Youth Care Professional I

Hillside Childrens Center•Auburn, NY

About The Position

The Youth Care Professional I supports residents’ day-to-day functioning and provides relationship-based, competence-centered, and trauma-informed support to youth and families. The role helps create and maintain a warm, safe atmosphere and supports young people in reaching their full potential. It involves mentoring, emotional support, life-skills training, personal care, supervision, activities, outings, transportation, documentation, and responding to emergencies and behavioral crises. Employees may also be assigned other duties.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
CPR certification, or ability to obtain it within 60 days of hire.
Demonstrate emotional competence and sound judgment in building productive relationships with children, youth, staff, and families while implementing rules, expectations, and routines.
Complete required documentation in a timely manner according to established policies and regulations.
Recognize and address escalating or dysregulated youth behavior using training in behavior management and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), including physical interventions or holds.
Demonstrate problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills with self and others.
Maintain high standards of ethical and professional conduct.
Ability to work a variable schedule, including evenings and weekends.
Meet the stated physical demands, including lifting and carrying requirements and, when required, physically restraining clients weighing 50 to 300 pounds and guiding them safely to the floor.

Nice To Haves

Unrestricted, valid New York State driver’s license held for at least one year, a clean driving record, and minimum insurance coverage meeting agency standards.

Responsibilities

Build trust-based, productive relationships with youth and families to support transitions, community interaction, respect, and independence.
Maintain vigilance and required resident-to-staff ratios to ensure resident safety in accordance with agency and funder requirements.
Provide mentoring, emotional support, life-skills training, and personal care to children.
Carry out after-school and weekend activities.
Accompany children on outings and transport youth to and from home time and appointments.
Complete and maintain documentation in the medical record system and daily logs in accordance with program requirements.
Supervise residents using trauma-informed approaches and established program standards.
Respond appropriately to resident emergencies and safety situations, following agency and regulatory mandated-reporting protocols.
Apply appropriate emergency techniques, such as Heart saver, as needed.
Recognize dysregulated behavior and use verbal and non-verbal de-escalation and the continuum of crisis prevention and intervention to reduce risk, including approved protective interventions and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) physical restraints when needed.
Build professional relationships that support residents’ individual development and success, and foster a safe, caring, supportive environment that promotes growth, skill development, and positive outcomes.