Youth Care Worker
Are you looking for meaningful work? Do you want to make an impact on the world? Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is looking for you! We have been voted one of the top 100 places to work in Chicago since 2012!
How You’ll Make an Impact:
There is nothing that brings greater life satisfaction than helping others. As a Youth Care Worker, you will act as an advocate, role model and coach for the Youth who live in our residential program. You can change the trajectory of their lives!
Do you have several years of work or volunteer experience working with youth? Are you empathetic with strong listening skills? Are you adaptable and have good communication skills? We want to talk to you!
In this Role, you will:
- Build a therapeutic relationship with Youth and their families
- Develop and implement each Youth’s individual Treatment Plan
- Work collaboratively with School Resources, Career Resources and After-School Program co-workers to support Youth in those areas
- Communicate timely and accurately (e.g. contact with Youths’ families, log entries, incident reports, email, contact with on-call supervisor)
- Provide supportive supervision, guidance, and role modeling for the Youth, as well as engage with Youth in daily routines and activities in the milieu
- Develop and support creative interventions for Youth
- Participate in supervision meetings
- Work with assigned advocate(s) including weekly Advocate meetings, as well as weekly family contacts
- Employ all aspects of de-escalation and behavior management techniques as outlined in Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) protocol
- Provide transportation for Youth and their family systems as necessary
- Learn, align with, and execute the treatment philosophies, modalities, and practices of the Agency
What we need from you:
- Be at least 21 years old
- A High School diploma with 5 years of experience in youth development OR
- A Bachelor’s degree with at least 2 years of experience working with youth
- A valid Illinois driver’s license (or ability to get one upon hire), ability to drive a van, maintain a clear driving record and retain driving approval through the Department of Children and Family Services
- Good interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
- Maturity and sensitivity to cultural and individual differences
- Ability to maintain confidentiality
- Experience with Microsoft Office, as well as the willingness to become proficient in other software packages and programs
- Ability to attend required Agency trainings and maintain necessary training compliance
- Ability to lift and/or move up to 40 pounds, and with proper training, physically restrain youth
- Commitment to the mission, values, and goals of the Agency
Basics Information / Schedule Details
This job is a full-time. Shifts are generally 3pm-11pm and may include weekends.
Pay differential for weekend hours. Friday-Sunday
We have two campus locations in Chicago (West Loop and Beverly/Morgan Park)
Why You Will Love Working Here:
Mercy Home for Boys & Girls prioritizes professional development and training to support our co-workers
Benefits include Medical, dental and vision coverage; a 403b retirement savings plan with matching contributions; vacation and sick time, as well as tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment assistance
Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to Diversity and Inclusion