Youth Specialist I

Description

A. Position Definition & Summary: The Youth Specialist I will provide trauma-focused care; maintain a safe, healthy, and structured environment; provide proper supervision; serve as pro-social role models; manage the general behavior of youth; monitor daily activities; demonstrate the ability to effectively work with the population; provide unwavering interventions to shape youth behavior. B. Position Expectations and Essential Functions: • Learns the names of and recognizes youth under immediate charge so a constructive working relationship with the youth is established and maintained. • Monitors the general conduct and behavior of the youth, identifies problem youths, and determines if a higher level of supervision is needed. • Keeps continual track of the number of youths under direct supervision through periodic head counts and records in a logbook all movements of youth in areas both inside and outside the facility. • Constantly observes unusual physical appearance or behavior of youth throughout the facility to uncover violations of rules and protect the health, security, safety, and welfare of the youth. • Detects unusual odors such as marijuana, cigarette smoke, fire, or alcohol to uncover violations, and protect the security, safety, and welfare of the youth. • Listens for unusual sounds such as a sudden change in noise level, calls for help, cries of fire, arguments among youth, scraping of metal, and so forth to maintain the security, safety, and welfare of the youth, and to react in accord with established policies, regulations, and procedures in crisis situations. • Patrols various locations within the facility for the purpose of checking safety and security hazards such as fire, smoke, broken pipes, unlocked doors, and tampered windows and locks to protect the security and safety of the youth and the facility. • Remains alert to possible security problems such as the planning of escapes and so forth, and reports such information in accord with established policies, regulations, and procedures. • Searches juveniles clothing and possessions, and makes periodic room checks to detect contraband in accord with established policies, regulations, and procedures. • Participates in emergency response activities to include participation in escape apprehension activities. • Supervises, performs, and instructs youth in housekeeping duties such as sweeping and mopping floors, making beds, and so forth to maintain sanitary conditions in youth areas. • Supervises various recreation programs and activities with youth to stimulate interest in and cooperation with various social and education programs. • Teaches, supervises and/or participates in various daily living activities with youth to stimulate interest in and train skills needed for independent living. TRUECORE BEHAVIORAL SOLUTIONS, LLC. POSITION CLASSIFICATION DESCRIPTION Title: Youth Specialist I Page: 2 of 3 An Equal Opportunity Employer • Assist youth in making sound decisions when faced with issues such as peer pressure, bullying, adapting to the surroundings, etc., by presenting a positive role model and using common sense to relieve tension and prevent additional problems. • Uses learned techniques to calm disruptive youths in potentially dangerous situations and may physically restrain youths to prevent endangering the health and safety of the youth and others. • Ensures youth maintain proper personal hygiene and are always properly dressed. • Writes comprehensive, factual, incident reports and/or fills out short forms such as head counts and safety reports to give routine and detailed information. • Prepares clear, sound, accurate, and informative reports involving such subjects as inventory levels, equipment specifications, accidents, and youth progress reports, etc. • Effectively implements and consistently applies the program’s Positive Performance System (PPS) / Behavior Management System (BMS). • Detects, responds to, and prevents abuse of youth. • Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Qualifications

C. Position Requirements: Education / Experience: • A high school diploma or equivalent. • At least one (1) year of experience working with youth in an organized group activity. • Candidates with less than one year of previous experience will be required to complete additional training to understand the behavior associated with this population and how to work most effectively with the population. Other Requirements: • Required to be at least 21 years of age or older. Age of employee is dependent on the ages of the youth at individual programs. • Required to possess a valid state ID or driver's license in the state where the work site is located. If the use of a company vehicle or the transportation of youth is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position, only a valid driver’s license will be accepted. • Required to remain on assigned shift until proper relief is present. • Required to respond to the facility with minimal notification for emergency response or operational support. • Required to intervene with individuals engaged in a physical altercation or attempting self-harm, physically prevent an escape, and/or offer immediate pursuit of an escaped youth. D. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: • High school level reading ability, oral communication skills, and written communication skills to include legible handwriting. • Basic knowledge of human behavior, principles of psychology, human growth and development, and the emotional needs of residential youth. Experience with therapeutic limit-setting or an understanding of level systems or other behavior management modalities, helpful. • Ability to teach or assist with youth activities of daily living. • Ability to demonstrate judgment and discretion in dealing with sensitive information and maintain all information regarding the facility, youth, and other staff as highly confidential. • Ability to deal courteously and maintain professional boundaries with youth and other staff and the willingness to seek counsel from supervisory staff in this regard. • Ability to tolerate verbal, mental, and occasional physical abuse while maintaining a professional demeanor. • Ability to use appropriate social skills with youth and other staff, including verbal, nonverbal, written, and visual demonstrations of effective communication, conflict resolution, active listening, empathy, healthy relationships, and respect. • Ability to function independently within a team-oriented atmosphere, work under pressure, meet inflexible deadlines, set priorities, and deal diplomatically with difficult individuals. TRUECORE BEHAVIORAL SOLUTIONS, LLC. POSITION CLASSIFICATION DESCRIPTION Title: Youth Specialist I Page: 3 of 3 An Equal Opportunity Employer • Ability to deal courteously with the public and use appropriate customer service skills through electronic, telephonic and face to face interactions. • Ability to prioritize and manage time effectively, display strong multi-tasking capabilities and use appropriate problem-solving skills to develop solutions under minimal supervision when necessary. • Ability to maintain all TrueCore and DJJ annual training and certification requirements. E. Equipment Utilized While completing job duties, the following machines and tools may be utilized by the employee: • Telephone • Audio-visual equipment • Copy Machine • First Aid Items • Shredder • AED • Calculator • Vehicle F. Physical Requirements & Work Environment: • Processing and Reasoning: Ability to exercise self-control in potentially volatile situations such as in verbal and physical confrontations. Must be able to work and concentrate amidst distractions and noise. Ability to assist youth with problem-solving and maintaining self-control in volatile situations. • Language: Ability to write complex sentences, using proper punctuation, and ability to communicate in complex sentences using normal word order with present and past tenses. • Talking: Ability to express and exchange ideas via spoken word during activities in which they must convey details or important spoken instructions to others accurately, sometimes quickly and loudly. • Hearing: Ability to perceive the nature of sounds with no less than 40 dB loss at Hz, 1000 Hz and 2000 Hz with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication. Usual noise levels range between barely audible (20dBa) to heavy noise (80dBa) as the primary work environment is a residential type setting where an individual lives and services are available from a provider on a 24-hour basis. • Vision: To complete required clerical tasks and the observation of youth, a minimum visual acuity standard of 20/70 in either eye or both eyes together with or without corrective lenses is required. However, if one eye is blind or 20/200 or worse, the other eye must be 20/40 or better. • Dexterity: Ability to stoop, kneel, crouch, reach, push, pull, lift, grasp, and be able to perceive the attributes of an object such as size, shape, and temperature. Movements frequently and regularly required using wrists, hands and/or fingers. • Physical Strength: Ability to exert up to 100 pounds of force occasionally. Position is mostly standing, and employees must be able to physically perform escalation matrix as defined in Right Interactions. This will include but is not limited to all countermoves and restraint techniques. • Climate: The employee is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions as the work is predominantly inside however the employee may be subject to temperature changes as the employee may be required to work both inside and outside in heat/cold, wet/humid, and dry/arid conditions. • Universal Precautions: The employee will be required to observe Universal Standard precautions to include the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent contact with potentially infectious materials such as blood, vomit, saliva, sputum, urine, and feces. The work environment characteristics described are representative of those an employee may encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible if they can perform the essential functions of the job after reasonable accommodation is made to their known limitations. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the company undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.