Youth Care Professional

Starting Wage of $17.00/hour

Full Time receives 4 weeks of PTO per year!

Paid Holidays if you work at time and a half and 64 Floating Holiday hours to use if you don't work!

Position Summary: The Youth Care Professional is responsible for providing reliable and timely support and reinforcement of all therapeutic programing by providing guidance and direction to clients in their daily living activities by utilizing trauma informed practices to maintain a safe environment, while ensuring the client's needs are met.

Primary responsibilities:

Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Daily Youth Care Support

Initiatives engagement with client and provides safe interactions, mentorship and supervision of their daily activities and behaviors according to established guidelines and procedures.

Monitors and coach's clients to achieve activities of daily living such as personal hygiene, grooming, upkeep of living areas and laundry.

Assures clients adhere to and engage in the daily schedules and activities established for the program, including school, therapy sessions, group sessions, external appointments, and family visits.

Serves as a mentor and role model by demonstrating compassion and understanding for feelings, and experiences of staff and clients; communicates in an honest, positive, and respectful manner.

Plans and participates in creating daily scheduling, activities, treatment planning, guidance plans, and safety protocols.

Demonstrates acceptance and inclusivity concerning individual commonalities and differences such as gender, race, age, culture, ethnicity, class, religion, disability, and gender identity.

Advocates for the client's needs.

• Treatment Planning & Protocol

Administers medications accurately per established protocols; ensures the documentation and recording requirements of client record is accurate and compliant.

Remains cognizant and aware of individual client phases, privileges, and restrictions; objectively and empathetically, adjusts and adapts interactions with clients accordingly, to individual phases.

Engages in therapeutic interventions with clients within treatment parameters, while always maintaining healthy and appropriate boundaries with clients and families.

Demonstrates and abides by the Empowering Restorative Engagement Model (ERE Model) and programming; directs staff in developing action plans, safety planning through the ERE model.

Engages in counseling sessions with clients and assist in the development of treatment plans as needed.

Facilitates or co-facilitates educational groups that support treatment plan goals, and therapeutic programming.

• Client & Family Reinforcement

Plans, participates, and successfully carries out off-campus client activities as designed while effectively managing the group, and providing appropriate supervision of client/s. Assists in the transportation of clients for home visits, doctors' appointments, planned recreational activities, etc. as required.

Fosters balance and accountability by creating safe space with client; holds clients accountable to their actions while continuing to focus on the greater picture of supporting social and emotional growth and development.

Engages with and actively listens to clients and families; seeks to understand the client by honoring and respecting their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and perspectives.

Maintains a trauma-informed care approach when working with clients and staff; infuses and applies restorative practices with clients by supporting accountability.

• Client Safety & Agency Policy & Procedures

Reports signs and symptoms that may require intervention or referral; communicates observations of client suicidal or violent tendencies, self-mutilation, eating disorders or chemical dependency.

Prioritizes the client's emotional and physical safety; collaborates with coworkers to maintain a positive, respectful, clean, strengths-based, and therapeutic environment.

Ensures compliance with all safety policies and procedures involving living areas, buildings campus grounds and while attending off-campus locations and activities.

Performs First Aid/CPR procedures and responds according to established protocols in the event of an emergency.

Remains calm and demonstrates positive and effective de-escalation techniques and strategies in conjunction with crisis management training.

Remains calm and demonstrates appropriate supervision of clients by actively listening, actively observing, and being proactive to avoid problems.

Complies with Nexus policies involving privacy and confidentiality for clients and their families.

Completes all client related documentation accurately and professionally (incidents, progress notes, etc.)

• Agency and Team Collaboration

Maintains positive team interactions, and regularly attends and actively participates in staff meetings, positively representing and advocating for the needs of clients (and their families as applicable).

Partners and assumes responsibility in managing the milieu in the absence of the Milieu Lead or Milieu Supervisor as requested.

Participates in the onboarding, training and development and assumes mentorship role for new staff.

Completes all assigned training, adheres to company policies and procedures while exhibiting curiosity and initiative to learn and receptive to feedback and ongoing development.

Required Education and Licensure:

• Minimum 21 years of age

• High School diploma or GED is required

• Valid driver's license required. Must meet state regulating agency and Home Office driving requirements

Preferred Education and Experience:

• YCP: Previous experience is not required.
• YCP I: 1+ years' experience in a field of treatment, probation, case management in human services, in-home work, therapy, or counseling or has met the Nexus Proficiency and YCP Program requirements.
• YCP II: 1+ year of experience in residential setting (residential, group home, congregate care) or has met the Nexus Proficiency and YCP Program requirements.
• YCP III: 1.5 years (18 months) experience required, in a residential setting or has met the Nexus Proficiency and YCP Program requirements.

ICARE Values & Behavioral Competencies:

• Innovation: Leading the way and implementing creative, cutting-edge ideas and approaches.

• Compassion: Listening, honoring differences, and showing respect, kindness, empathy care, and concern.

• Agility: Exhibiting flexibility and adapting quickly.

• Responsiveness: Being quick, positive, and accurate.

• Excellence: Demonstrating quality results that surpass ordinary standards.

Direct Care Job Family Competencies:

• Teamwork: Working as a Productive member of a cohesive group toward a common goal and contributing to team development and effective team dynamics.

• Stress Tolerance: Performing well when faced with pressure due to time frame, workload, adversity, disappointment, crisis intervention, or opposition.

• Adaptability: Maintaining effectiveness in reaching set goals by adapting to changed circumstances, tasks, responsibilities, and people.

• Quality Orientation: Setting High Standards regarding his/her work and working environment and acting accordingly; developing quality standards, continuously evaluating performance, products, and procedures; actively seeking ways to improve quality.

• Empathy & Self-Awareness: Demonstrates self-awareness by acknowledging & understanding one's own thoughts, feelings & emotions. Is attune to how each (thoughts, feelings & emotions) may impact one another, as we interact, communicate & engage with each other in our daily work or more emotion driven experiences & exchanges.

• Fosters a Safe Space: Fosters a safe workplace or 'safe space' for Nexus youth, family, co-workers & employees to be vulnerable & share individual experiences in confidence, with acceptance & without consequence.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion:

At Nexus Family Healing, our voices and actions will be focused on recognizing, affirming and respecting people of every race, ethnic background, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender expression and faith.

Other Duties:

The essential functions, tasks and responsibilities of this position may change from time to time. Nexus Family Healing reserves the right to add or omit duties and responsibilities at the discretion of the company or its leadership. Additional tasks or duties required of the position, will be communicated to the incumbent with specificity to ensure the employee may perform their role with complete understanding. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed; it is not intended to be all-inclusive.

Travel:

None

Work Environment:

• Must be able to lift to 50 pounds unassisted and up to 100+ pounds with assistance.

• Must be able to stand and walk for extended periods of time (2-4 hours).

• Must be able to twist, bend and stretch in a manner conducive to the execution of daily activities within the residential program.

• Must be able to assist in proper restraining of client.

• This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as desktop and/or laptop computers, photocopiers, and smartphones.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus. The job requires extended periods of sitting. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The mental and physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.

Expected Hours of Work:

Work schedules and hours are variable and expected to meet the needs of the business to include days, evenings, and weekends.