Youth Mentor - 3rd Shift

Community Partners in Action • Hamden, CT

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Community Partners in Action (CPA) is seeking a Youth Mentor for the REGIONS Site Secure Residential Treatment Program for Male Youth Phase I in Hamden, CT. This program provides a home-like, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, gender-specific, linguistically appropriate, strengths-based, and relationship-driven environment for up to 16 male youth. The goal is to improve their social, physical, and emotional well-being, therapeutically intervene in the cycle of offending, reduce risk factors, and prevent transition into the adult justice system. The program aims to help youth develop a positive self-image, learn coping skills, gain confidence, build positive relationships, achieve behavioral changes, and re-enter their communities successfully. The youth served are high-risk, likely with a history of violence, and may present with complex needs and challenging behaviors.

Requirements

• Associate’s degree or higher
• Experience working with at risk or court-involved adolescents
• Experience in residential treatment programs
• Understanding and knowledge of gender-specific, trauma-informed, culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate issues and needs.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, emotional intelligence, decision making and crisis management skills.
• Ability to interact effectively with a multi-cultural population.
• Must share the belief that people can change and individuals in need deserve quality services and an opportunity to succeed.
• Must be willing to work in a hardware secure environment.
• Must have and maintain a valid CT driver’s license and have reliable transportation.
• Must be able to transport clients to appointments and into the community in mechanical restraints.
• Must have the capacity to become medication and SCM (Safe Crisis Management) certified.
• Must be able and willing to work evening and/or night shifts, weekends and holidays.
• Mandatory overtime is likely.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in the criminal justice field with a related internship may be considered in lieu of work experience.
• Bi-lingual ability (Spanish/English) preferred.
• Candidates with lived experience are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct supervision and care and assist youth with daily activities including school and groups.
• Maintain a safe, secure, strengths-based, gender responsive, trauma informed, linguistically appropriate and culturally sensitive environment.
• Maintain accountability for the location of youth at all times; have knowledge of and implement all agency/program policies and procedures governing facility operations.
• Mediate and resolve youth problems. Handle all situations in a manner consistent with relational and strengths-based practices, and in accordance with policies and procedures.
• As necessary, utilize approved verbal and/or physical de-escalation techniques to eliminate youth’s harm to self, harm to others, significant property/program destruction and escape, maintaining communication with necessary parties.
• Utilize program behavior motivational procedures as needed.
• Use DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) Coaching with the youth and conduct groups to eliminate negative behaviors.
• Monitor youth visiting, maintaining professional boundaries with youth and their families/visitors.
• Maintain and complete accurate logs and forms as required.
• Facilitate therapeutic programming under the supervision of the Rehabilitation Therapist.
• Reinforce the youth’s individual treatment plan and assist with discharge planning as part of the REGIONS treatment team.
• Conduct both formal and informal counts, and complete internal and external facility security and safety checks.
• Complete all pre-post assignments.
• Knowledge of universal precautions and related issues including risk of communicable diseases.
• Serve as role model to youth and staff modeling pro-social behaviors.
• Promote a culture of respect, empathy, mutual support, belonging and work to eliminate any unconscious bias or discrimination in our beliefs, rules and systems.
• Establish and maintain professional boundaries with all staff, youth and providers.
• Participate in all required training.
• Conduct “Pat Downs” of Youth and Visitors to maintain security.
• Become proficient with the use of mechanical restraints and apply when necessary (e.g., during youth transport).
• Perform all other duties as required.

Benefits

• Training opportunities including Ethics and Boundaries, Suicide Prevention, First Aid / CPR / AED, Safe Crisis Management, PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act), DCF Mandated Reporting, and additional relevant trainings.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree