Relief Counselor

About the Organization

S.T.A.R. Programs is a non-profit agency that provides residential care to youth (ages 16-17) and young adults (ages 18-21) in the foster care, juvenile justice system, and refugee foster care system. S.T.A.R. Programs is committed to providing safe and inclusive residential programs with guidance and support for adolescents and young adults to build and practice their independent living skills. Our staff work directly with the youth and young adults to provide structure, supervision, behavior management, and support.

Description

Are you looking for a career where you can make a difference in the lives of others? S.T.A.R. Programs will help you develop the skills needed to work in and establish a career as a social worker, probation officer, therapist, and many other social service and criminal justice career paths.

S.T.A.R. Programs is a non-profit agency that provides residential care to youth (ages 12-18) and transitional housing to young adults (ages 18-21) in the foster care and the juvenile justice system. We are committed to providing a safe place in order to help our clients rebuild and strengthen their families by providing a continuum of care including connecting them to mental health services, independent living skills, educational, and recreational services. Our staff work directly with the youth to provide structure, supervision, behavior management, and support.

We are looking for individuals who have a lot of energy, patience, and enjoy working with at-risk youth in a fast-paced environment.

We have the following positions available :

• Awake Night Counselor for Transitional Housing Program - Friday 11p-7a & Saturday 11p-7a : You must have at least an AA in a social or behavioral science, BA preferred and at least 6 months of experience working with at-risk adolescents.
• Relief Counselor for Transitional Housing Program - Varied shifts. You must have at least an AA in a social or behavioral science, BA preferred and at least 6 months of experience working with at-risk adolescents.

SUPERVISED BY AND ANSWERS TO : Counselor Supervisor Case Manager, Program Coordinator, and Executive Director

QUALIFICATIONS : BA Degree or some college with comparable experience working with youth.

NOTE : Employment in this position is contingent upon the above-named person providing documentation that their health condition allows them to perform the type of work described in the following pages. This documentation must include a TB test and Health Screen performed by or under the direction of a physician and must have been performed no later than 6 months prior to the Date of Hire or within seven days after employment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS : This position also requires the ability to talk or hear, walk, stand, sit, write, reach, climb, crawl, drive the agency van, and lift / move objects up to 25 lbs. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

JOB STATEMENT : Awake Night Counselors (ANCs) will be responsible for maintaining care and supervision of client residents in the facilities. This supervision will extend for the duration of the time on shift. In case of an emergency, this supervision may extend beyond your normal shift hours. ANCs will be responsible for maintaining the facilities and grounds to licensing standards as defined by Title 22 and the S.T.A.R. Programs Administration. Additionally, ANCs will be responsible for maintaining the facility structure as designated in the Policies & Procedures Manual, Resident Program Manual and administrative directives.

The following duties will be the responsibility of the ANC :

A. BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT : To effectively manage appropriate behavior, ANCs will utilize positive reinforcement and uphold expectations as outlined in the Participant Contact and Policies & Procedures Manual.

B. DOCUMENTATION : ANCs will be required to document resident's activities to administrative standards. They will be required to complete nightly Awake Night Counselor Checklists, Incident Reports, and Document Shift Notes and Prescription Disbursement Logs (for medication) when necessary.

C. FACILITY MAINTENANCE AND CLEANLINESS : ANCs will be required to maintain the cleanliness of the facility to standards that are specified by Community Care Licensing and the S.T.A.R. Programs Administration. Additionally, at administrative discretion, the ANC may be required to complete repairs to the facility such as light carpentry, painting or plumbing.

D. CRISIS INTERVENTION : ANCs will intervene when a resident is experiencing life crisis to :

1. Teach residents more effective alternatives to deal with conflict among peers and authority figures.

2. Utilize the behavior model described in the resident manual when a resident exhibits "less than ideal behavior".

3. Assess any potential psychological or physical danger to the resident and communicate this to other professional support staff for appropriate treatment response or referral.

E. PHONE SECURITY : ANCs will be responsible for security of the staff phone. Residents are not to make calls without staff permission and only under staff supervision. Any excessive personal phone calls will be reimbursed to S.T.A.R. Programs and may be deducted out of the ANCs paycheck.

F. PERIMETER SECURITY : ANCs will be responsible for the security of the facility's perimeter. A complete perimeter check must be completed every night to look for broken screens, broken windows, and contraband that may be stored outside, garbage or any other miscellaneous items.

G. NIGHT SUPERVISION : ANCs will complete routine and periodic bed checks during residential sleeping hours. ANCs must ensure the safety and security of all residents at night.

H. TRAINING ATTENDANCE : All ANC's are required to complete up to three hours of training per month. The Program Coordinator or Executive Director will list the dates and locations of trainings as they are scheduled. Logging of training hours must be done on the bi-monthly time card in order to get paid for these hours. Twenty-four hours of Initial Training are required, eight of which must take place prior to working in the facility. This training will take place at the administrative office and at the facility.

I. SALARY AND BENEFITS : Conditions of Employment : This shall be a non-exempt status of employment, and employment may be terminated at will. The said employee will receive an hourly wage of $16.20 -$16.97, dependent on education and experience. Ninety days following the start of employment, this employee will be eligible to receive health benefits. Further, employees are eligible for Personal Time Off (PTO) after the first ninety days of employment. The employee will begin to accrue PTO from the start of employment, however, if the ANC quits prior to the first 180 days (6 months) all PTO will be forfeited without pay. To figure out your PTO, refer to the employee handbook. The Program Director or Executive Director must approve this time off and reserve the right to delay or deny any specific request if it isn't feasible. Emergency situations may arise and require a ANC to stay beyond their normal working hours. These hours must be approved by the Counselor Supervisor Case Manager and must include a written notation on the timecard as to the reason for working beyond regularly scheduled hours. Any extra hours worked that have not been authorized will not be paid.

Regular scheduled shift is : Friday & Saturday 11p-7a

J. TIMECARDS : All employees are responsible for keeping track of their hours on a bi-monthly timecard. There are two pay periods per month : 1st through the 15th and 16th through the end of the month. All direct care hours, training, and staff meetings attended should be accounted for on the timecard. Time cards are to be kept in a designated spot in the staff office of the home and should be completed daily.

K. MISCELLANEOUS : ANC's are responsible to complete all tasks that are assigned by the Counselor Supervisor Case Manager, Program Coordinator, and Weekend Supervisor, including, but not limited to : resident and facility laundry, transportation of residents, and some facility maintenance.

Position Requirements

Exempt / Non-Exempt

Non-Exempt

Full-Time / Part-Time

Part-Time

Shift

Nights

Tags

EOE Statement

S.T.A.R. Programs is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that no one should be discriminated against due to age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, religion or sexual orientation. All employment decisions will be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law.

This position is currently accepting applications.

Salary : $16 - $17