What are the responsibilities and job description for the Support Staff position at Leake and Watts Services, Inc.?
About Rising Ground
Founded as an orphanage in 1831, Rising Ground has been at the forefront of evolving community needs. Driven by the belief that each of us can thrive when life has hope and opportunity, Rising Ground provides caring support and proven paths to positive change, helping children, adults, and families rise above adversity, and each year, Rising Ground is a positive force in the lives of more than 72,000 individuals annually. We do this through 101 programs across 138 sites, throughout New York City and Westchester. Our strong belief and commitment to diversity is shown not just through our work with supported persons but is integral to the building of a strong staff that reflects the communities we serve. Rising Ground is headquartered in New York City.
About The Role
The program Support Staff will provide essential support across all Justice for Youth & Family (JYF) programs, including NSP, LSP, NSD, and Aftercare. This role is responsible for assisting with crisis intervention, youth transports, daily movement coordination, and ensuring the overall safety and security of the facilities. The Support Staff will work collaboratively with program teams to maintain a structured, responsive, and secure environment, supporting youth engagement and positive program outcomes. Provide staffing coverage on a as needed basis, to support programmatic needs.
What You'll Do
Supervisory Responsibility
No
Work Environment
Staff should expect to work in a variety of dynamic environments, including schools, courtrooms, residential facilities, and during youth transports. The role requires flexibility, frequent travel, and the ability to remain professional and trauma-informed in fast-paced or emotionally charged settings.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work: This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are various and based on departmental needs. Work hours options are 7:30 am - 3:30 pm, 3:30 pm - 11:30 pm, 11:30 pm - 7:30 am.
Additional Requirements
It is the policy of Rising Ground that the Agency wholly complies with equal treatment of all
employees and applicants for employment without unlawful discrimination as to an individual's
perceived or actual race, creed, color, national origin, alienate, citizenship status, gender, age, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or
veteran status in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring,
compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, layoff and termination and all other terms and conditions of employment.
Founded as an orphanage in 1831, Rising Ground has been at the forefront of evolving community needs. Driven by the belief that each of us can thrive when life has hope and opportunity, Rising Ground provides caring support and proven paths to positive change, helping children, adults, and families rise above adversity, and each year, Rising Ground is a positive force in the lives of more than 72,000 individuals annually. We do this through 101 programs across 138 sites, throughout New York City and Westchester. Our strong belief and commitment to diversity is shown not just through our work with supported persons but is integral to the building of a strong staff that reflects the communities we serve. Rising Ground is headquartered in New York City.
About The Role
The program Support Staff will provide essential support across all Justice for Youth & Family (JYF) programs, including NSP, LSP, NSD, and Aftercare. This role is responsible for assisting with crisis intervention, youth transports, daily movement coordination, and ensuring the overall safety and security of the facilities. The Support Staff will work collaboratively with program teams to maintain a structured, responsive, and secure environment, supporting youth engagement and positive program outcomes. Provide staffing coverage on a as needed basis, to support programmatic needs.
What You'll Do
- Actively assists in the supervision of youth in facilities, community settings, school, and transports.
- Responds to crisis situations when observed or called for assistance.
- Relationships with Youth - Establish and maintain appropriate and therapeutic relationships with the residents. Develop an understanding of each resident's strength and needs and individualize interactions accordingly.
- Maintain appropriate boundaries and model appropriate interactions for childcare staff.
- Model and ensure the appropriate use of SCM techniques including verbal de-escalation techniques, restraint procedures, and debriefing interviewing.
- Implement and Model MYSI fully.
- Attend all required meetings and trainings and share new and updated information with staff when necessary.
- Ensure review and clear understanding of all youth Behavioral support plan.
- Provides additional staffing and support in facilities on an as needed basis.
- Assists with other duties depending on the situational needs of the program (ie transporting youth, AWOL, Police Custody retrievals, medical transports, community visits).
- Ensure proper documentation of events and timely communication with other inter-disciplinary team members around incidents.
- Attend and participate in staff meetings, trainings and workshops as needed.
- Show organizational commitment which includes understanding and actively supporting the mission, policies and procedures protecting the integrity of the agency.
- High School Diploma 3 Years of Direct Services in Mental Health or Juvenile Justice Programming
- Associate's degree 2 Years of Direct Services in Mental Health or Juvenile Justice Programming
- Bachelor's Degree 1 Year of Direct Services in Mental Health or Juvenile Justice Programming
- Valid Driver's License
- Must have exceptional verbal and written communication skills to maintain required documentation
- Must have a commitment to work from a strength based and/or youth development and trauma-informed perspective
- Commitment to the mission and values of Rising Ground
- Must be able to pass required Safe Crisis Management (SCM) and recertify annually
Supervisory Responsibility
No
Work Environment
Staff should expect to work in a variety of dynamic environments, including schools, courtrooms, residential facilities, and during youth transports. The role requires flexibility, frequent travel, and the ability to remain professional and trauma-informed in fast-paced or emotionally charged settings.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work: This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are various and based on departmental needs. Work hours options are 7:30 am - 3:30 pm, 3:30 pm - 11:30 pm, 11:30 pm - 7:30 am.
Additional Requirements
- Authorized to work in the U.S.
- Ability to travel to other Rising Ground sites (if required)
It is the policy of Rising Ground that the Agency wholly complies with equal treatment of all
employees and applicants for employment without unlawful discrimination as to an individual's
perceived or actual race, creed, color, national origin, alienate, citizenship status, gender, age, disability, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or
veteran status in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring,
compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, layoff and termination and all other terms and conditions of employment.
