Youth Engagement Specialist TLP (Nancy's Place)

Responsibilities

• Provide unconditional positive regard to young people regardless of behavior, race, class, culture, country of origin, disability, self-identified gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, immigration status, language capacity or ability to complete case plan requirements.
• Provide Case Management services with the goal of developing positive relationships with young people through the utilization of the case management system, including:
• Welcome young people to the program, ensure they feel comfortable, safe and understand the program structure, opportunities for engagement and access to supplies that they might need.
• Build a supportive relationship with youth that encourages them to find their voice and connects them to opportunities, experiences and resources that enrich and enhance their lives.
• Conduct all required assessments and document in file and data systems.
• Develop a Success Plan with each young person upon completion of assessment.
• Rewrite and update the Success Plan routinely and as necessary.
• Maintain a calendar of the young people’s work schedule, appointments, etc., in conjunction with their Success Plan to support their journey.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of and connection to community resources.
• Make appropriate referrals for services within CHNJ and to community agencies.
• Engage in positive transition planning with the young people.
• Monitor young people’s progress of self-identified goals and coach young people to plan, implement, and follow-through with tasks.
• Motivate young people to explore and improve wellness, education and employment, financial literacy and social navigation goals and any other areas that will impact their success plan.
• Monitor youth while taking medication and enter Medication Logs.
• Engage with youth in daily House Activities. To include assisting in completing chores, dining, joining in gym and other fun activities, bus tickets, and on-going movement throughout the day.
• Explore and participate with youth in outside activities, which can include trips, walks to parks, visiting college campuses and other experiences that expose and enrich a youth’s time with CHNJ.
• Provide crisis de-escalation and intervention as necessary according to training and best practices.
• Document Intake, Orientation, Success Plans, Assessments and Transitions into ETO and case files.
• Document regular daily progress notes in young people’s case records (HMIS and ETO).
• Document pertinent information in Youth Incident Report, Medication Logs and House Activity Logs.
• Prepare and present at case review meetings. Engage and meet with youth for their Success Planning meetings.
• Facilitate youth group activities which support the 5 resiliency objectives: Wellness, Social Navigation, Financial Literacy, Education and Employment, on a regular basis.
• Perform all duties assigned by the supervisor to meet the needs of young people while ensuring adherence to the daily program schedule.
• Attend and participate in daily community meetings for seamless coordination of youth services.
• Attend weekly supervision with supervisor and weekly meetings as assigned.
• Attend professional development training as assigned.
• Comply with all agency policies and procedures and Child Protection standards.
• Read and respond daily to all emails, calendar invites, voice mails and any other agency communication.
• Cover the front desk when required.
• Utilizing agency resources for agency use only which include but are not limited to the vehicles, computers, telephones.
• Aids as needed with fundraising affairs and special events which may be conducted outside the employee’s normal work schedule.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, Sociology, Social Work or related field preferred.
• Preferred experience with young people ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness or human trafficking.
• Must be a self-starter and team player with the ability to work well with others.
• Knowledge of adolescent development and ability to build positive rapport with young people.
• Excellent communication skills as demonstrated by concise, timely and professional correspondence, both written and verbal.
• Bilingual in Spanish preferred but not required.
• Must have a valid NJ driver’s license and good driving record.
• May need to transport clients/staff if required using agency transportation.

Skills

• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to build positive rapport with young people
• Knowledge of adolescent development
• Self-starter and team player

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 403B Retirement Plan
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick, Personal & Ten Holidays)