Youth Development Professional (YDP)

## Description

**Full and Part time positions available**

**Position Statement:**

The Youth Development Professional (YDP) plays an essential role in caring for children placed in care at Elmcrest. Having the most significant contact with residents, the YDP utilizes a child-centered approach and makes every effort to work in the children's best interest while facilitating the individual and environmental conditions necessary to create change. The YDP is charged with providing a safe, secure, and nurturing environment while continuously using natural, everyday opportunities to teach, guide, and support residents with their treatment, goals, and challenges. The YDP is scheduled in a manner that best accommodates the staff ratio and program coverage requirements. A regular, set schedule can be expected.

**Responsibilities:**

• Create and support an environment by which each resident can be successful in making his/her own unique behavioral, emotional, intellectual, and developmental gains by:
• Teaching and fostering a resident’s skill development relative to his/her individual needs.
• Interacting and intervening with residents following their treatment plans and Individualized Crisis Support Plan.
• Maintain a physically and emotionally safe & supportive environment by:
• Developing and providing a safe and secure physical environment for each resident.
• Providing continuous supervision of residents.
• Using Therapeutic Crisis Intervention de-escalation techniques (proximity, time and space, caring gestures, etc.)
• Develop and maintain appropriate and positive relationships with residents by:
• Demonstrating appropriate social boundaries.
• Having a non-threatening and supportive demeanor.
• Actively involving residents in all facets of programming.
• Transporting and accompanying residents to school, off-ground activities, appointments in the community, and home visits.
• Perform other essential functions of the job, including:
• Complete all assigned paperwork (case documentation, reports, shift logs, etc) accurately and on time.
• Attend staff meetings.
• Provide regular, documented night checks when working the awake overnight shift.
• Report incidents of child maltreatment, neglect, and/or abuse.
• Assist in maintaining a program that is clean, organized, hazard-free, and complies with regulatory standards (e.g. Department of Health, OCFS Fire/Safety, etc).
• Follow all agency and department policies & procedures.
• Other Duties as Assigned: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

## Qualifications
**Qualifications:**

**Elmcrest’s Core Values & Competencies**

• - Honesty: Act with integrity and behave in a manner consistent with our policies, Code of Conduct and any regulatory and ethical guidelines. Utilize practices and techniques professionals train to interact with children, families and co-workers appropriately.
• Willingness to Learn: Open to new experiences and learning new skills and information that can improve professional development, progressive work environments and support the mission of Elmcrest.
• Dedication to Purpose: Display the necessary passion and empathetic abilities to serve the Elmcrest mission. Committed to improving the lives of children and families.
• Social Concern: Value human dignity and have respect for others. Actively seek out diverse approaches and points of view.
• Self-Examination: Systemically observe, analyze and utilize self-reflection to improve actions or results. Listen to constructive feedback and concerns and maintain positive relationships in the workplace.

**Competencies**

• Able to relate to a dynamic environment. Flexible and able to solve problems as unanticipated challenges present themselves.
• Self-aware, enjoys, and is comfortable interacting with children.
• Technically and physically able to provide crisis intervention, including physical restraints. The Agency provides this required training.
• Must understand and demonstrate the principles of care (Boys Town and TCI) to which Elmcrest ascribes and trains.

**Required Education and Experience**

• High School Diploma or GED,
• College, and experience preferred.

**Essential Job Qualifications:**

• Ability to lift 50 pounds without assistance.
• Able to provide crisis intervention, including physical restraints. Restraints may include resistive force, bending, squatting, kneeling, lying down, and holding youth to maintain safety.
• Ability to sit, squat, crouch, and stand for elongated periods
• Ability to lift arms overhead in a reaching motion
• Ability to walk up and down stairs several times per day.
• Varying levels of travel as determined by departmental needs may be required with this position.
• Driver’s license with a driving record acceptable to our insurance carrier.