Youth Development Specialist

Job Title: Youth Development Specialist


Department & Division : Campus Programs


Reports To: Campus Programs Supervisor


Beginning Pay Range: $21.00 an hour


Classification: Full Time, Part Time, or Per Diem, Hourly, Non-Exempt.

D.A. Blodgett- St. John's
D.A. Blodgett - St. John's is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening children and families through a comprehensive continuum of care, including, but not limited to; counseling, family preservation, foster care, adoption, and residential treatment. Guided by the belief that children thrive best with their families whenever safety can be ensured, the organization delivers compassionate, evidence-based services designed to promote healing, stability, and long-term success. Primarily serving children, youth, and families in the greater Grand Rapids area, with select programs reaching communities across Michigan, D.A. Blodgett - St. John's is committed to creating brighter futures through prevention, intervention, and lifelong support. Rooted in dignity, equity, and belonging, the organization is dedicated to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment where all children, all families, and all individuals are valued, supported, and empowered.

Mission Statement : To help children and empower families by providing safety, advocacy, and support.

Vision : A safe, nurturing home for every child, a supportive community for every family.

Values:

• Exceptional Service: Client-focused and teaming at the center of our work.
• Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion: All are welcomed, valued, and belong.
• Excellence: Ongoing commitment to learning and improvement.
• Integrity: Responsibility and ownership of our actions and results.
• Creativity: Imagination, innovation, and intelligent risk taking.
• Passion: Relentless positive energy toward our mission and vision.

Sanctuary & Culture Commitments :

• Nonviolence: Maintaining safety for all members of the community.
• Emotional Intelligence: Managing emotions so we don't hurt ourselves or others.
• Social Learning: Together we accomplish more, we care for one another.
• Democracy: Everyone has a voice, not necessarily a vote.
• Open Communication: Respecting and sharing ideas of our team.
• Social Responsibility: Say what you mean, don't be mean when you say it.
• Growth & Change: Creating hope for ourselves and the people we serve.
• Cultural Humility: We approach difference with openness, curiosity, and an ongoing commitment to learning.?
• Trauma-Responsive Practices: We recognize the impact of trauma and work to minimize harm, promote agency and support healing.?
• Identity Safety: We honor and respect the intersecting identities people hold, and we work to prevent identity-harm or discrimination.?
• Anti-Racism: We work actively to recognize and interrupt bias, discrimination, and systemic inequities in our work and interactions.?

Position Summary:

The Development Specialist is responsible for providing direct care and supervision to youth and young adults within our Campus Programs division, which includes our Independent Living program and our Residential programs. The scope of this development responsibility is quite broad. At times, the development specialist takes on a parental role, addressing the basic needs of the youth. This includes but is not limited to ensuring that each child is healthy and safe, adequately clothed and fed and that their living space is clean and orderly.

In addition to these responsibilities, the development specialist is expected to offer praise and encouragement to the youth. They must also respond appropriately and therapeutically to challenging behaviors that may arise. The development specialist typically achieves these objectives through verbal de-escalation techniques, positive reinforcement, guidance and supportive direction.


At times, the development specialist takes on the role of a mentor, guiding youth in areas such as social skills, coping skills, hygiene, basic values, spirituality, and education. The development Specialist acts as a trusted and patient adult, engaging in discussions about a young person's personal life, emotions, and perspectives on the world.


DABSJ places a strong emphasis on building relationships between staff and youth. We believe that all effective support efforts start with warm, caring, and meaningful connections. It is the responsibility of the development specialist to develop these therapeutic relationships with youth, using the rapport established to foster and encourage personal growth.


The development specialist is expected to work effectively and harmoniously as part of one or more teams within the agency. Specific work responsibilities and schedules may vary based on team assignments and the programs they are involved in.


Essential Responsibilities

• Developing and Maintaining nurturing and sound relationships with all youth, including maintenance of clear roles and boundaries
• Ensuring the supervision, health, and safety of youth
• Promoting a safe, therapeutic environment
• Learning and consistently abiding to all DABSJ, group, and individual treatment programs
• Effectively following and implementing Collaborative Problem Solving
• Fully participating in a treatment team(s), learning from others, and allowing others to learn from your
• Providing positive, mature, adult role modeling for youth at all times
• Providing effective written records and communication as required by the program
• Partnering with youth to promote the security, safety, and cleanliness of the campus
• Attending and completing all required DABSJ training sessions
• Planning, organizing, and effectively conducting therapeutic activities and recreational programs for youth
• Dispensing medications according to established schedules and procedures
• Assisting designated team lead in any necessary meal preparation and cooking with the homes
• Conduct yourself in a manner that positively reflects upon DABSJ in the community both on and off duty
• Abiding by all policies and practices at DABSJ
• Completing other reasonable assignments, which may be made by any supervisor

Supervision Received: Specific Direction - Follows established work procedures. Receives periodic checks for performance. Refers unique questions/conditions to immediate supervisor.


Supervisory Responsibilities: No supervisory responsibilities.


Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required by the state licensing authority. Agency prefers completed college courses in a field related to the helping profession
• Valid driver's license and good driving record
• A year of experience working with and/or volunteering with children
• Experience working with adolescents who have emotional and behavioral challenges is strongly preferred.
• Good written communication skills.
• Ability to work with a variety of people both within and outside DABSJ
• Promote a positive image for DABSJ in the community and in relationship with other Agencies and their personnel.
• Become familiar with and follow the code of ethics for your profession and agree to abide by the related DABSJ standards.
• Possess an understanding and sensitivity to the adolescent's cultural and socioeconomic characteristics with personal qualities of warmth with the ability to establish meaningful relationships with people from various cultures.
• Positive acceptance of supervision to learn and be trained in job-related functions.
• Personal qualities of organizational skills, assertiveness, good judgment, conscientiousness, attention to detail and timeliness.
• Good health and physical condition. Free of communicable diseases.
• A personal commitment to DABSJ's mission, philosophy, and values.
• High frustration tolerance level

Core Competencies

• Problem Solving: Ability to recognize courses of action to handle problems, gathering and organizing information, identifying cause and effect relationships, and applying contingency plans to solve those problems.
• Integrity: Ability to adhere to organization policies and procedures, acting in a fair and just manner while maintaining confidentiality.
• Team Work: Effectively interacts with people by being able to share and receive information that supports team goals.
• Communication: Ability to effectively receive and express ideas, both written and verbal; using clear and concise vocabulary and active listening skills. Ability to communicate with small and large groups and ability to communicate with a wide variety of audiences.
• Decision Making: Ability to select and commit to an effective course of action by understanding issues, comparing solutions, and drawing conclusions to resolve problems.
• Motivation: Ability to inspire and encourage others to reach a goal; maintaining a high level of productivity and self-direction.
• Working Under Pressure: Abilit to maintain composure when exposed to stress.
• Reliability: Ability to be dependable, trustworthy, and committed to doing the best job possible and complete work in a timely consistent manner.
• Cultural Responsiveness: Ability to recognize, respect, and adapt to cultural differences, promote equity and inclusion in all aspects of care.

Physical/Environmental Requirements:

• Work Environment: Ability to bend, reach, kneel, or engage in light physical tasks as part of daily responsibilities.
• Mobility and Movement: Ability to move throughout campus for extended periods, including walking, standing and transitioning between indoor and outdoor spaces.
• Physical: ability to lift, carry, push or pull up to 40 pounds occasionally during a shift.
• Respond promptly and safely in a crisis situation which maybe involve quick movement, positioning or guiding a youth to a safe area.
• Communication: Ability to use verbal communication effectively, including calm, clear, and supportive dialogue during both routine interactions and moments of heightened emotion.
• Ability to sustain attention and emotional regulation during challenging or unpredictable situations. And maintain awareness of surroundings and respond appropriately to safety concerns.
• Travel: Ability to safely operate a company vehicle to transport youth to various activities and maintain a valid driver's license to meet agency driving eligibility requirements, including an acceptable driving record.
• Environmental Conditions: Ability to work in environments with varying levels of noise, activity, or interruptions, and to adapt to changing priorities or urgent situations.
• Reasonable Accommodations: All physical and environmental requirements may be met with or without reasonable accommodation.

DABSJ strives to be a fully inclusive organization as we support a diverse group of children and families. We are building a diverse team that represents our customers and our community and recognize that each of us brings a unique perspective to the organization. We welcome differing thoughts, faiths, beliefs, groups, and lived experiences. The diversity and differences of each team member, foster parent, adoptive parent, child, and family make us #DABSJstrongertogether for children and families.


DABSJ is an equal opportunity, at-will employer, and will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment. DABSJ does not discriminate on the basis of race, including but not limited to hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists; culture, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, height, weight, marital status, veteran status, socio-economic status, disability, or other legally-protected characteristics as required by law.

This job description does not list all duties of the job. Employees may be asked by management to perform other duties as needed. The Company reserves the right to revise this job description at any time. This job description is not a contract for employment and does not infringe upon the Company's at will employment status.