Youth Engagement Specialist

The Youth Engagement Specialist (YES) will possess excellent communication and organizational skills and provide support to young people that is strength-based, trauma-informed and harm reduction focused. The YES will model our mission of providing absolute respect and unconditional love to all young people and will value working within a multi-disciplinary team to create a safe, inclusive environment for all.

The YES is responsible for the on-going engagement and resilience building activities, assessment and service planning with young people to meet their housing, health and wellness, employment and educational goals, as they move towards permanent housing. Other functions include crisis intervention and de-escalation, documentation in multiple databases, facilitation of educational and group activities, community engagement and networking with local service providers.

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.
  • Revise 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.
  • Assists as needed with fundraising affairs and special events which may be conducted outside the employee’s normal work schedule.

Applicant Must be available to work the following schedule: Monday thru Friday 2:30 PM - 10:30 PM Days Off Saturday & Sunday

Hourly rate: $21.13

Experience and Skills:

Bachelor’s degree in psychology, Sociology, Social Work or related field preferred

Preferred experience with young people ages 18-24 who have lived expertise. Knowledge of public benefits and community in NJ.

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.

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 403B Retirement Plan, Paid Time Off (Vacation, Holiday, Personal & Sick)