Youth Support Specialist

Job Overview

The Youth Support Specialist (YSS) works directly to supervise court-placed youth, age 12‑20, who reside at OCFS secure, limited‑secure, and/or non‑secure residential facilities. YSSs are part of a team that ensures a facility is physically secure (e.g., responsible for youth movement, key and door control, and conflict resolution) and emotionally safe for both youth and other staff. YSSs help create a professional, healthy, and therapeutic environment.

• Establish a relationship of professionalism, confidence, safety, and trust with youth and other staff from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, physical ability, sexual orientation, gender identity expression (SOGIE), and socio‑economic backgrounds.
• Supervise and monitor youth, which may include 1‑to‑1 supervision depending on a youth’s clinical needs.
• Actively participate as a member of a youth’s support team—a treatment‑focused group of professional and para‑professional staff who work together to address the emotional and behavioral needs and goals of youth.
• Be confident in engaging with people who may be under physical and/or emotional stress.
• Employ graduated harm‑reduction strategies while supervising youth, correcting and, when necessary, verbally or physically intervening when a youth displays unsafe behaviors toward themselves or others.
• Take opportunities to improve the well‑being of the facility community by being collaborative and informed.
• Supervise and/or assist youth during recreation and education activities, and take on various as‑needed assignments.
• Establish and maintain positive, professional, and appropriate relationships with youths’ families and loved ones.
• Assist youth in achieving education, work readiness, and community transition goals.
• Some intrastate travel may be required (e.g., supervision at youth medical appointments, intramural games, extracurricular activities, or other events).
• The position is physically demanding; a candidate must be prepared to act to ensure the health and safety of youth and staff, which may include use of approved physical restraint techniques.

Attend a 2‑week Juvenile Justice Basic Training orientation, be proficient in OCFS‑approved physical skills and youth restraint techniques (given twice a year for eight hours total), take NYS employee mandated annual trainings, and other annual training refreshers.

• The YSS position is at all nine OCFS facilities. Vacancies are throughout the state.
• The position requires shift, weekend, holiday, and overtime assignments, including mandatory and voluntary overtime.

• Two years full‑time direct care experience
  * in the care and programming of youth ages 6‑21.
• OR a Bachelor’s degree.
• OR an Associate’s degree AND six months of experience.
• OR a high school graduation or equivalency diploma AND one year of experience*.
• OR a satisfactory equivalent combination of the above education and experience requirements.
• * Direct care experience with youth involved in the juvenile justice system or in an institution, camp, school, community center, youth rehabilitation program, mental health or correctional institution, or residential center.
• Appropriate verifiable part‑time experience will be accepted on a prorated basis.
• Completion of the probation period must include possession of a valid motor vehicle operator’s license and the ability to operate a motor vehicle legally in New York State.