Vista Haven Lead YDC

Vista Del Mar•Los Angeles, CA

13d

About The Position

The Direct Care Staff (YDC) Lead – Vista Haven (ORR) assists the YDC Supervisor with oversight of assigned Direct Care Staff (YDCs) in the unit and reports to the YDC Supervisor. The position is responsible for continuous youth supervision and staff support, maintaining a 1:6 staff-to-youth ratio while respecting youth personal rights and ensuring safety within a trauma-informed framework. The YDC Lead ensures that procedures follow Vista Del Mar (VDM) and Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) standards and coordinates with the YDC Supervisor to ensure services are available as needed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The role coordinates youth services, appointments, outings, and transportation; delegates operational tasks to YDCs; supports staff through feedback and supervision; and participates in treatment planning and daily activities that build youth skills. It also documents residents’ progress and incidents, completes health, safety, licensing, and ORR reports, and helps maintain clean and safe cottage spaces. The YDC Lead advocates for youth, responds to medical needs and challenging behaviors, and models relationship-based, strength-based, culturally and LGBTQ-sensitive, and trauma-informed care. The position may also support youth arrivals and discharges, new-hire orientation, required training, and shift coverage when staffing is short. Supervisory responsibilities include assigning work, establishing schedules and objectives, appraising staff performance, and handling complaints. Applicants must be at least 21 years old and able to perform the role’s physical and operational duties, including crisis intervention, basic lifting and housekeeping, CPR/First Aid, and driving a motor vehicle.

Requirements

High school diploma required.
At least 21 years old.
Able to interrupt physical and verbal altercations among residents using CPINonviolent Crisis Intervention training and de-escalation skills.
Able to provide support and care using a trauma-informed approach acquired through TSI-Risking Connections training.
Able to administer CPR and First Aid, perform basic lifting and housekeeping duties, and operate a motor vehicle.
Thorough understanding of residential treatment protocols, demonstrated leadership abilities, and strong understanding of working with unaccompanied children and related clinical implications.
Good social skills and ability to work with different and sometimes difficult people.
Ability to simplify and clarify instructions to staff and youth.
Ability to facilitate communication and mediate disagreements between youth.
Ability to set firm limits with staff and remain calm in difficult situations with staff and youth.
Good counseling skills.
Ability to receive, transmit, store, and retrieve information through written and verbal communication.

Nice To Haves

BA or BS degree preferred.
At least one year of experience in a similar environment preferred.
At least one year of supervisory experience preferred.
Bilingual in any language preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide constant supervision of youth and support staff while maintaining a 1:6 staff-to-youth ratio and respecting youth personal rights.
Coordinate youth services, appointments, outings, and transportation, and delegate operational tasks to YDCs to meet health and safety standards.
Monitor YDC attendance when the YDC Supervisor is absent, coordinate floor coverage, and communicate staff performance and attendance to the supervisor.
Provide direct feedback through individual and group supervision to YDCs at least weekly and document supervision notes.
Plan and support activities that develop youth social, vocational, educational, hygiene, and daily living skills as part of the treatment team.
Coordinate appointments and services requested by program or agency departments, including the health center and off-site medical and dental providers.
Lead cottage meetings, daily living groups, outings, and other assigned activities in collaboration with the YDC Supervisor.
Oversee and support YDC staff to ensure services follow ORR and VDM treatment philosophy, mission, practices, and policies.
Document residents’ progress, identify needs for professional services, and communicate findings to professional staff.
Advocate for children in placement and report suspected abuse or mistreatment, including physical and verbal abuse.
Ensure residents receive medical treatment when injured and follow protocols for involving Health Center personnel.
Manage delegated administrative tasks and ensure YDC role responsibilities are completed as requested by the YDC Supervisor.
Inspect and complete health and safety, Community Care Licensing, and ORR reports, including room checks, religious, recreation and telephone logs, clothing inventories, and case notes.
Document shift incidents and update shift staff and resident-specific exchange notes, significant incident or child-level event reports, and other required reporting tools.
Inspect and coordinate cottage cleanliness, including resident rooms and communal spaces, and log oven, washer and dryer cleanliness and refrigerator temperatures.
Spend consistent time in the milieu, including groups, transitions, and mealtimes, modeling relationship-based and trauma-informed support for YDC staff.
Help prevent and manage challenging behaviors using behavior management and therapeutic crisis intervention techniques.
Coordinate basic needs for youth arriving at the program, including medical care, meals, clothing, hygiene products, showers, and bedroom assignments, and prepare youth for discharge.
Follow regulatory requirements, including Community Care Licensing, DCFS, and ORR requirements, and communicate policies and practices related to patient rights.
Assist with new-hire orientation as delegated by the Program Director and/or Senior Direct Care Staff.
Complete mandated Special Incident/Unusual Occurrence Reports and yearly job-related training.
Cover shifts when short-staffed or otherwise needed.
Assign work, establish schedules and objectives, appraise staff performance, and handle complaints.
Drive youth to destinations in agency vehicles as needed.