Juvenile Justice Specialist Trainee - Southeast Youth Development Center, Montgomery County
About the role
Join the Southeast Secure Treatment Unit as a Juvenile Justice Specialist Trainee with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Bureau of Juvenile Justice Services. This is your chance to build strong skills while helping young people make better choices. In this role, you will learn from experienced staff and grow into a trusted support for youth in need. Take the first step toward a meaningful career that creates real change. Successful completion of the six‑month training program results in a promotion to a Juvenile Justice Specialist with an increase in salary.
Responsibilities
- Training Participation: Attend formal classroom sessions and complete assigned learning activities
- Youth Support: Assist adjudicated youth in hygiene, meals, recreation, work tasks, and structured programs
- Safety Practices: Follow procedures for security, crisis response, and safe facility operations
- Team Engagement: Participate in meetings and contribute to group planning and discussions
- Record Keeping: Complete logs, forms, and reports to document daily observations and progress
- Crisis Response: Act prudently in crisis situations and apply trained techniques to maintain order
Qualifications
- Must be at least 21 years old at the time of application
- Pennsylvania residency requirement is currently waived for this title
- Ability to perform essential job functions
- Satisfactory PA State Police clearance, PA Child Abuse history clearance, and FBI Fingerprint clearance (Child Protective Services Law)
- Satisfactory completion of a medical examination and drug screening test
Benefits
Department of Human Services provides excellent benefits, contractual pay increases, paid holidays and leave entitlements, opportunity for advancement and shift selection in addition to a great work environment.
Pay
The starting salary for the Juvenile Justice Specialist Trainee position is $21.22 per hour. Upon successful completion of the six‑month trainee program you will be promoted to a Juvenile Justice Specialist with a salary of $27.69 per hour. Selected candidates new to employment within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania begin at an annual salary of $44,273.00 (before taxes).
Schedule
Full‑time employment in a 24/7/365 facility. Shifts are 8‑hour rotations with no duty‑free lunch: 7:00 AM‑3:00 PM, 3:00 PM‑11:00 PM, and 11:00 PM‑7:00 AM. Employees work a 5‑day week with 2 days off. The position is located in Collegeville, Montgomery County and telework is not available.