Djs Resident Advisor Trainee

State of Maryland•Wicomico, MD

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Juvenile Services is accepting applications for the position of Resident Advisor Trainee at the Lower Eastern Shore Children's Center located in Salisbury, Maryland. A DJS Resident Advisor Trainee is the entry level of work providing supervision and guidance to youth residing in a facility operated by the Department of Juvenile Services. The DJS Resident Advisor Trainee guides, directs, and organizes youth while maintaining safety and security, care, custody and program continuity in accordance with established DJS policies and facility procedures. The DJS Resident Advisor Trainee performs a limited range of duties with some independence at times and under close supervision at other times. Additionally, the purpose of this position is to provide direct care coverage over a continuum of shifts.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate
U.S. Citizenship or Resident Alien status
Must be at least 21 years of age
A thorough background check, including fingerprinting and drug testing
An oral interview
Physical and psychological examinations
Employees in this classification are subject to substance abuse testing in accordance with Code of Maryland Regulations 17.04.09.03, Testing for Illegal Use of Drugs.

Nice To Haves

Associate’s Degree in a related field (i.e., Criminal Justice, Social or Behavioral Sciences)

Responsibilities

Learns to escort groups of youth to and from daily activities at the facility and to supervise their conduct during movement and daily activities
Learns to observe individual and group behaviors and to determine when intervention or guidance is needed by the youth under his/her care
Learns to intervene in situations involving agitated or overwrought youth to prevent fights and to de-escalate potentially harmful behaviors
Learns to suggest alternative ways of reacting to problems, and may be required to physically restrain youth
Learns to promote an environment conducive to learning helpful alternative behaviors by encouraging communication among youth and staff, guiding and critiquing group discussions, offering advice at appropriate junctures and serving as a mentor and role model for resident youth
Learns to monitor the behavior of youth and assist them in complying with daily and weekly schedules of attending classes, completing school assignments, sleeping, eating and performing personal hygiene tasks
Learns to record behavior observations, prepare progress and incident reports on assigned youth for review by supervisors, and recommend behavioral sanctions
Learns to inspect residence areas for safety, security and cleanliness
Learns to assess inappropriate behaviors and recommend behavioral sanctions to supervisors
Attends in-service training on topics, such as crisis prevention, suicide prevention, emergency medical treatments, and behavioral modification models to maintain knowledge of childcare needs, counseling methods and trends in the juvenile justice field and to obtain and maintain certification
Learns to assess emergency and crisis situations, make appropriate contacts and referrals, and provide interim emergency medical and other assistance until specialized assistance is available
May be assigned to a cottage or dormitory post at night
May accompany youth to community service activities outside the facility
Performs other related duties