Support Staff/ On-call Youth Care Worker

Mercy Home for Boys & Girls; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 33,000 - 34,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Pay differential for weekend hours

Job summary

Mercy Home for Boys & Girls in Chicago is seeking a part-time Youth Care Worker to advocate, mentor, and support youth in our residential program. The role emphasizes compassion, patience, and active engagement with youth while maintaining compliance with agency protocols. The schedule is mostly weekday evenings, weekends, and overnights; pay ranges from $24–$25 per hour.

The location is West Loop Campus at 1140 W. Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607.

Qualifications

• At least 21 years of age.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• At least two years of experience working with youth.
• A valid Illinois driver’s license and ability to drive a van.
• Ability to work a minimum of 16 hours per month.
• Regular and predictable attendance.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to lift and move up to 40 pounds, with training to restrain youth.
• Willingness to pick up shifts and flexibility to attend trainings.

Responsibilities

• Maintain DCFS, HR, and Training compliance at all times.
• Check in and communicate with core staff during each shift.
• Provide supportive supervision, guidance, and role modeling for the youth in the milieu.
• Be knowledgeable of each Youth’s Individual Treatment Plans.
• Ensure the Youth's educational, employment and treatment plans are followed.
• Timely and accurate communication within the program (incident reports, family contacts, supervision, and log entries).
• Contact on-call Supervisor and Youth’s families as needed.
• Engage with youth in daily routines and activities.
• Support creative interventions for the youth.
• Participate in monthly supervision meetings.
• Provide transportation for Youth as necessary.
• Utilize CPI de-escalation and behavior management techniques.
• Support and employ the agency’s medication management system.
• Learn and align with the agency’s treatment philosophies and practices.

Skills

Youth work experience

Communication skills

Driver's license

Team player

Confidentiality

Microsoft Word & Excel

Lifting requirements (40 lbs)

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Are you looking for meaningful work? Do you want to make an impact on the world? Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is looking for you! We have been voted one of the top 100 places to work in Chicago since 2012!

How You’ll Make An Impact

There is nothing that brings greater life satisfaction than helping others. As a Youth Care Worker, you will act as an advocate, role model and coach for the Youth who live in our residential program. You can change the trajectory of their lives!

Do you have several years of work or volunteer experience working with youth? Are you empathetic with strong listening skills? Are you adaptable and have good communication skills? We want to talk to you!

In This Role, You Will

• Maintain DCFS, HR, and Training compliance at all times.
• Check in and communicate with core staff during each shift.
• Provide supportive supervision, guidance, and role modeling for the youth in the milieu.
• Be knowledgeable of each Youth’s Individual Treatment Plans.
• Ensure the Youth's educational, employment and treatment plans are followed.
• Be responsible for timely and accurate communication within program, i.e., incident reports, contact with Youth's families, supervision, and all log entries.
• Contact on-call Supervisor as needed.
• Contact Youth’s families as needed.
• Engage with youth in daily routines and activities.
• Support creative interventions for the youth.
• Participate in monthly supervision meetings.
• Provide transportation for Youth as necessary.
• Employ all aspects of de-escalation and behavior management techniques as outlined in CPI protocol.
• Support and employ programs medication management system.
• Learn, align with, and execute the treatment philosophies, modalities and practices of the Agency.

What We Need From You

• At least 21 years of age.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• At least two years of experience working with youth.
• A valid Illinois driver’s license, ability to drive a van, maintain a clear driving record, and retain driving approval through the department of Children and Family Services.
• Ability to work a minimum of at least 16 hours per month
• Willing and available to pick up shifts as needed.
• Regular and predictable attendance.
• Ability to work both independently and as an active team member.
• Ability to accept, adopt, and implement feedback from supervisor and team.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Maturity and sensitivity to cultural and individual differences.
• Ability to maintain professional demeanor while exercising judgment and discretion in work.
• Ability to follow oral and written instructions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, as well as the ability to become proficient in other software packages and programs.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to attend required Agency trainings and maintain necessary training compliance. Flexibility to attend daytime trainings or sessions.
• Ability and willingness to create, initiate and participate in recreational and therapeutic activities with the youth.
• Ability to lift and/or move up to 40 pounds, and with proper training, be able to physically restrain youth.
• Commitment to the mission, values, and goals of the Agency.
• Pay differential for weekend hours!

Basics Information / Schedule Details

This job is a part-time position. The schedule is mostly weekday evenings 5pm-10pm; weekends 8am-4pm and 2pm-10pm; overnights 10pm-8am; other shifts vary as needed.

Pay range is between $24-$25/hour

Locations: West Loop Boys Campus- 1140 W. Jackson Blvd Chicago, IL 60607

For information on benefits please follow this link- https://www.mercyhome.org/working-mercy-home-2/benefits/

Why You Will Love Working Here

At Mercy Home, our commitment to providing the best care for the Youth we serve extends to ensuring our team receives top-of-the-line training and professional development.

We are a Top Workplace as awarded by the Chicago Tribune.

Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to Inclusion and Diversity

Visit us at www.mercyhome.org/jobs