Youth Engagement Specialist - Part Time

Schedule Friday-Sunday 2:30 pm - 10:30 pm

All Covenant House Alaska program staff work as advocates and allies for youth experiencing homelessness and human trafficking.

The Youth Engagement Specialist (YES) provides and ensures high quality trauma-informed service delivery in many aspects of youth care at the direct supervision, management, and program development in a variety of community programs including Covenant House Alaska (CHA) residential services or through drop-in services. The YES will build intentional relationships with youth, engage them in a variety of programming and work through their stages of change in order to drive toward long-term positive outcomes.

• Understand, practice, and promote the vision, mission, and five principles of Covenant House Alaska.
• Expected to have actual, intentional contact with assigned youth every shift.
• Relentlessly show up and be present in young people's lives, especially through times of adversity.
• Engage youth in appropriate educational, vocational, and life skill programming.
• Work with team to plan and implement engagement activities.
• Maintain a positive and professional working relationship with the general public, including placement agencies and families of the youth we serve.
• Provide face to face support and intervention in multiple settings including, but not limited to residential services and non-residential services within a variety of program settings
• Maintain a high level of ethical standards.
• Demonstrate an enthusiastic commitment to the job and the Agency.
• Ensure the safety and whereabouts of youth seen by CHA at all times.
• Provide security of the building, including the surrounding area.
• Maintain Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) data base through data entry of all work with participants on a daily basis.
• Provide trauma-informed, individualized services to youth in residence based on the assigned program’s procedures:
  • Build intentional, positive relationships and engage assigned youth to ensure they are fully supported throughout the shift
  • Document in youth files or as dictated by program need
  • Assist Youth in taking steps to accomplish agreed upon goals outlined in collaborative Success Plans
  • Establish and maintain contact with family members, as needed and as outlined on the Success Plans
  • Establish and maintain contact with all community agencies as outlined on the Success Plan
  • Perform intakes, discharges, answer the telephones, and assists in the operating needs of program
• Participates in team meetings, staff trainings and other opportunities for professional development.
• Keep supervisor fully informed at all times.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

GED or high school diploma required. Bachelor's degree in Human Services, Social Work, Psychology or a related field is strongly preferred. Experience can substitute for post-secondary experience on a year-for-year basis.

Experience working with adolescent or disadvantaged populations in relevant human services, medical, educational, legal, or closely related positions is strongly preferred; life, volunteer, and internship experience will be considered. Lived experience of homelessness considered an asset

• Understand and comply with all Agency policies and procedures; including Child Protection Policies.
• Understand and comply with all principles of Trauma-Informed Care. Willingness to acquire basic concepts in care coordination for adolescents and young adults and incorporate into service-provision.
• Is approachable, relatable, builds rapport well, and practices active listening with individuals of varied cultural backgrounds, embracing differences in behavior and lifestyle choices.
• Knowledge of crisis intervention and ability to address conflict between youth exhibiting challenging behaviors; able to respond quickly and safely while continuing to be a settling influence in crisis situations and emergencies.
• High degree of sensitivity to and respect for diversity and cultural issues involved in working with individuals of varying ethnicities and income.
• Understand and implement best practices in the areas of prevention, recognition, and response to suspected and identified victims of human trafficking.
• Willingness to engage with partner human trafficking service agencies and law enforcement.
• Understand the intersectionality of youth homelessness, mental health, substance misuse, human trafficking and poverty.
• Can maintain confidentiality while understanding and complying with requirements of mandated reporting, duty to warn, HIPAA, and other limits to confidentiality.
• Willingness to utilize training opportunities in support of personal and professional growth, competence development, and to increase overall capacity to serve youth every day.
• Proficient with standard computer operating systems. Ability to navigate Microsoft Office Suite, online databases, and other programs and websites as required.
• Willingness and ability to work…