DJS RESIDENT ADVISOR TRAINEE

State of Maryland; Salisbury (MD); On-site; USD 32,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Maryland, Department of Juvenile Services, is hiring for a Resident Advisor Trainee at the Lower Eastern Shore Children's Center in Salisbury, Maryland. The role involves supervising and guiding youth, maintaining safety, and ensuring program continuity under supervision.

It is an entry-level position with duties across shifts to provide direct care coverage. The role requires a high school diploma or equivalent.

Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Responsibilities

• Learns to escort groups of youth to and from daily activities at the facility and to supervise their conduct during movement and daily activities.
• Learns to observe individual and group behaviors and to determine when intervention or guidance is needed by the youth under his/her care.
• Learns to intervene in situations involving agitated or overwrought youth to prevent fights and to de-escalate potentially harmful behaviors.
• Learns to suggest alternative ways of reacting to problems, and may be required to physically restrain youth.
• Learns to promote an environment conducive to learning helpful alternative behaviors by encouraging communication among youth and staff, guiding and critiquing group discussions, offering advice at appropriate junctures and serving as a mentor and role model for resident youth.

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

Introduction

The Department of Juvenile Services is accepting applications for the position of Resident Advisor Trainee at the Lower Eastern Shore Children's Center located in Salisbury, Maryland.

If you are interested in this position but not at this location, please check the employment center for a facility closer to you and apply.

GRADE

ASTD11

LOCATION OF POSITION

Department of Juvenile Services

Lower Eastern Shore Children’s Center

405 Naylor Mill Road

Salisbury, MD 21801

Main Purpose of Job

A DJS Resident Advisor Trainee is the entry level of work providing supervision and guidance to youth residing in a facility operated by the Department of Juvenile Services. The DJS Resident Advisor Trainee guides, directs, and organizes youth while maintaining safety and security, care, custody and program continuity in accordance with established DJS policies and facility procedures. The DJS Resident Advisor Trainee performs a limited range of duties with some independence at times and under close supervision at other times. Additionally, the purpose of this position is to provide direct care coverage over a continuum of shifts.

POSITION DUTIES

• Learns to escort groups of youth to and from daily activities at the facility and to supervise their conduct during movement and daily activities;
• Learns to observe individual and group behaviors and to determine when intervention or guidance is needed by the youth under his/her care;
• Learns to intervene in situations involving agitated or overwrought youth to prevent fights and to de-escalate potentially harmful behaviors,
• Learns to suggest alternative ways of reacting to problems, and may be required to physically restrain youth;
• Learns to promote an environment conducive to learning helpful alternative behaviors by encouraging communication among youth and staff, guiding and critiquing group discussions, offering advice at appropriate junctures and serving as a mentor and role model for resident youth;
• Learns to monitor the behavior of youth and assist them in complying with daily and weekly schedules of attending classes, completing school assignments, sleeping, eating and performing personal hygiene tasks;
• Learns to record behavior observations, prepare progress and incident reports on assigned youth for review by supervisors, and recommend behavioral sanctions;
• Learns to inspect residence areas for safety, security and cleanliness;
• Learns to assess inappropriate behaviors and recommend behavioral sanctions to supervisors;
• Attends in-service training on topics, such as crisis prevention, suicide prevention, emergency medical treatments, and behavioral modification models to maintain knowledge of childcare needs, counseling methods and trends in the juvenile justice field and to obtain and maintain certification;
• Learns to assess emergency and crisis situations, make appropriate contacts and referrals, and provide interim emergency medical and other assistance until specialized assistance is available;
• May be assigned to a cottage or dormitory post at night;
• May accompany youth to community service activities outside the facility;
• Performs other related duties.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: None.

Note: The above educational requirement is set by the Maryland Correctional Training Commission in accordance with the Correctional Services Article, Section 8-209, Annotated Code of Maryland.

DESIRED OR PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Associate’s Degree in a related field (i.e., Criminal Justice, Social or Behavioral Sciences)

LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

1. Employees in this classification must complete and successfully pass the Entrance Level Correctional Training Course for DJS staff required for the Maryland Correctional Training Commission certificate during probationary period.

2. Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of a motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties will be required to possess a motor vehicle operator’s license valid in the State of Maryland.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

1. In accordance with the Correctional Services Article, Section 8-209 of the Annotated Code of Maryland, the Maryland Correctional Training Commission shall establish the minimum qualifications for probationary or permanent appointment of a Department of Juvenile Services employee in a mandated position. These requirements are listed in detail in the Code of Maryland Regulations 12.10.01.04, general regulations of the Maryland Correctional Training Commission, and include:

• U.S. Citizenship or Resident Alien status
• Must be at least 21 years of age
• A thorough background check, including fingerprinting and drug testing
• An oral interview, and
• Physical and psychological examinations.

2. Employees in this classification are subject to substance abuse testing in accordance with Code of Maryland Regulations 17.04.09.03, Testing for Illegal Use of Drugs.

SELECTION PROCESS

Please make sure that you provide sufficient information on your application to show that you meet the qualifications for this recruitment. All information concerning your qualifications must be submitted by the closing date. We will not consider information submitted after this date. Successful candidates will be ranked as Best Qualified, Better Qualified, or Qualified and placed on the eligible (employment) list for at least one year.

EXAMINATION PROCESS

The assessment will be a rating of your application based on your education, training and experience as they relate to the requirements of the position. Therefore, it is essential that you provide complete and accurate information on your application. Please report all related experience and education.

BENEFITS

STATE OF MARYLAND BENEFITS

Bilingual applicants are welcome to apply for all recruitments.

DJS values the experience gained by Veterans while serving our country. Veterans are welcome to apply for all current recruitments.

As an equal opportunity employer, Maryland is committed to recruiting, retaining and promoting employees who are reflective of the State’s diversity.