Lead Residential Counselor

Job Summary

You will provide appropriate role modeling in a trauma-informed therapeutic environment that promotes physical, mental, and behavioral health and assists in developing the life skills of residents.

The ideal candidate for the position has evening availability and is able to work a flexible schedule to meet the needs of the group home.

Your Main Priorities

While additional responsibilities are likely to arise on the job, you will primarily:

• Be part of a collaborative trauma informed therapeutic team maintaining open communication and support.
• Work collaboratively with other Lead Residential Counselors to ensure day-to-day tasks are being completed, youth activities are scheduled and occurring, and information is communicated to all necessary parties.
• Support the Program Manager in maintaining controllable expenses including youth's clothing, household items, groceries, etc.
• Train and coach Residential Counselors in program policies, procedures and structure.
• Participate in resident intakes and client meetings as needed.
• Ensures all appropriate notifications, incident reports, shift logs, medication records, etc. are completed in a timely manner as required by state and agency policies and procedures.
• Continuously assess risk and follow necessary protocols in accordance with federal, state, accreditation and agency safety policies and protocols.
• Coordinates and ensures transportation of clients in a safe and secure manner following state and agency transportation policies; this includes using agency vehicles to transport youth to school, appointments, passes, etc.
• Ensures that the Program Positive point (level) system and client safety plans are appropriately adhered to.
• Maintains the continuity of service delivery across all shifts regarding communication and support.
• Maintains daily tasks of household management including, but not limited to, meal preparation, housekeeping, shopping, monitoring of clients and their daily living activities, and minimizing safety and risk issues in the physical space.
• Maintains positive professional interactions with programming contacts and within the community (i.e., parents, police departments, hospital staff. DCYF, child advocates, school, etc.).
• Implement both agency and individualized behavior management practices utilizing appropriate trauma-sensitive techniques including Therapeutic Crisis Integration (TCI) and Trauma Systems Therapy (TST) to monitor, assess and document situations and client status.
• Implement crisis intervention techniques in accordance with policy, procedure and agency training.
• The overnight shift is an awake shift; staff are responsible for conducting bed checks every 15 minutes during sleeping hours.

Who You Are

Requirements, Skills & Abilities:

• High school diploma or equivalent required; associate or bachelor's degree in social work or related field preferred.
• Minimum 1 year's experience working with children and/or adolescents; minimum 6 months experience working in a residential setting.
• Bilingual in Spanish strongly preferred.
• Strong organizational, critical thinking and time-management skills.
• Basic computer skills required; knowledge of Microsoft Office 365.
• Ability to communicate and effectively interact with a diverse population.
• Collaboration and teamwork.
• Leadership.
• Must have valid driver's license.
• Must authorize Child & Family to complete a motor vehicle records check.
• The ideal candidate will be required to meet all background checks and medical clearances required for the position.

Physical Requirements

Direct Service Staff:

This position requires time sitting, standing, walking, driving, carrying and lifting up to 25lbs. This role also requires operating desktop, laptop and/or cell phone, and communicating with colleagues.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Child & Family will not discriminate against any individual on the basis of age, gender, sexual orientation, color, race, creed, national origin, ancestry, religious persuasion, marital status, political belief, pregnancy, military status, veteran status, physical or mental disability that does not prohibit performance of essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodations, genetic predisposition or genetic carrier status, or any other protected category under local, state, or federal law, nor will anyone receive special treatment for those reasons, except for reasonable accommodation as required by law. It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job-related factors.

Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services

In order to provide equitable service delivery and go above and beyond equal opportunity requirements, our organization is committed to ensuring that all staff are able to perform the following cultural competencies:

• Demonstrate the ability to communicate and effectively interact with people across cultures, ranges of ability, genders, ethnicities, and races.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the history of discrimination in America, particularly as it relates to race and racism, and how this history has led to disparities experienced by marginalized communities such as BIPOC, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ communities, and others.
• Demonstrate the ability to successfully deliver culturally responsive services.

Affirmative Action

Child & Family strives to achieve a workforce that includes representation of qualified affirmative action group members in proportion to the qualified and available target group workforce in the community that we serve.