Youth Development Professional (YDP)

ELMCREST CHILDRENS CENTER INC•City of Syracuse, NY

1d•$18 - $22•Onsite

About The Position

The Youth Development Professional (YDP) plays an essential role in caring for children placed in care at Elmcrest. Having the most significant contact with residents, the YDP utilizes a child-centered approach and makes every effort to work in the children's best interest while facilitating the individual and environmental conditions necessary to create change. The YDP is charged with providing a safe, secure, and nurturing environment while continuously using natural, everyday opportunities to teach, guide, and support residents with their treatment, goals, and challenges. The YDP is scheduled in a manner that best accommodates the staff ratio and program coverage requirements. A regular, set schedule can be expected. There may be times, however, when any combination of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shifts and/or overtime may be necessary.

Requirements

Elmcrest’s Core Values & Competencies:
Honesty: Act with integrity and behave in a manner consistent with our policies, Code of Conduct and any regulatory and ethical guidelines. Utilize practices and techniques professionals train to interact with children, families and co-workers appropriately.
Willingness to Learn: Open to new experiences and learning new skills and information that can improve professional development, progressive work environments and support the mission of Elmcrest.
Dedication to Purpose: Display the necessary passion and empathetic abilities to serve the Elmcrest mission. Committed to improving the lives of children and families.
Social Concern: Value human dignity and have respect for others. Actively seek out diverse approaches and points of view.
Self-Examination: Systemically observe, analyze and utilize self-reflection to improve actions or results. Listen to constructive feedback and concerns and maintain positive relationships in the workplace.
Competencies:
Able to relate to a dynamic environment. Flexible and able to solve problems as unanticipated challenges present themselves.
Self-aware, enjoys, and is comfortable interacting with children.
Technically and physically able to provide crisis intervention, including physical restraints. The Agency provides this required training.
Must understand and demonstrate the principles of care (Boys Town and TCI) to which Elmcrest ascribes and trains.
Required Education and Experience:
High School Diploma or GED, College, and experience preferred.
Essential Job Qualifications:
Ability to lift 50 pounds without assistance.
Able to provide crisis intervention, including physical restraints. Restraints may include resistive force, bending, squatting, kneeling, lying down, and holding youth to maintain safety.
Ability to sit, squat, crouch, and stand for elongated periods
Ability to lift arms overhead in a reaching motion
Ability to walk up and down stairs several times per day.
TCI ONLY - Ability to provide crisis intervention including physical restraints. Restraints may include resistive force, bending, squatting, kneeling, lying down, and holding youth in order to maintain safety.
Varying levels of travel as determined by departmental needs may be required with this position.
NYS Driver’s license with a driving record acceptable to our insurance carrier.

Responsibilities

Create and support an environment by which each resident can be successful in making his/her own unique behavioral, emotional, intellectual, and developmental gains by:
Teaching and fostering a resident’s skill development relative to his/her individual needs.
Interacting and intervening with residents following their treatment plans and Individualized Crisis Support Plan.
Maintain a physically and emotionally safe & supportive environment by:
Developing and providing a safe and secure physical environment for each resident.
Providing continuous supervision of residents.
Using Therapeutic Crisis Intervention de-escalation techniques (proximity, time and space, caring gestures, etc.)
Develop and maintain appropriate and positive relationships with residents by:
Demonstrating appropriate social boundaries.
Having a non-threatening and supportive demeanor.
Actively involving residents in all facets of programming.
Transporting and accompanying residents to school, off-ground activities, appointments in the community, and home visits.
Perform other essential functions of the job, including:
Complete all assigned paperwork (case documentation, reports, shift logs, etc) accurately and on time.
Attend staff meetings.
Provide regular, documented night checks when working the awake overnight shift.
Report incidents of child maltreatment, neglect, and/or abuse.
Assist in maintaining a program that is clean, organized, hazard-free, and complies with regulatory standards (e.g. Department of Health, OCFS Fire/Safety, etc).
Follow all agency and department policies & procedures.
Other Duties as Assigned: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.