Youth Support Specialist (219103)

Austin Community College; New York (NY); On-site; USD 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Austin Community College is seeking a Youth Support Specialist to supervise court-placed youth aged 12-20 in OCFS facilities, ensuring safety and a therapeutic environment. You will work as part of a treatment-focused team, managing youth movement, conflict resolution, and collaboration with families and staff.

This demanding role requires training compliance, de-escalation skills, and a commitment to education and community transition goals.

Qualifications

• Two years of full-time direct care experience with youth ages 6–21.
• Or a Bachelor’s degree.
• Or an Associate’s degree and six months of experience.
• Or a high school diploma and one year of experience.
• Direct care experience with youth in juvenile justice or related settings preferred.

Responsibilities

• Establish professionalism, safety, and trust with youth and staff from diverse backgrounds.
• Supervise and monitor youth, including 1-to-1 supervision as needed.
• Actively participate on the youth’s support team to address emotional and behavioral goals.
• Engage with individuals under stress and employ harm-reduction strategies.
• Contribute to well-being of the facility by collaborating with staff and families.

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Associate’s degree

High school diploma

Job description

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The Youth Support Specialist (YSS) works directly to supervise court-placed youth, age 12-20, who reside at OCFS secure, limited-secure, and/or non-secure residential facilities. YSSs are part of a team that ensures that a facility is physically secure (e.g., responsible for youth movement, key and door control, and conflict resolution) and emotionally safe for both youth and other staff. YSSs help create a professional, healthy, and therapeutic environment.

Duties

• Establish a relationship of professionalism, confidence, safety, and trust with youth and other staff from different racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, physical ability, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) and/or socio-economic backgrounds. Supervise and monitor youth, which, depending on a youth’s clinical needs, may include 1-to-1 supervision.
• Actively participate as a member of a youth’s support team. A support team is a treatment-focused group of professional and para-professional staff who work together to address the emotional and behavioral needs and goal of youth.
• Be confident in engaging with people who may be under physical and/or emotional stress.
• Employ graduated harm reduction strategies while supervising youth. This includes correcting, and in some cases, verbally or physically intervening when a youth displays unsafe behaviors toward themselves or other youth and staff. Harm reduction requires that a YSS learn to recognize personal or situational flags that could lead to conflict or harm, provide positive mentorship to youth, and help youth work on their own interpersonal skills and use of self-regulation strategies.
• Take opportunities to improve the well-being of the facility community by being collaborative and informed.
• Supervise and/or assist youth during recreation and education activities, as well as take on various, as-needed assignments.
• Establish and maintain positive, professional, and appropriate relationships with youths’ families and loved ones.
• Assist youth in achieving education, work readiness, and community transition goals.

Training Requirements

• Attend a 2-week Juvenile Justice Basic Training orientation, be proficient in OCFS-approved physical skills and youth restraint techniques (given two times a year for eight hours total), take NYS employee mandated annual trainings, and other annual training refreshers.
• Some intrastate travel may be required (e.g., supervision at youth medical appointments, intramural games, extracurricular activities, or other events).
• The YSS position is physically demanding. A candidate must be prepared to act to ensure the health and safety of youth and staff, which may include use of approved physical restraint techniques.

Additional duties will be discussed in detail during the interview.

Other Information

• The YSS position is at all nine facilities operated by OCFS. Vacancies are throughout the state.
• The YSS position requires shift, weekend, holidays, and overtime assignments, including mandatory and voluntary overtime.

Minimum Qualifications

• Two years full-time direct care experience* in the care and programming of youth from ages 6-21;
• OR a Bachelor’s degree;
• OR an Associate’s degree AND six months experience;
• OR a high school graduation or equivalency diploma AND one year of experience*
• OR a satisfactory equivalent combination of the above education and experience requirements;
• *Direct care experience with youth involved in the juvenile justice system or in an institution, camp, school, community center, youth rehabilitation program, mental health or correctional institution, or residential center.
• Appropriate verifiable part-time experience will be accepted on a prorated basis.
• Satisfactory completion of the probation period must include possession of a valid motor vehicle operator’s license and the ability to operate a motor vehicle legally in New York State.