Lead Youth Treatment Specialist 3rd Shift - Jefferson County YCSF in Watertown, Wisconsin at Wisconsin Community Services

Job Summary
The Lead Youth Treatment Specialist works in a therapeutic milieu environment serving youth at a State Certified Youth Crisis Stabilization Facility (YCSF) serving male, female and gender non-conforming youth, ages 8-17 supporting youth through a mental health crisis that has resulted in a youth needing a safe space to reside for up to 30 days. The 3rd Shift Lead Youth Treatment Specialist provides two essential roles within the Jefferson County Matz Center Youth Crisis Stabilization Facility. The first role of being responsible for direct care, nurturing and supervision of the residents during 3rd Shift. This includes, but is not limited to, providing supervision of the youth receiving services and being responsible for ensuring all youth and staff are following third shift protocols. The second role being a shift lead to ensure staff are trained, meeting the needs of the youth, and are following the policies/procedures of the Matz Center. This includes ensuring youth are in their rooms, staff are completing the required bedroom checks, completing documentation and that youth are awake on time in the morning and prepared for the day (i.e., hygiene, rooms cleaned, etc.).

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• Serve as a positive role model and work alongside a Youth Treatment Specialist in the milieu conducting the treatment model to support the vision and mission of the Matz Center Youth Crisis Stabilization Facility.
• Present professionally, support Youth Treatment Specialists in engaging in therapeutic interactions by coaching skill use throughout morning activities, modeling appropriate behavior, teaching, and reinforcing use and generalization of skills through a token economy system.
• Assist supervisor with tasks pertaining to training, supervision, and supporting third shift staff members. Providing directives to staff on shift, reporting back concerns with staff performance, writing up coaching documents for staff behavioral concerns and participating in staff coaching and mediation.
• Conduct directives from supervisor such as supervising and assisting Youth Treatment Specialists and ensure the third shift checklist is completed and assigning tasks including but not limited to building organization, cleaning, food preparation, inventory, and daily programming set up.
• Performing and supervising third shift room checks verifying the status of each youth, ensuring youth are asleep, not distressed and are safe.
• Ensure clinical recommendations for safety such as supervising suicide protocols and safety plans are implemented.
• Use evidence-based best practices for youth with mental health, substance use and life needs. This includes Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), trauma informed care, motivational interviewing, youth centered, and culturally reverent approaches while celebrating youth’s development and identity.
• Calmly and responsibly respond during crisis situations and intervene to de-escalate utilizing Principles of Stabilization and Control (POSC) for non-escalation, de-escalation, and possible physical intervention to maintain safety in the environment for youth and staff when preventing or responding to a crisis.
• Function as the point person to contact leadership and/or the authorities in the event of an emergency.
• Work a flexible schedule to provide shift coverage for youth treatment specialists during pre-planned absences and be available to assist with last minute coverage needs, including coordinating coverage for own absence with lead team.
• Attend and co-facilitate mandatory meetings and trainings including but not limited to staff meetings, new employee and ongoing trainings, individual supervision, team meetings, and other clinical staffing as required.
• Participate and meet the DHS34 clinical supervision requirements of one hour of supervision for every thirty hours of face-to-face contact.
• Always provide active sight and sound supervision to youth and families with complex needs.
• Report any observed youth behavior for risk to self and others or behavioral changes within the treatment milieu. Follow policies and procedures to communicate with supervisory and/or clinical staff regarding appropriate support as needed.
• Interact with youth in a professional, positive, and therapeutic manner according to policy, procedure, training, and agency values.
• Assist with inventory, building organization, food preparation, daily programming set up, including educational materials and medication administration.
• Work closely as part of a team to maintain clear communication with other staff to ensure youth receive high quality and seamless care.
• Observe and document youth participation in activities and interactions with others per program standards (youth logs and youth related reports) in an electronic database.
• Checking the program vehicles, driving them to ensure they are ready for transportation, getting gas, keeping the vehicles running and maintained.
• Monitor and support youth in completing activities of daily living such as laundry, chores and health and hygiene standards.
• Administer medication to youth following the CBRF medication administration required policies and procedures.
• Assist youth with attending meetings, including daily phone calls, family visits and professional visits.
• Maintain youth and family confidentiality within all written and verbal communications.
• Adhere to State licensing requirements.
• Adhere to WCS Policies and Procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications
• A bachelor's degree in psychology, social work or human services and a minimum of one year of experience providing mental health services to youth ages 8-17 or a High School Diploma or equivalent with work experience and training equivalent to a bachelor's degree including a minimum of 4 years of experience providing mental health services to youth ages 8-17.
• One year of leadership or supervisory experience preferred.
• Trained on the CBRF Registry (Fire Safety, Standard Precautions, First Aid and Choking, Medication Administration) preferred.
• Ability to work full-time third shift, including weekends and holidays.
• Be at least 21 years old (at least 2 years older than the oldest resident).
• Ability to display cultural competence by responding respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures, languages, classes, races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, and other diversity factors in a manner that recognizes, affirms, and values the worth of clients.
• Knowledge and skills to work with population age 8-17.
• Working knowledge of positive child/youth development.
• Valid driver’s license, automobile, and insurance sufficient to meet agency requirements.
• Meet all the employee requirements including references, criminal background check, physical and TB test, and driver’s license check.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Communication – Ability to provide information effectively with a diverse population - the persons served, supervisor, colleagues, and program partners in writing and oral communications.
• Technological Aptitude – Ability to use general technological skills throughout daily job i.e., Email, Internet, company specified systems, (ex. Electronic Medical Record (EMR), Microsoft 365, Windows, Word, Excel).
• Leadership – Ability to coach and nurture team members, giving feedback, supporting other staff through obstacles, acknowledging staffs work and skills as well as praising successes.
• Managing Priorities/Deadlines – Ability to maintain schedules, meet deadlines, use time efficiently and effectively and manage multiple projects.
• Critical Thinking Skills – Ability to think critically and be solution-oriented in a demanding environment and adapt to program changes and challenges.
• Adaptability – Ability to manage change, deal with situations as they arise and work independently or as part of a team.
• Teamwork – Ability to work as a team participate productively while also managing independent contributing duties and responsibilities.
• Motivation – Possess a commitment to the assigned job, mission and core values of the organization while also supporting a respectful and harmonious work setting.
• Professionalism – Ability to conduct oneself with an elevated level of integrity, ethics and boundaries and maintain professional and respectful relationships with all WCS staff, youth and families, and all external funding sources and community partners involved with Matz Center.
• Multicultural Sensitivity – Ability to work in the community and interact directly with diverse populations, including clients, partners, and service providers. Must have the ability to demonstrate professionalism, cultural sensitivity, and strong people skills while representing the organization in a variety of settings.
• Crisis Intervention – Ability to respond during crisis situations calmly and responsibly and intervene to de-escalate using trained and approved methods and techniques of verbal and physical intervention to maintain safety in the environment.
• Flexibility – Ability to work a rotation of first and second shifts including weekend coverage.
• Empathy – Ability to demonstrate patience and understanding of difficult life situations.
• Trauma Informed Care – Ability to serve youth who have experienced a great deal of trauma and express their needs through behaviors.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
Duties require activity while monitoring or interacting with youth in the program. Staff may be required to use physical intervention in extremely rare situations if there is immediate physical harm posed to youth or staff. Ability to lift thirty pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:
Most work is performed at the Matz Center and some work within the community with youth. The Matz Center is certified under DHS 50 to provide Youth Crisis Stabilization Facility for eight youth ages 8-17. A flexible work schedule is required to meet the needs of staff and the people being served, third shift is (10:00pm-8:00am) and weekend and holiday rotation required (premium for working holidays). Local travel as needed to fulfill essential functions of the position.

Wisconsin Community Services, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

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