Residential Advisor Trainee

Main Purpose of Job

The DJS Resident Advisor Trainee position is the entry level of work responsible for providing supervision and guidance to the youth residing in a facility that is operated by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. The DJS Resident Advisor Trainee ensures supervision and guidance of the youth by observing, interacting and assisting them with everyday life skills and advising them of appropriate alternative behaviors.

The position is assigned a regular shift but may be required to work other shifts, evenings, nights, weekends and holidays as required by staffing needs. The incumbent may be subject to call‑in based on staffing needs.

• 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.

• Learns to function as a member of the treatment team for individual youth and provide input and information to the DJS Case Management Specialist for inclusion in monthly progress reviews;
• Learns to implement, help to evaluate and recommend modifications to youth treatment plans;
• Learns to facilitate daily behavioral modification meetings in the absence of the DJS Case Management Specialist.

• Education:
  
  Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.
• Experience:
  
  None.
• Note:
  
  The above educational requirement is set by the Maryland Correctional Training Commission in accordance with the Correctional Services Article, Section 8‑209, Annotated Code of Maryland.

• Employment experience within the past 18 months
• Associates Degree in a related field (e.g., Criminal Justice, Social or Behavioral Sciences)

• Employees in this classification must complete and successfully pass the Entrance Level Correctional Training Course for DJS staff required for the Maryland Correctional Training Commission certificate during the probationary period.