Youth Care Specialist - Transitional

Youth Care Specialist

Position Function:
The Youth Care Specialist (YCS) oversees the daily supervision of clients and provides a therapeutic environment to meet client needs, including physical, mental, academic, medical, relational, spiritual, and emotional care. The YCS assists clients with daily living tasks, learning daily living and self-care skills, providing behavioral support and guidance to achieve service plans goals. The YCS is also responsible for maintaining a safe and therapeutic environment that provides for the overall safety of clients in care and maintains the physical care of the facility in accordance with minimum standards.

The YCS provides supportive learning experiences, behavioral support, and empathic adult guidance to clients. The YCS delivers services within a Trauma-Informed Care framework, assisting clients to achieve their goals and family reunification (unless alternative placement is necessary). The YCS works with clients to build on the client's strengths, assisting them to create solutions, and discovering hope for their future. The YCS may be instructed to work in other units, as needed, at the direction of their supervisor or on call.

The YCS is sensitive to the service population's cultural and socioeconomic characteristics.

Core Competencies:

• Professionalism (including, but not limited to, consistent and reliable job performance, awareness, and use of professional ethics to guide practice)
• Applied Positive Youth Development (PYD) approach (including, but not limited to, skills to develop a Positive Youth Development plan and identifying the client's strengths to best apply a Positive Youth Development framework)
• Cultural and human diversity (including, but not limited to, gaining knowledge and skills to meet the needs of clients of a different race, ethnicity, nationality, religion/spirituality, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation)
• Applied human development (including, but not limited to, understanding the developmental needs of those at risk and with special needs)
• Relationship and communication (including, but not limited to, working with clients in a collaborative manner)
• Developmental practice methods (including, but not limited to, utilizing methods focused on genuine relationships, health and safety, intervention planning)
• Trauma-Informed Care (including, but not limited to, understanding trauma and the capacity to implement the most effective and current trauma informed interventions within assigned programs)
• Ability to move and work in other units as needed at the direction of their supervisor or on call.

Program:

• Complete client intakes and assist with completion of intake documents as assigned.
• Provide clients with all basic needs, including a clean and safe living environment.
• Provide level of supervision to clients based on the level of supervision needed, including timely bed checks, as required.
• Provide behavioral support and crisis intervention as needed.
• Follow and implement the daily and recreation schedules.
• Plan and implement client activities that support life skills or provide experiential opportunities
• Maintain a helping role and intervene appropriately to meet service goals.
• Transport clients to appointments, activities, and visits.
• Provide clients with opportunities to learn/practice skills to better prepare them for positive skills development, family reunification, possible placement, and day-to-day interactions.
• Conduct house meetings and attend and participate in shift change meetings and other staffing as directed by supervisor.
• Complete training and certifications as required by licensing, contractual, grant and agency standards.
• Use skills learned in new employees and on-going training.
• Collaborate with TDFPS, caseworkers,…