Youth Development Professional (YDP)

Description

Position Statement:

The Youth Development Professional (YDP) plays an essential role with children placed in care at Elmcrest.  Having the greatest amount of contact with residents, the YDP utilizes a child-centered approach and makes every effort to work in the best interest of children while facilitating the individual and environmental conditions that are necessary to create change.  The YDP is charged with providing a safe, secure and nurturing environment while continuously using natural, every day opportunities to teach, guide, and support residents with their treatment, goals and challenges.  The YDP is scheduled in a manner that best accommodates the staff ratio and coverage requirement of programs.  A regular, set schedule can be expected.  There may be times, however, when any combination of 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd shifts, and/or overtime may be necessary.

Responsibilities:

• Create and support an environment by which each resident can be successful in making his/her own unique behavioral, emotional, intellectual, and developmental gains by:
  • Teaching and fostering a resident’s skill development relative to his/her individual needs.
  • Interacting and intervening with residents in accordance with their treatment plans and Individualized Crisis Management Plan.
• Maintain a physically and emotionally safe & supportive environment by:
  • Developing and providing a safe and secure physical environment for each resident.
  • Providing continuous supervision of residents.
  • Using Therapeutic Crisis Intervention de-escalation techniques (proximity, time and space, caring gestures, etc).
• Develop and maintain appropriate and positive relationships with residents by:
  • Demonstrating appropriate social boundaries.
  • Having a non-threatening and supportive demeanor.
  • Actively involving residents in all facets of programming.
  • Transporting and accompanying residents to school, off-grounds activities, appointments in the community, and home visits.

• Perform other essential functions of the job including:
  • Complete all assigned paperwork (case documentation, reports, shift logs, etc) accurately and on time.
  • Attend staff meetings.
  • Provide regular, documented night checks when working the awake overnight shift.
  • Report incidents of child maltreatment, neglect, and/or abuse.
  • Assist in maintaining a program that is clean, organized, hazard-free, and complies with regulatory standards (e.g. Department of Health, OCFS Fire/Safety, etc).
  • Follow all agency and department policies & procedures.
  • Other duties as assigned by supervisors.

Qualifications

Qualifications:

• High School diploma or GED.  College and experience preferred.
• NYS Driver’s license with a driving record acceptable to our insurance carrier.
• Self-aware.   Enjoys, and is comfortable with, interacting with children.
• Able to relate to a dynamic environment. Flexible and able to problem-solve as unanticipated challenges present themselves.
• Technically and physically able to provide crisis intervention, including physical restraints.  This required training is provided by the Agency.
• Must understand and demonstrate the principles of care to which Elmcrest ascribes and trains.

Essential Job Functions:

• Technically and physically able to provide crisis intervention including physical restraints. Restraints may include resistive force, bending, squatting, kneeling, lying down, and holding youth with force using hands, fingers, and arms.
• Ability to sit, squat, crouch and stand for elongated periods of time
• Ability to lift 50lbs without assistance
• Ability to lift arms over head in upward reaching motion
• Ability to walk up and downstairs up to several times per day.
• Ability to run.

Salary : $18 - $22