Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant/Juvenile

Incumbent serves as Administrative Assistant/Juvenile for Tippecanoe County Probation Department, and responsible for assisting Probation Officers in investigations, assessments, and supervising clients.

Duties:

• Completes intake procedures, processing juveniles following arrests or referrals for truancy. Searching youth as part of the intake process.
• Conducts Preliminary Inquiry and Investigations to determining whether cases will be handled informally or referred to Court for formal handling. Determines need for removing probationers from homes.
• Provides for supervision and holding of juvenile until parent notification and pick up occurs. Conducts preliminary risk/needs, mental health, substance assessments, and obtains general intake information to assist in developing resolution to cases.
• Contacts concerned parties and schedules detention and court hearings for juveniles.
• Monitors Informal Adjustment cases ensuring compliance with terms and conditions. Refers violations and failed cases to Prosecutor to initiate formal process as needed. Conducts random drug screening as required. Ensures clients pay required fees such as fines, court costs, and restitution.
• Assists with home detention work as needed, conducting home detention intakes, checking on juveniles in their homes, conducting room searches, administering alcohol sensor tests, and drug screening.

Requirements:

• High school diploma or GED. Baccalaureate Degree preferred.
• Working knowledge of and ability to make practical application of local, state and federal regulations, and standard policies and procedures of criminal code.
• Working knowledge of and ability to make appropriate referrals of probationers to treatment programs and services.
• Ability of effectively supervises, direct and monitor assigned probationers ensuring proper completion of probation requirements.
• Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing with co-workers, other County departments, probationers and their families, attorneys, victims, community service agencies, counselors, courts and law enforcement personnel, and the public, including being sensitive to professional ethics, gender, cultural diversities, and disabilities.
• Ability to provide public access to, or maintain confidentiality of, department information and records according to State requirements.
• Ability to comply with all employer and department polices and work rules, including, but not limited to, attendance, safety, drug-free workplace, and personal conduct.
• Working knowledge of standard English grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and to prepare detailed reports as required.
• Ability to provide testimony in legal proceedings.
• Ability to properly operate a computer, maintain accurate and organized files, and prepare detailed reports as required.
• Ability to work alone and with others in a team environment with minimum supervision, and work on several tasks at the same time, often under time pressure.
• Ability to work weekend, evening and/or extended hours, and occasionally travel out of town for training, sometimes overnight.
• Possession of valid driver's license and demonstrated safe driving record.

Difficulty of Work:

• Incumbent performs a variety of duties which are broad in scope and require application of sound judgment based on education, experience and training. Decisions are frequently based on consideration of many variables and their potential interrelationships. Guidelines are detailed and well established, requiring independent judgment in adapting to individual cases and situations.

Responsibility:

• Incumbent works according to standard department policies and procedures, and standard practices of the profession, exercising independent judgment in disposition of assigned probationers. Incumbent refers to supervisor unusual or unprecedented situations, such as unclear legal codes or problems with another agency. Work is periodically reviewed for soundness of judgment, attainment of objectives, and compliance with Department policies and procedures.

Personal Work Relationships:

• Incumbent maintains frequent contact with co-workers, other County departments, probationers and their families, attorneys, community service agencies, victims, counselors, courts and law enforcement personnel, and the public, for purposes of exchanging and explaining information and supervising/assisting probationers.
• Incumbent reports directly to Juvenile Intake Supervisor.

Physical Effort and Work Environment:

• Incumbent performs a majority of duties in an office environment, courtroom, and in the community which may involve climbing flights of stairs, and lifting/carrying objects weighing less than 25 pounds, pushing/pulling/grasping/handling/fingering objects, keyboarding, driving, bending/reaching, close/far vision, depth perception, speaking clearly, and hearing sounds/communications. Incumbent is exposed to potentially violent/irate individuals and bio-hazardous material during drug screens.