Part-Time Youth Partner

Job Description

Job Description

Salary: 19.00- 19.00

Youth Partner Summary

Foster First is looking for a caring and dependable bilingual individual to join our Yakima foster care program as a part-time Youth Partner and Afterhours and Crisis Response team member. This position supports youth in foster care throughout Yakima, Klickitat, and Kittitas Counties and is a great fit for someone who wants to make a meaningful difference in the lives of youth and foster families. Applicants must live in Yakima County or the surrounding area and must be fluent in English and Spanish, including the ability to speak, read, and write in both languages.

In this role, you will provide case time services for approximately 48 youth, respond to afterhours and crisis situations during the week and on weekends, assist with youth supervision, use Right Response de-escalation skills, and provide transportation in Yakima and surrounding communities. You will work closely with Case Managers, foster parents, and community partners to help ensure each youth has the support they need based on their supervision and safety plan and Individual Service and Treatment Plan. This position may include office-based work, crisis response in non-standard settings, and the possibility of increased weekly hours up to 25 hours depending on caseload and program needs. Applicants must be at least 21 years old, have at least 1 year of experience working with youth, and have a high school diploma or GED. This position also receives a $100 weekend stipend in addition to hourly pay for job-related hours.

If this is you and if you want to have a meaningful impact on youth in foster care, we encourage you to apply.

What We Offer

- Sick Leave

- $50 Monthly Phone Stipend

- Weekend Stipend: $50 Saturday and $50 Sunday (total $100)

- Flexible Schedule

- Please read below for a more in-depth description of the position -

QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience and Education:

• Education and Experience
  • At least twenty-one (21) years of age;
  • High school diploma or GED; and
  • One (1) year of documented experience working with children or youth in one of or a combination of the following settings (Two years of social services education may be substituted for the year experience):
    • State licensed in-home or facility-based daycare, or professional nanny;
    • School setting or early learning center;
    • Mental Health Hospital;
    • Juvenile Rehabilitation facility, detention center, law enforcement, or corrections;
    • A child placing agency, residential care program, or as a licensed foster parent;
    • Conducting supervised visits; and
    • Working as staff directly with children or families in a community service organization.
      

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide after-hours support to the program, including transporting youth to appointments (e.g., medical, school, visitation, respite) and offering supervision during meetings, trainings, and special events.
• Documentation of all interactions with clients on paper and/or in computer databases.
• Respond to phone calls and crises after hours, including weekends.
• Create incident reports to document all incidents and/or crises.
• Provide support and coach families in developing helpful parenting skills, stress management and other types of training to family members, including role-modeling techniques and practices.
• Provide education for parents on how to access emergency assistance, supports, and community resources.
  
• Will be trained in Right Response to provide de-escalation principles.
• Must maintain 30 hours of training annually per contract.

Required Licenses and Certificates

• WA State drivers license
• Auto insurance
  
• Clean Driving Record
• Successfully pass background check with DCYF
• Right Response - training offered inhouse
• Become CPR/First Aid/BBP Certified within 3 months of employment
• Complete TB Test within 15 days of hire
  • Foster First does not cover the cost for CPR & First Aid training and TB Test

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

The After Hours and Crisis Response should demonstrate competence in some or all of the following:

• Behave Ethically: Understand ethical behavior and business practices and ensure that own behavior and the behavior of others is consistent with these standards and aligns with the values of the organization.
• Build Relationships: Establish and maintain positive working relationships with others, both internally and externally, to achieve the goals of the organization.
• Communicate Effectively: Speak, listen and write in a clear, thorough and timely manner using appropriate and effective communication tools and techniques.
• Focus on Client Needs: Anticipate, understand, and respond to the needs of internal and external clients to meet or exceed their expectations within the organizational parameters.
• Foster Teamwork: Work cooperatively and effectively with others to set goals, resolve problems, and make decisions that enhance organizational effectiveness.
• Lead: Positively influence others to achieve results that are in the best interest of the organization.
• Make Decisions: Assess situations to determine the importance, urgency and risks, and make clear decisions which are timely and in the best interests of the organization.
• Organize: Set priorities, develop a work schedule, and monitor progress towards goals.

Working Conditions:

• The After Hours and Crisis Response will work remotely, in the office environment, and/or may be called to respond to crisis in non-standard workplaces.
• The After Hours and Crisis Response works after hours and weekends to respond to crises and/or to provide transportation for youth. There may be instances when the After Hours and Crisis Response may be required to work during the day to attend meetings and trainings.

Physical Demands:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
  
• This position normally requires the physical demands of standing, walking, bending, lifting or performing other work requiring physical exertion (occasionally must be able to maintain 100% weight advantage whenever applying physical intervention, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force continuously to move objects and/or people), talking, hearing and adequate vision on a regular basis to perform the job requirements.

About Foster First

Foster First is a non-profit foster care program that offers Child Placing Agency (CPA) - level care and Behavior Rehabilitation Services (BRS), which is a temporary, intensive, wraparound, support, and treatment for children and families. Established in 2003, as Community Resource Group, we began providing services to the Yakima and Wenatchee area. In June of 2019, we changed our name to Foster First, still continuing to serve children and families. Foster First serves the Yakima, Kittitas, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Benton, Grant, and Klickitat counties.

At Foster First, we are driven by our mission, "Empowering youth and families for life-long success", and we want to ensure that every child placed within our programs is provided the tools necessary to gain life-long skills that will benefit them throughout their life.

Foster First is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, creed, religion, age, marital or nursing mother status, pregnancy, national origin, citizenship, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal law.