Juvenile Correction Counselor (Entry)

About the role

Under immediate supervision, incumbents in the class of Juvenile Correctional Counselor (Entry) supervise and counsel justice-involved youth detained in or committed to a County institution; learn to maintain order and structure within assigned area on a daily basis; learn to teach classes, provide counseling and assist detained youth in using other resources and opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Learns how to ensure the security, daily care and custody of youth within a pod including counseling, mediating disputes, monitoring group dynamics amongst youth, assisting in emergency situations, serving meals and overseeing laundry care and distribution, logging and dispensing inhalers and medicated shampoo as prescribed by medical staff, and performing all other duties to oversee the health and safety of those in custody.
• Learns to provide crisis intervention counseling including suicide prevention counseling, to youth.
• Learns when and how to refer youth to behavioral health.
• Learns to provide general counseling and cognitive behavioral training to give support or to modify youths’ behavior; may give personal guidance and counseling to reduce anxiety and tension of youth who are detained.
• Learns to facilitate Cognitive Behavioral Training (CBT) groups; implements behavioral management program; conducts CBT mini-cycles with youth; creates and monitors weekly and monthly case plans.
• Learns to manage assaultive behavior; prepares behavior summaries and written daily observations, including special incident reports for youths on a daily basis or as needed; enforces the policies and procedures of the institution.
• Learns to plan recreation and other activities independently for medium to large groups of justice involved youth of varying ages, gender, ability and sophistication.
• Learns to monitor individual and group behavior and attitudes independently to avoid and manage conflicts; maintains constant observation; conduct safety and security checks; conducts authorized felony or misdemeanor searches of youth and all required institutional searches; supervises work, school and study time, meal time, clean-up, visits, and all other group activities of youth; documents the behavior of individuals by writing timely reports and keeping accurate records.
• Learns to process youth during intake to the facility. Orients all youth to the facility setting and to staff expectations. Instructs youth in social and life skills.
• Learns procedures to transport youth to medical, dental, court or other mandatory appointments.
• Learns to provide emergency medical first aid treatment as needed.
• Inspections incoming and outgoing mail; calculates and records point totals for behavior management; issues supplies.
• Learns to conduct drug testing of youth.
• Learns to assist in providing treatment in a community-based program; assists in rehabilitation by facilitating an integrated system of care, using the expertise of other agencies and personnel; facilitates conferences with families and assigned personnel; acts as a liaison with and supports families; provides vocational assessments and educational support.
• May appear in court to answer questions or serve as a witness.

Requirements

• Education: Completion of thirty (30) semester units is required from an accredited college or university, preferably in criminology, social work, psychology, sociology or a closely related field.
• Experience: Six (6) months of related experience supervising groups in a detention facility.
• Licenses, Certifications and Registrations: Valid California Driver’s license, Class C; Current First Aid and Personal Safety certificate or obtain one within 60 days of appointment; Current CPR certificate or obtain one within 60 days of appointment; Completion of the Juvenile Counselor Core Course certified by the California Board of State and Community Corrections Standards and Training for Correctional Programs or equivalent with twelve (12) months of appointment.