Youth Advocate

Youth Advocate (Ya)-ACSF

Are you dedicated to empowering and supporting youth, regardless of their background? We're searching for passionate individuals to make a positive impact on the lives of foster youth. Become an integral part of their transformative journey and join the First Place for Youth team.

About First Place for Youth, we're a leading non-profit organization dedicated to supporting foster youth in their transition to adulthood, with a focus on education, employment, and housing. We believe that all young people deserve the opportunity to thrive and lead successful, independent lives. Our comprehensive programs empower foster youth to overcome the unique challenges they face and build the skills, confidence, and connections they need to succeed.

Position Overview:

The Youth Advocate (Ya)-ACSF is a hybrid position responsible for case management, psycho-social assessment, targeted life skills, employment and education coaching, and development and implementation of intervention strategies to foster care youth in our MFP program. The position provides coaching to support each youth to achieve goals of housing stability, sustainable and sustaining employment, and educational achievement. The Ya must understand what it takes to support youth in developing goals related to secondary and post-secondary education, career development and obtaining and maintaining a pathway to living wage.

The Ya is active in developing, supporting and implementing an individualized, strength 'based, culturally competent, youth-centered approach. A successful Youth Advocate understands how to motivate, influence, and mentor young adults to achieve goals while launching adult lives from foster care. This position is a combination of onsite, youth's home and community-based work Monday through Friday.

Duties + Responsibilities

Direct Care and Interventions:

• Provide youth with individual counseling, crisis intervention, referrals, advocacy and life skills training.
• Conduct weekly, in person meetings with youth assigned to caseload to develop independent living related goals and identify steps to achieve goals, including financial literacy, wellness, good tenancy, parenting, relationships, education planning and employment supports. Provide continuous coaching, identify barriers and develop joint-plans to achieve success with youth and natural supporters.
• In-residence visits are mandatory as outlined in the program guidelines.
• Gathers and analyzes on-going information to ensure youth safety, well-being and progress.
• Provide career coaching through job readiness, handling work-related issues, promote self-advocacy and increase success in job retention and growth, as well as education research, preparedness and steps towards completion.
• Organizes, schedules, and facilitates youth and team meetings.
• Provides on-going assessment of youth well-being and develops plans to ensure safety, preventative interventions planning and de-escalate crisis as needed.
• Collaborates with community providers including county workers, courts, professionals, vocational and independent living skills programs, schools, employers, family members and significant others.
• Prepare clients to maintain housing after program exit or help them to identify alternative housing options if necessary.

Documentation/Administrative Duties

• Attend weekly program meetings, monthly agency staff meetings, and individual weekly supervision with Program Manager
• Completes documentation including but not limited to Care and Services plans, needs assessments, and progress notes.
• Ensures all needed paperwork and consents are completed for each client at time of entry.
• Maintain files for caseload and update monthly paperwork
• Participates in agency committee as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• BA in social work, psychology, counselling or equivalent required with Minimum four years of experience working in a child welfare social services setting or with transition age youth with complex presentations including chronic trauma.
• Master's Degree in a social work, psychology, counselling or equivalent preferred.
• A strong dedication to cultural competency that creates…