JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICER

Juvenile Probation Officer

This is work providing social services to assist in rehabilitation of juvenile law offenders in custody or on probation or parole. Incumbents make recommendations for actions involving formulation of rehabilitation plan and treatment of offender, including conditional release and education and employment stipulations.

Case Management, Referrals, Recommendations and Assessment:

• Initiate contact with the youth, family, victims, and law enforcement when referrals are received by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (FDJJ).
• Conduct home and school visits as an integral part of the information gathering process and family involvement model.
• Obtain and review collateral information such as abuse and neglect history, educational, mental health, substance use, gang related activity and other pertinent information from other agencies involved with the youth and/or family.
• Conduct and document FDJJ screening(s), to identify the youth's risk and needs, protective factors and/or the need for further evaluations.
• Formulate case management strategies based on assessments and/or information gathered to address the specific needs of the youth and family.
• Make service referrals to the appropriate provider(s) and follow up actions needing to be taken.
• Make supervision and treatment recommendations to the State Attorney and other judicial partners that allow the Department to provide the most appropriate services in the least intrusive manner.
• Complete the screening instruments and reports used by the Department and/or the courts.
• Court Process: Acts as the DJJ representative during court hearings to support the Department's recommendation for the youth, family, and community.
• Prepare and maintain current social histories, court reports, referral letters, and related correspondence.
• Testify at hearings, when appropriate.
• Prepare affidavits/petition for Violation of Probation for any violation that result in the filing of a delinquency petition.
• Request hearings when appropriate.
• Case Management, Interventions & Supervision:
• Complete a risk and needs assessment using the appropriate Department approved instrument(s) for all youth screened/supervised by the department.
• Conduct face-to-face contacts in the home, school and varied community-based settings by interacting with the youth, family and community during non-traditional hours (weekends and evening hours) in addition to business hours.
• Maintain communication based on departmental requirements for all stages of youth and family involvement; gain firsthand knowledge of where the youth resides, the family, the youth's immediate and extended environment by meeting in different locations, including the detention centers, schools, homes, out-of-home placements, place of employment, community sites, other agencies, treatment providers and offices.
• Assist the youth with obtaining appropriate mental health, substance abuse evaluations based on administered assessments, and arrange for specialized testing and treatment, as needed.
• Assist youth and family with school and after school enrollment; maintain school contact, verifying school attendance, academic performance, and behavior.
• Provide crisis intervention; assist the youth and family in accessing crisis intervention services/resources by making necessary referrals and follow-up on actions taken.
• Work with the youth to establish personal goals/ plans and provide ongoing support to help youth achieve their goals and maintain skills.
• Discuss with youth and family projected timeframes for completion of goals, sanctions/conditions of supervision and anticipated date for termination of supervision based on progress and as ordered by the court.
• Respond to concerns, needs, and risks as presented by youth, family, and the community by staffing cases, plans or violations with the unit supervisor in accordance with existing departmental policies, procedures, administrative rules, and FL statutes.
• Determine recommended handling of law violations and provide appropriate interventions when a youth violates the conditions of supervision based on the Effective Response Matrix and follow up on actions taken in response to a violation.
• Conduct staffing when benchmarks occur, case milestones are achieved by the youth and or family or case is complex and in need of additional considerations.
• Participate in transition and exit planning to finalize plans for the youth pending release from residential programs, which includes referrals for post-residential services to for mental health, substance abuse, education and workforce services.
• Records Management:
• Enter into Juvenile Justice Information System (JJIS) all case management activities, including risk/needs screening, assessment and case planning activities related to the youth and family during youth's involvement in the juvenile justice continuum.
• Upload required forms/ documents into the Juvenile Justice Information System (JJIS) case file to ensure accurate and timely entries, in accordance with administrative and JJIS business rules.
• Community Collaboration:
• Ensure familiarity with community resources and provide input to circuit management on provider community-based service delivery issues and program developments, and provide input on grant related proposals, if requested.
• Attend and participate in professional development trainings and meetings.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of case management practices; of interviewing and counseling techniques.
• Knowledge of computer programs.
• Ability to make recommendations concerning the processing and handling of delinquent youth.
• Ability to develop case plans; communicate effectively.
• Ability to determine work priorities.
• Ability to establish and maintain an effective working relationship with community and judicial partners for the purpose of information sharing and collaboration to address community concerns, and promote safe and nurturing communities.
• Ability to make independent decisions based on individual analysis, have strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to conduct and document interviews.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Four years of experience working directly with adolescents in one or more of the following fields: criminal justice (e.g., law enforcement, courts, correction/rehabilitation facilities, or probation/parole), social services (e.g., child protective services, crisis intervention, foster care/group homes, adoption, or mental health/substance abuse treatment), or education.
• A valid driver's license is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Preference may be given to candidates with a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university at the time of submission of the candidate profile OR An associate degree from an accredited college or university at the time of submission of the candidate profile and two years' experience working directly with adolescents in one or more of the following fields: criminal justice (e.g., law enforcement, courts, correction/rehabilitation facilities, or probation/parole), social services (e.g., child protective services, crisis intervention, foster care/group homes, adoption, or mental health/substance abuse treatment), or education.
• Preference will be given to candidates who are certified State of Florida Juvenile Probation Officers, have experience as volunteers or interns with the Department of Juvenile Justice or social service agency programs, or with a concentration in the disciplines of social sciences and working with people such as social work, sociology, psychology and similar disciplines.