Youth Mentor: REGIONS Site Secure Residential Treatment Program

About the role

The REGIONS Site Secure Program is a secure residential treatment program for up to 16 male youth. The program aims to provide a supportive environment where youth can improve their social, physical, and emotional well-being. It focuses on reducing the youth's risk factors and preventing them from entering the adult justice system.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct supervision and care, assisting youth with daily activities such as school and group participation.
• Maintain a safe, secure, strengths-based, gender-responsive, trauma-informed, linguistically appropriate, and culturally sensitive environment.
• Maintain accountability for the location of youth at all times, adhering to agency/program policies and procedures.
• Mediate and resolve youth problems, using relational and strengths-based practices and approved verbal and/or physical de-escalation techniques.
• Utilize program behavior motivational procedures and DBT coaching to eliminate negative behaviors.
• Moderate youth visiting, ensuring professional boundaries with youth and their families/visitors.
• Complete and maintain accurate logs and forms as required.
• Facilitate therapeutic programming and assist with discharge planning as part of the REGIONS treatment team.
• Conduct formal and informal counts, perform security and safety checks, and complete pre/post assignments.
• Serve as a role model, promoting pro-social behaviors and a culture of respect, empathy, mutual support, and belonging.
• Participate in all required training and conduct "pat downs" of youth and visitors to maintain security.
• Become proficient with the use of mechanical restraints and apply them when necessary.

Requirements

• An Associate’s degree or higher with experience working with at-risk or court-involved adolescents and in residential treatment programs.
• A Bachelor’s degree in the criminal justice field with a related internship may be considered in lieu of work experience.
• Understanding and knowledge of gender-specific, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and linguistically appropriate issues and needs.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, emotional intelligence, decision-making, and crisis management skills.
• Ability to interact effectively with a multi-cultural population.
• Willingness to work in a hardware secure environment.
• Valid CT driver’s license and reliable transportation.
• Bi-lingual ability (Spanish/English) preferred.
• Lived experience encouraged.

Training Requirements and Work Environment Conditions

• Selected candidates will complete a mandatory 120-hour training curriculum within their first year of employment.
• Employees must complete a minimum of 40 hours of training annually, covering ethics and boundaries, suicide prevention, first aid/CPR/AED, safe crisis management, PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act), DCF mandated reporting, and additional relevant trainings.
• The training program includes Safe Crisis Management, involving both verbal de-escalation techniques and physical restraint methods.
• Candidates should be aware of potential exposure to assaultive or abusive behavior from youth and the risk of communicable diseases.

Work Environment

The position may involve exposure to assaultive or abusive behavior from youth and the risk of injury. Candidates should be prepared for exposure to communicable diseases due to the nature of the work.

Pay

$26.63 per hour

Schedule

Friday - Tuesday: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Wednesday / Thursday: Off