Youth Counselor (Justice for Youth & Families)

About the Role

The Youth Counselor will be primarily responsible for building healthy relationships with each person supported and providing adequate care, safety, custody, control and counseling with the aim of allowing the youth to become a productive member of society.

What You’ll Do

• Provides direct supervision and be accountable for whereabouts of persons always supported.
• LSP only: Utilize mechanical restraints to transport youth between sectors of the home.
• Works closely with representatives from the Department of Education to ensure safety during educational enrichment.
• Intervenes during emergencies or altercations to ensure the safety of all youth.
• Managed persons supported behavior utilizing the principles of the MYSI Model with the goal of teaching the young people to make positive, lasting changes in their behavior.
• Implements daily living routines, schedules and procedures.
• Assures the safety of the persons supported and maintains security
• Ensures high standard of sanitary conditions throughout the house including heavy cleaning and laundry.
• Participates in the planning and execution of educational, recreational, and personal enrichment activities.
• Participates in ongoing meetings, conferences, training programs as required.
• Interacts and communicates with Rising Ground staff in matters related to, but not limited to, the needs of the residents and the program, in general.
• Attend all mandatory training required by ACS, OCFS and the Agency.
• Responsible for adhering to all ACS, OCFS and agency regulations.
• Uphold rules, repertoire of responses, confrontation techniques, application of the restriction system, negotiating restrictions, Force Fields, utilization of Safe Crisis Management techniques when necessary.
• Manages the peer group, understands peer group dynamics, promotes and maintains a positive peer group culture.
• Attention to and support of medical issues, student educational needs, casework, clinical appointments, etc. Monitors persons supported in Family Court.
• Completes log reports, complete behavior assessment reports, and submits documentation, incident reports.
• Informs the Case Planner and supervisors of any issues related to the youth or their families as they become aware of such information
• Ability to work various hours and days of the week
• Performs other duties as assigned

Your Qualifications

• 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 NYS Driver’s License required.
• Must have exceptional verbal and written communication skills in order 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
• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Supervisory Responsibility: No

Work Environment: Work locations are at an assigned juvenile justice facility throughout the five boroughs.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work: This is a 40-hour nonexempt position. Mandatory overtime is to be expected based on the needs of the program on various shifts. This is not a work from home position. Staff are paid for 8 hours straight time and are expected to eat with residents during mealtimes.

Travel (if required): None- Program travel is only during program hours.

Physical Requirements: Must have the ability to complete all standard administrative and support tasks including but not limited to climbing up and down stairs, operation of computers/phones/fax/printer/copy machine, and the ability to lift boxes, furniture, and equipment up to 30lbs. Must be able to travel from the various locations and sites of Rising Ground. Ability to perform physical restraint of youth using approved restraint techniques. Physical clearances are required and reevaluated annually.

Additional Requirements:

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
•  Ability to work in-person in New York City (NY) for at least 3 days or more per week.
• Ability to travel to other Rising Ground sites (if required)

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

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.