case status (Preliminary Hearings, Grand Jury appearances, Case Dispositions, Court Trials); Communicates in person and by phone in Spanish when necessary. Exam Information SCOPE OF THE EXAMINATION: This exam will be given in two parts: a weighted multiple-choice written test and a qualifying Spanish language oral proficiency test to be given on a later date to candidates who pass the written test. Candidates must pass both the written test and the Spanish language oral proficiency test in order to be eligible for appointment. The score on the written test will determine the final ranking score. Part 1: the weighted multiple-choice written test is designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and/or abilities in the following areas: 1. Advising and interacting with others - These questions test for the ability to interact with other people in order to gather and present information and to provide assistance and advice in a courteous and professional manner. 2. 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. 3. 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. 4. Principles and practices of social casework - These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices used to provide casework services to individuals and/or families of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances. Questions will test for application of this knowledge in various settings and will include such topics as assessment, monitoring and evaluating services, counseling, referrals, and advocacy. 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: https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm Use of calculators is ALLOWED for this exam. 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. Part 2: The qualifying Spanish language oral proficiency test (bilingual test), is designed to evaluate the candidate's oral proficiency in the Spanish language, at a level appropriate for the title. A level 2 proficiency in the Spanish language is required to pass the qualifying oral proficiency test for this title. This is equivalent to having a working oral language proficiency with understandable, smooth expression at a conversational level of communication. The language oral proficiency test will be rated on a pass-fail basis. Candidates must pass both the written test and the qualifying foreign language oral proficiency test in order to be eligible for appointment. SPANISH LANGUAGE ORAL PROFICIENCY TEST WAIVER: The City of Rochester will waive further bilingual component testing for candidates who have successfully completed a required language oral proficiency level with the City of Rochester or other Civil Service agency within New York State. Candidates must request a waiver of the Spanish Language Oral Proficiency Test at a level determined by New York State Department of Civil Service. Candidates must submit a request for waiver with their application by the final filing date for the examination as stated on the Exam Announcement. The request for waiver must include the date, title, Civil Service agency, and the level for which the Spanish Language Oral Proficiency Test was administered. The Department of Human Resource Management/ Examination Administration unit will verify this information with the New York State Department of Civil Service or New York State Civil Service agency. Candidates will receive written notice regarding this verification. The Department of Human Resource Management/ Examination Administration will also keep a record of each successful candidate's name, level of proficiency achieved date(s) of oral proficiency test(s). Candidates who successfully perform at the targeted level, will also be granted waiver status for lower proficiency levels, if any. RATING: This examination will be rated in accordance with Section 23.2 of the Civil Service Law. The provision of the NYS Civil Service Rules and Regulations dealing with the rating of examinations will apply to this exam. WEIGHT: The written test will contribute 100% to the final score. MULTIPLE EXAMINATIONS SCHEDULED FOR THE SAME DAY: If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two (2) weeks before the test date to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All examinations for positions in State government will be held at a State examination center. To notify the City of Rochester that you will be taking more than one exam on the same day, please submit a Cross-Filer form. To access the City of Rochester's Cross-Filer form and other employment forms, please copy the following into your browser: http://www.cityofrochester.gov/article.aspx?id=8589935785 GENERAL INFORMATION: Applications: Applications may be obtained from room 103A City Hall, 30 Church St., Rochester, NY 14614-1280 or from our website www.cityofrochester.gov. A separate application must be completed for each separately numbered examination. Applications must be received by the close of business or postmarked by the Application Deadline date. Late applications will be rejected. Applications must be complete and accurate. Application Fee: An Examination Application Fee is charged for the City of Rochester to process a candidate's examination application. It is not a fee for the examination itself. Exam applications will NOT be reviewed until exam fee is paid. Late fees will NOT be accepted. Payment Due Date is the same as Application Deadline Date for applications. There will be no exceptions to this requirement. There will be no refund of fees if a candidate does not qualify for an exam or if a candidate fails to appear for the examination. Eligible Lists: Eligible lists contain the names of applicants who have received a passing score on the examination. Lists will be established in rank order, with the highest score being #1. In the case of tied scores, all persons at that score are considered equal. Candidates must be one of the top three candidates to be reachable for appointment. Promotional eligible lists are limited to present employees of the City and take precedence over open-competitive lists. All eligible lists are established for at least one year and may be extended for up to four years. Change of Address: You are required to notify Civil Service of any address changes. Failure to do so may result in your removal from an eligible list. Admission to the Exam: If you have not received notification of acceptance or rejection for this exam by the Wednesday before the exam date, please notify this office at 585-428-7454. Residency Requirements: There is no residency requirement for participation in examinations. Preference in hiring may be given toCity of Rochester residents on open-competitive lists pursuant to Section 23 of the Civil Service Law. Military Candidates: Any candidate on active military duty in the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force or Coast Guard may be eligible for alternative testing dates if necessary. This applies to the State Militia and National Guard if under Federal Control. If alternate testing is by a DD214 or other official military document that substantiates the applicant's active military service at the time of the examination. Alternative testing accommodations will not be honored if requests are made more than 60 days after release from service. Effective 1/1/98, the State Constitution was amended to permit candidates currently in the armed forces to apply for and be conditionally granted veteran's credit in examinations. Any candidate who applies for such credit must provide proof of military status to receive the conditional credit. No credit may be granted after the establishment of the list. It is the responsibility of the candidate to provide appropriate documentary proof indicating that the service was in time of war, as defined in Section 85 of Civil Service Law, and that the candidate received an honorable discharge or was released under honorable conditions in order to be certified at a score including veteran's credits. Veterans: To apply for your Veterans' or Disabled Veterans' Credits you must submit an application which can be found at City Hall, 30 Church St., Rm. 103A or on-line at www.cityofrochester.gov, click on Jobs and then the Employment Forms link. Your Veterans' Credits application can be submitted with your exam application, but MUST be submitted PRIOR to the establishment of the eligible list. Veterans' Credits CANNOT be added to your score after the eligible list has been established. Veterans' Credits can only be added to a passing score. You may waive using your Veterans' Credits any time prior to appointment. You many use your Veterans' Credits for hire only once in your lifetime. Additional Exam Credits: In conformance with section 85-a of the Civil Service Law, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duty shall be entitled to receive an additional ten points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent has served. If you are qualified to participate in this examination and are a child of a firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duty in this municipality, please inform this office of this matter when you submit your application for examination. A candidate claiming such credit has a minimum of two months from the application deadline to provide the necessary documentation to verify additional credit eligibility. However, no credit may be added after the eligible list has been established. Alternate Testing Arrangements: If alternate or special arrangements for testing are required, please indicate that on your application and attach appropriate documentation. A copy of the City of Rochester's Alternate Test Policy is available in Room 103A, City Hall, or from our website. Deadline for requests is two (2) business days after exam. Preferred List Applicants: Any employee whose name appears on a preferred list, and who submits an application by the deadline, may participate in a promotion examination, if qualified at time of layoff.