What are the responsibilities and job description for the Aftercare Life Coach Intern position at Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York?
About St, John’s
Founded in 1826 as a home for orphaned children, St. John’s has evolved into a nonprofit social services agency providing residential care to New York City youth involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. We offer holistic, trauma-informed support to young people up to age 21.
Our main campus in Rockaway Park, Queens, houses a Residential Treatment Center, Close to Home Non-Secure Placement programs, administrative offices, clinical services, and an on-site NYC Department of Education school. We also operate a Non-Secure Detention residence in Richmond Hill and Limited Secure Placement programs in Brooklyn and Staten Island.
St. John’s is dedicated to helping youth heal, grow, and build the skills they need to achieve their goals and return to family or a stable, supportive environment as engaged members of their communities.
Summary Job Description:
The Aftercare Life Coach Intern supports the Aftercare Team in assisting youth during their transition from residential placement to community reintegration.
Under supervision, the intern will gain exposure to reentry planning, family engagement strategies, youth goal setting, and community resource coordination.
This internship is ideal for students pursuing careers in social work, criminal justice, counseling, psychology, or community-based services.
Principal Responsibilities:
Under supervision, the intern will:
- Observe and support youth goal-setting activities aligned with service plans (e.g., education, employment, personal development goals).
- Assistin preparing materials for life-skills activities and family engagement sessions.
- Accompany Life Coachestomeetings, school conferences, or community activities whenappropriate.
- Support youth participation in prosocial and community-based activities.
- Assistwith documentation of contacts and activities under staff guidance.
- Observe family engagement sessions and learn strategies for strengthening family communication.
- Supporttracking ofyouth progress toward identified service goals.
- Attend supervision and relevanttrainingsfor professional development.
- Interns will not carry independent caseloads, provide crisis intervention independently, conduct unsupervised home visits, or beon-call.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the internship, the intern will:
- Develop foundational knowledge of reentry and aftercare service models.
- Understand the role of community-based support in reducing recidivism.
- Demonstrate basic youth engagement and motivational support skills.
- Gain exposure to family systems and transition planning processes.
- Strengthen professional communication and documentation skills.
- Develop awareness of crisis prevention and referral processes.
- Identifycareer pathways in aftercare services, juvenile justice, and community-based youth support roles.
Minimum Requirements:
- Currently enrolled in or recentgraduateof a program in Social Work, Criminal Justice, Psychology, Counseling, or relatedfield.
- Interest in working with justice-involved or at-risk youth.
- Professional maturity and ability tomaintainconfidentiality.
- Strong communicationand organizational skills.
- Ability to travel locally with supervision as needed.
- Driver’s license preferred but not required for internship placement.
Travel Requirements:
This position may require travel between 2 to 3 residential programs located in Queens, Staten Island, or Brookyln. Travel to St. John’s administrative offices for meetings, trainings, etc. is also required.
Disclaimer:
This internship is unpaid and credit-bearing, in accordance with each participating school’s academic requirements.
The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the incumbent in this position. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of a person in this position.
Internship Structure and Supervision:
This position is a structured educational internship. Interns are not assigned independent caseloads, are not counted toward staff-to-youth ratios, and do not provide independent clinical, supervisory, or crisis intervention services. All activities are conducted under the supervision of designated staff in accordance with agency policy and regulatory requirements.