TJJD - Juvenile Correctional Officer II / III/ IV - (GNS)

About the role

Provides supervision and direct care for youth in a residential correctional facility. Works to help youth achieve progress in learning and applying methods to identify and manage reactions to stress and trauma and react in more socially appropriate ways. Uses appropriate intervention methods in response to behavioral issues that seeks to aid in learning and correcting behavior.

Responsibilities

• Maintains a consistent effort to ensure safe environments and employs security measures when youth, staff, or others are in danger.
• Interacts and engages with youth in ways that both maintain appropriate structure and exercise understanding of brain development in youth with complex trauma.
• Maintains healthy relationships and boundaries with youth and consistently recognizes progress and good choices made by youth.
• Facilitates youth rehabilitation, supervises youth, and coaches their personal development in accordance with individualized treatment plans.
• Works assigned shift, is subject to being on-call, and may be required to work in excess of 40 hours per work week.
• Occasional travel may be required.

Requirements

• Engages in competency-based training in the techniques and capabilities needed to coach youth under the Texas Model of trauma-informed corrections.
• Holds youth accountable in ways that fit the level of behavior, seeking to help youth to learn socially acceptable responses and approaches.
• Uses good judgment in determining when safety is at risk and higher levels of intervention are required.
• Helps youth to identify their responses to stress, fear, and other triggers and works with the youth to learn ways to increase emotional self-regulation skills.
• Practices and models appropriate self-regulation skills and is able to remain calm during times of stress and crisis.
• Gains a basic knowledge of each youth's treatment plan and provide support in learning the skills needed to meet those goals.
• Coaches youth on how to resolve conflict with other youth and staff as appropriate.
• Participates in the Youth Service Team and provides input into each youth's treatment plan; and is a responsible and supportive team member, who understands that an effective team is composed of reliable people who provide backup and support for their fellow team members and the facility as a whole.
• Provides for a predictable schedule for youth that is transparent to them and provides warnings and prompts for all movements and transitions; and exercises independent judgment when the need arises to alter a schedule (while still maintaining transparency and warnings).
• Implements and monitors youth activities, programs, and behaviors on an individual and group basis, to ensure healthy youth engagement and to provide appropriate role modeling for all youth.
• Observes and keeps staff informed daily of significant behavioral and treatment-related conditions and events known about a youth and/or the group.
• Provides services to potentially aggressive/combative youth in a correctional setting with a wide variety of temperaments (volatile, mentally ill, suicidal) and specialized needs (chemically dependent, sexual offenders, emotionally disturbed, etc.).
• Physically restrains and secures, if necessary, sometimes aggressive youth and participates in follow up debriefing conversations to assess the relationship and determine alternative strategies to avoid future physical restraints.
• Maintains security in buildings, grounds, and other posts; intervenes during emergencies or altercations to prevent escapes and protect the safety of all youth.
• Conducts searches for contraband and health/safety hazards; performs room, property pat, and strip searches of youth as required.
• Supervises assigned youth during all of their daily activities, including on the dorm, at school, during meals, and other activities; manages all movements between activities; conducts periodic headcounts; ensures youth engage in required activities; and transfers and transports youth, on foot, in vehicles, and other forms of transportation.
• Maintains privacy and follows all policies, regulation, and laws in regards to youth records.
• Completes and maintains required records, files, and forms in a timely and accurate way.

Qualifications

• Performs all duties in compliance with agency safety policies and procedures: Reports safety hazards and corrects hazards when possible. Completes required documentation in the event of an accident/injury within requested timeframes. Attends work on a regular and predictable schedule in accordance with agency attendance and leave policies. Will be required to travel up to 25% of the time. Actively embody and support the Texas Model by demonstrating its core values in daily tasks and interactions with others.

Skills

• Knowledge of safety and security procedures and practices.
• Knowledge of general counseling and guidance techniques with adolescents.
• Knowledge of facility rules and regulations.
• Knowledge of individual and group behavior.
• Knowledge of child development and the role of the family.
• Knowledge of causes of juvenile delinquency and current methods of juvenile offender treatment.
• Ability to remain calm and regulate one's own behavior while helping to serve as a role model for youth who are learning to self-regulate their own behavior.
• Ability to maintain healthy and engaging relationships with youth while maintaining appropriate boundaries important for healthy development.
• Ability to work with youth in an empathetic and understanding manner with sustained positive interactions.
• Ability to communicate effectively with youth to foster youth cooperation in the treatment process.
• Ability to plan and implement youth programs.
• Ability to facilitate group discussions and activities.
• Ability to set limits on youth behaviors when appropriate in a consistent, firm and fair manner.
• Ability to intervene and redirect behavior.
• Ability to appropriately respond to abusive language and behavior in a manner consistent with instructions received in training.
• Ability to remain alert, observant, and physically able to respond appropriately to work situations or emergencies including, but not limited to, physical restraint of youth.
• Ability to learn verbal and physical crisis intervention/de-escalation techniques and emergency treatment procedures.
• Ability to maintain order and discipline.
• Ability to physically restrain youth, when necessary, in a manner consistent with instructions received in training.
• Ability to explain the progress of the youth to their family members and other treatment staff.
• Ability to interpret rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Ability to accept and adapt to changes in assignments, methods, policies, etc.
• Ability to work collaboratively with all stakeholders and maintain a professional, courteous demeanor.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks.
• Ability to plan, organize, and coordinate work assignments; and meet deadlines.
• Ability to process information logically, make decisions, and demonstrate the soundness for those decisions.
• Ability to document observations and incidents and maintain written files and records.
• Ability to transport youth and travel as necessary.
• Ability to work a variety of shifts, weekends, holidays, and be on-call.
• Ability to work more than 40 hours per workweek, and travel, when required.

Physical Requirements

• Analyzing Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing.
• Operate motor equipment.
• Heavy lifting, 45 lbs. & over.
• Heavy carrying, 45 lbs. & over.
• Restraining combative youth.
• Pushing.
• Pulling.
• Reaching above shoulder.
• Repeated bending.
• Walking.
• Standing.
• Sitting.
• Crawling.
• Twisting.
• Kneeling.
• Stooping.
• Manual/finger dexterity.
• Dual simultaneous grasping.
• Climbing stairs.
• Climbing ladders.

Benefits

State of Texas Benefits and Retirement Information can be found at https://www.ers.texas.gov/. Benefits include: Retirement plan, paid group health & life insurance for employee, paid holidays, paid vacation leave, paid sick leave, longevity pay, educational assistance program, employee assistance program. Optional add-on benefits include: Dental, Vision, Optional Life Insurance, Voluntary AD&D Insurance, Dependent Health & Life insurance, Health & Dependent care flexible spending accounts, etc. Additionally, certain designated positions are eligible for hazardous duty pay, career ladder advancements, and free meals while on duty.

Optional add-on benefits

• Dental
• Vision
• Optional Life Insurance
• Voluntary AD&D Insurance
• Dependent Health & Life insurance
• Health & Dependent care flexible spending accounts

Military/Veteran Information

In order to receive veteran's preference, a copy of your DD Form 214 (C)