Youth Care Worker - Heartland Human Care Services

Position: Youth Care Worker
Location: Rogers Park, Chicago, IL
Shift: 8a-4:30p

Summary:

Passionate about Youth Well-being? Join Us as a Youth Care Worker.

Are you ready to make a meaningful impact on the lives of youth? We're seeking dedicated individuals like you to join our team as Youth Care Workers. In this role, you'll provide direct care, supervision, and support to ensure the safety and well-being of the youth in our SAFEty program. If you're passionate about advocacy, education, and being a positive role model, we invite you to apply!

Why Join Us:

• Make a Difference: Be a part of an organization that is deeply committed to creating positive change in the lives of individuals and communities. 
• Professional Growth: Take on a leadership role where you can develop and implement asset management systems, supervise a dedicated team, and contribute to ongoing education initiatives.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Enjoy a range of benefits, including medical, dental, vision insurance, 401(k) match, paid maternity and paternity leave, commuter benefits, student loan assistance, and more.

Our Benefits:

• Medical insurance.
• Dental insurance.
• Vision insurance.
• 401(k) match.
• Paid maternity leave.
• Paid paternity leave.
• Commuter benefits.
• Student loan assistance.
• Tuition assistance.
• Disability insurance

Essential Functions:

Duties & Responsibilities

• Helps program participants to modify attitudes and patterns of behavior by increasing understanding of self, personal strengths and challenges. Ensures participants follow implemented Individual Service Plans, point and level systems, and behavior mentorship plans.
• Supervises and ensures safety of the youth in the milieu during the assigned shift.
• Maintains established program staff to participant ratio within the program and during off site/ outdoor appointments, trips, activities.
• Provides transportation for participants as necessary.
• Responsible for timely and accurate documentation (e.g. incident reports, contact with Youths’ families, log entries, e-mail, and contact with on-call supervisor). Submits such documentation to the supervisor/manager within the designated timelines.
• Supervises participants’ phone calls, activities, health and hygiene, and adherence to program rules and schedule.
• Provides supportive supervision, guidance, and role modeling for the participants in the milieu.
• Participates in periodic evaluative reviews and/or in-house and external staff training to ensure that he/she understands and continues to adhere to such standards.  Learns, aligns with, and executes the treatment philosophies, modalities and practices of the organization.
• In residential programs, assists with household responsibilities which may include, but is not limited to, cleaning and organizing communal areas.

Education and Experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent degree
• Minimum of (1) year experience with youth in case work, human services or related field, and/or equivalent education and experience.
• Fluency in a second language may be required. 

Certifications/Licenses:

• CPI and CPR Certification required
• Driver license may be required

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities (K/S/A):

• Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos.  Ability to write simple correspondence. 
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.  Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
• Ability to maintain professional demeanor while exercising judgment and discretion in work.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to attend required agency training classes and maintain necessary training compliance.
• Flexibility to attend daytime trainings or sessions outside of regularly scheduled hours.
• Ability to stay awake and alert during scheduled shift.
• Commitment to the mission, values, and goals of the organization.
• Teamwork – Ability to work both independently and as an active team member.
• Ability to accept, adopt and implement feedback from supervisor and team.
• Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Maturity and sensitivity to cultural and individual differences.
• Knowledge of group behavior, dynamics, societal trends and influence. Ability and willingness to create, initiate, and participate in recreational and therapeutic activities with the youth.
• Initiative and Time Management – Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, manage time and complete projects in a fast-paced, changing environment with minimal supervision.
• Listening/Problem Solving – Ability to give full attention to what others are saying, asking appropriate questions to clarify as necessary. 
• Life Skills Knowledge – Demonstrated ability to assess for and teach life skills to enable participants to live independently in the community.
• Rapid Engagement – Ability to rapidly engage participants in service planning and achieving goal outcomes.

Work Arrangement: 

This role is not eligible for remote work. All hours will be worked in person. This position has an active presence at all assigned programs on a rotating basis.

Work Environment: 

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Each program site operates on a 24/7 basis, 365 days per year.  To meet both the needs of our participants and contractual obligations, employees are required to be flexible in regards to scheduling and work location.  
• Program sites are located throughout the Chicago area, including the North and South sides of Chicago, as well as the suburbs.  Employees may be required to report to any one of our locations on a temporary or permanent basis.

Physical Demands: 

• The employee may be required to remain on Organization premises during breaks and/or meal periods and may be required to stay on Organization premises until their replacement arrives.
• While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear.
• The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms.
• The employee is regularly required tostand;walk;sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Heartland Human Care Services makes all hiring and employment decisions, and operates all programs, services, and functions without regard to race, receipt of an order of protection, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, religion, ancestry, national origin, amnesty, physical or mental disability, protected veterans status, genetic information, sexual orientation, immigrant status, political affiliation or belief, use of FMLA, VESSA, military, and family military rights, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living conditions and human relations, height, weight, or HIV infection, in accord with the organization's AIDS Policy Statement of September 1987.