YAC - Youth Development Specialist

Purpose of the Position

Covenant House Missouri (CHMO) welcomes youth who are runaway, trafficked, at-risk, or experiencing homelessness with unconditional love, absolute respect and a place to call home. Beyond shelter and basic needs, we deliver transformative solutions to help young people ages 14 to 24 build productive, independent and sustainable lives. In accordance with the CHMO mission and guiding principles, the Youth Assessment Center Youth Development Specialist is responsible for providing Youth engagement, Youth safety, Youth mentoring and transportation services.

Providing goal-oriented support, direct care, supervision of the youth, developing and leading youth activities. The YAC Youth Development Specialist is part of an overall team including the case manager, program manager, and other support services, who work to engage, empower, and encourage youth toward stability.

• Responsible for establishing and maintaining good relationships with appropriate boundaries with youth.
• Assess and meet youth's immediate basic needs such as food, clothing, medical attention, etc.
• Manage the day-to-day workflow while providing direct care, supervision, and programming for youth, in accordance to CHMO policies and procedure.
• Transport and accompany youth home, to appointments and partnering agencies in company vehicles.
• Responsible for developing organizing, and conducting life skills and group activities to prevent and resolve problems related to human relationships and self-care.
• Ensure that the facility is secure and well-maintained at all times.
• Report all maintenance concerns to the onsite manager in a timely fashion.
• Maintain an environment in which the needs of the youth are addressed in a manner that is comfortable, motivating, and consistent with CHMO service philosophies.
• Conduct Life skills training and safety related drills to the youth.
• Responsible for proper administration of medication and first aid per CHMO policies and guidelines.
• Provide agency presentations in the community to schools, service providers, and other community based groups and organizations.
• Represent the agency at community based fairs and events.
• Assist with the day to day operations upkeep and stocking of the pantry.
• Lead, plan and/or participate in group activities and meetings for youth as assigned.
• Record and maintain records, required paperwork, and documentation according to agency policy and procedures.
• Assist the onsite manager in planning appropriate community-based and leisure activities for youth.
• Participate in all required trainings and staff meetings, completing at least 40 hours of training annually.
• Support CHMO service philosophies—Housing First, Harm Reduction, Trauma Informed Care, Strength Based approach, and Positive Youth Development—acting in accordance with all organizational and legal protocol, policies, and procedures.
• Participate in the organization Quality Improvement Program through incident reporting and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Ensure confidentiality of youth personal information.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

None

Minimum requirements:

• High School diploma, or General Education Diploma (GED). Some College or Two years' experience preferred.
• Driver's license

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the education, knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The ability to work cooperatively with others to achieve shared goals, showing diplomacy and flexibility when there are conflicting opinions; supporting other people's performance to achieve the best possible results.
• The ability to take control of a situation.
• The ability to relate to, and feel comfortable with, youth and people at all levels and to be able to make and maintain good working relationships with co-workers, supervisors, representatives of other agencies, and the public.
• The ability to write concisely and convey meaning in a manner appropriate to different readers.
• The ability to respond to, anticipate, and positively manage change, as it relates to the youth.
• Flexible team player who thrives in environments requiring ability to effectively prioritize and juggle multiple concurrent tasks.
• The ability to relate to coworkers and mitigate conflict with coworkers.
• The ability to implement tasks within an allotted timeframe.
• Uses logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• The ability to follow policies, regulations, and laws pertaining to the delivery of human services.
• Knowledge of mental health, trauma, substance abuse, homelessness, etc.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, assessment tools, database systems, and Windows…