Independent Living Skills (ILS) Specialist, Part Time

Casa Pacifica; Camarillo (CA); On-site; USD 48,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive Benefits package

401k auto enrollment

9 paid holidays

Job summary

Casa Pacifica seeks an Independent Living Skills (ILS) Specialist to support Stepping Stones residents aged 18 to 25 in transitional living homes. You will provide life skills coaching, enforce program rules, and maintain safety through documentation and incident reporting.

Collaboration with clinicians and program staff is essential to empower youths toward independence. Responsibilities include crisis response, transportation support, log maintenance, and teaching practical skills like

Qualifications

• Must be at least 21 years old and cleared on Live scan, criminal statement, and TB health screening.
• Completion of mandatory CANRA reporting training during pre‑service orientation.
• 4+ years of direct service work with severely emotionally disturbed youth and emerging adults preferred.
• Experience in group homes or transitional housing programs is highly desirable.
• Valid California Driver’s License with clean driving record; ability to drive as needed.

Responsibilities

• Provide a home‑like atmosphere while enforcing program rules and expectations.
• Safeguard the facility and ensure safety of Stepping Stones participants.
• Record nightly observations, incidents, and safety in shift reports.
• Deliver life skills coaching (cooking, cleaning, budgeting, self‑care) to residents.
• Collaborate with TYS staff and report safety concerns; respond to crises as needed.
• Maintain confidentiality and support residents in achieving independent living goals.
• Assist with transportation and access to facilities during and after hours.

Skills

First Aid/CPR

Motivational Interviewing

Crisis Intervention Training

Adolescent development knowledge

Bilingual preferred (English/Spanish)

Education

High School diploma

Bachelor’s degree desired

Job description

ABOUT CASA PACIFICA

For 30 years, Casa Pacifica has been helping at-risk children, their families, and young adults thrive. As the largest non‑profit provider of children’s and adolescent mental health services in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, Casa Pacifica specializes in treating children and young adults who struggle with complex mental health challenges such as emotional dysregulation, self‑harm, anxiety, and depression. Our multi‑disciplinary staff of highly trained clinicians, psychologists, educators, therapists and mental health workers provide exceptional, evidence‑based care to help our youth overcome a wide array of mental health challenges. Casa Pacifica’s Camarillo, Goleta, and Santa Maria offices work with more than 2,000 at‑risk children, families, and young adults annually in outpatient, residential, home, and community‑based settings. Our main Camarillo campus, located on 25 acres of beautiful park‑like grounds, provides a nurturing and therapeutic environment for youth to overcome challenges, to find hope, and to heal. We are a diverse and inclusive team providing excellent services to all our surrounding communities. Our team members are empowered to share their identities, ideas, and perspectives. A culture built on diversity, equity and inclusivity is essential to creating a safe and healing environment at Casa Pacifica.

SUMMARY:

Steppings Stones is a transitional housing program providing transitional‑age youth a safe, stable, homelike environment. Stepping Stones participants can access case management, support services, activities, and resources that teach and train life skills/executive functioning for sustainable independent living. Under the direction of the Stepping Stones Program Supervisor, the Independent Living Skills (ILS) Specialist is responsible for safeguarding the facility and ensuring the safety of Stepping Stones Participants, while carrying out the mission of Casa Pacifica. The ILS Specialist provides support, encouragement and leadership to the emerging adults that will be residing in the Stepping Stones Transitional Living Houses. The ILS SPECIALIST, will empower the participants to learn, develop, and adopt healthy life skills and establish routine and accountability to grow and develop as good citizens and independent thinkers. The ILS SPECIALIST, helps to facilitate a positive living and learning environment.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (illustrated By Typical Activities):

• Welcomes and interacts with emerging adults ages 18 up to 25, who will be residing in the transitional living homes, both single individuals and those with children.
• Acts as a role model with regards to policies, conduct and tolerance of personal differences; engaging in relational repair as needed.
• Provide a home‑like atmosphere while also ensuring programmatic expectations. Encourage responsibility, empowerment, and model a kind and caring approach.
• Hold residents accountable for their behavior, enforce program rules and expectations, and assist residents in creating an environment of cooperation and respect.
• Mediate resident conflicts, utilizing and adjusting the Shared Living Agreement.
• Work with TYS staff to report any participant safety concerns.
• Engage the residents to establish and build rapport through a strength-based approach.
• Will record campus nightly observations, incidents, and safety in the ILS Shift Report.
• Suggest and help residents fine‑tune appropriate living skills to aid positive peer interactions, parenting skills, self‑care skills etc.
• Utilize crisis intervention techniques or call the necessary mental health or law enforcement personal. Also fills out incident reports as needed.
• Complete all documentation as needed (i.e. incident reports, mandated abuse reports, shift reports).
• Facilitates walk through the buildings and grounds of campus, and reports and acts on any suspicious activity.
• Sounds alarm and/or notifies law enforcement and first responders by telephone.
• Provide “in the moment” life coaching as needed to support the TILP (ILP meeting), created by the participant and team. Give feedback as part of the team approach to support the growth and independent skills of the residents.
• Provide Transportation using personal vehicle as needed.
• Responsible for collecting and tracking all necessary logs and pertinent CCL requirements (including safety checklists).
• Assist the residents in learning basic life‑skills including: cooking, cleaning, laundry, fiscal responsibility, locating natural resources, and other pertinent needs that relate to independent growth and self‑reliance.
• Responsible for the upkeep and reporting any maintenance or facility issues to the appropriate personnel.
• Responsible for inventory of supplies and restocking when needed.
• Have open and collaborative communication with all TYS staff members such as Program Supervisor, Clinicians, Transitional Facilitators.
• Assists authorized persons with entry and access to facility during visiting hours and ensures guests adhere to agency Visitor Policy. Assists participants with entry and access to buildings after hours. .
• Provide Transportation for youth throughout the night if needed.
• Maintains confidentiality with respect to personnel, operations, and clients.
• Must be able to think ahead and address issues before they arise – Preventive system of care.
• Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

The position requires staff to be at least 21 years old. They must have completed and cleared a Live scan, criminal statement, and health screening with TB test. They must also undergo a one‑hour training session that reviews mandatory reporting requirements as per the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA). This training takes place during pre‑service orientation training and periodically after that.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below include but are not limited to a representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION And/or EXPERIENCE:

• High School education, Bachelor’s degree desired, at least 4 years of direct service work experience with severally emotionally disturbed (SED) youth and emerging adults ages 14‑24 is highly desirable
• Previously been employed as a staff or volunteer at a group home or Transitional Housing Program for 1 year, and/or prior experience working with emerging adults.
• Relevant life experience in the child welfare, mental health or juvenile justice system as a consumer, mentor, family member, caregiver, or other relevant experience as determined by the department.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification
• Motivational Interviewing Certification
• Life Space Crisis Intervention or other Crisis Prevention/Intervention course completion

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Must have a strong understanding of adolescent development, behavior management and group process.
• Valid California Driver’s License with excellent driving record. Any changes that occurs on your driving record must be reported immediately to your supervisor.
• Able to think flexibly and “work in the grey.”

Parenting Skills: Experience with infants/toddlers and has parenting skills or willing to learn and model these skills.

Language Skills: Bilingual preferred (English/Spanish). Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and Maintenance instructions and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.

Mathematical Skills: Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, percentages, and ratios.

Reasoning Ability: Ability to utilize rational decision making that is based on the best interest of transitional‑age youth and the population we serve.

ILS Staff Call Outs

• If all staffing ratios are secure, Casa Pacifica reserves the right to call off a ILS team member. If an ILS team member is called off while working their scheduled shift, they will be paid for their hours worked with a minimum of two hours pay or half of their scheduled shift (up to four hours), whichever is greater.
• ILS team members must provide at least twelve (12) hours’ notice before their scheduled shift unless it is a true emergency (e.g. hospitalization). For absences, ILS team members must notify designated supervisor. Leaving a message, texting or emailing is not an acceptable call out notification. Excessive callouts (absenteeism) may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

COMPETENCIES:

• Analytical and Critical Thinking
• Communication
• Ethics and Integrity
• Initiative and Productivity
• Judgement and Problem Solving
• Teamwork and Relationships

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. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is also required to stand, walk, and drive. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works in outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

WHAT WE OFFER

Casa Pacifica strongly believes in providing our employees with a comprehensive and competitive total benefits package that will support them across the many needs that arise in life. In addition to the salary information listed above, employees within this position will also be eligible for the following:

• Comprehensive Benefits package,
• 401k auto enrollment at 3% with up to 5% fully vested employer matching contributions made after first year of service
• 9 paid holidays
• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance options
• Flexible Spending and Dependent care programs
• Excellent Training opportunities – including opportunities for CEUs
• Education/Tuition Assistance programs
• Group Discount Pet Insurance
• Aflac Hospital, Critical Illness, Accidental & Dental supplemental plan options
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
  • Free Confidential Crisis Line 24/7, 365 days a year
  • 4 face-to-face or telephonic sessions per issue, i.e.,
    • Stress, Anxiety, Depression
    • Life transitions
    • Grief and Loss
    • Divorce
    • Conflict Resolution
    • Substance Abuse
    • Work-Life Counseling
    • Free Legal and Financial Consultations
    • Identity Theft Recovery Services

Casa Pacifica is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or protected veteran status, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. All applicants will be given full consideration under state, local, and federal law.