Youth Support Specialist (219803)

Southern Arkansas University; New York (NY); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

OCFS seeks a Youth Support Specialist to supervise court-placed youth aged 12-20 in multiple OCFS facilities. The role emphasizes safety, professionalism, and collaboration with a multidisciplinary team.

You will engage families, support education and transition goals, and participate in ongoing training to ensure youth well-being and compliant operation of facilities.

Qualifications

• Two years full-time direct care experience in youth services or related settings.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Direct care experience with youth involved in juvenile justice or residential settings preferred.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and monitor youth with safety and professionalism, including 1-to-1 supervision as needed.
• Participate on youth support teams to address emotional and behavioral goals.
• Engage with youth and staff from diverse backgrounds to maintain respectful environments.
• Utilize graduated harm-reduction strategies and intervene when youth exhibit unsafe behavior.
• Support youth education, work readiness, and community transition goals.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Crisis intervention

Team collaboration

Cultural sensitivity

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.