Job Description

Youth Assistance Program Case Worker/Early Intervention Advocate

Location: 1 Hamilton County Square - Noblesville, Indiana, 46060

Hamilton County is one of Indiana's fastest growing, highest educated and wealthiest counties in the state and the Midwest. Two-thirds of the workforce lives and works in the county -- a percent that has remained constant since 2010. Hamilton County is continually recognized in rankings ranging from "Best Cities to Relocate To" and "Best City to Raise a Family" to "Healthiest County in Indiana" and "Happiest Suburbs in the Nation". Come be a part of all Hamilton County has to offer as we work together to serve the citizens of Hamilton County.

Position: Youth Assistance Program Case Worker/Early Intervention Advocate

Department: Superior Court 1

Division: Juvenile

Work Schedule: Working up to 28 hours per week

Status: Part-time

FLSA Status: Non-exempt

Hourly Rate: $35.1336 per hour

To perform this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed in this document are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Hamilton County provides reasonable accommodation to qualified employees and applicants with known disabilities who require accommodation to complete the application process or perform essential functions of the job, unless the accommodation would cause an undue hardship.

Incumbent serves as Youth Assistance Program Case Worker for the Hamilton County Superior Court 1, Juvenile Division, responsible for coordinating with schools, police, and other agencies to identify at-risk children and families, interviewing, conducting assessment, performing crisis intervention and recommending a plan, assisting local boards, supervising functions of a local community office, and performing various public relations functions to educate and support the interests of the Youth Assistance Program.

Duties:

Consults with all segments of the community, determining the needs of the community, children and families, and reporting such needs to the Director.

Educates and explains the benefits and needs of the Youth Assistance Program to various segments of the community.

Works with parents, schools, police and all segments of the community, ensuring understanding with procedures and forms used for referral of an at-risk child to the Youth Assistance Program.

Obtains background information when children are referred, including conducting interviews, providing crisis intervention, developing a recommended plan to address particular needs of at-risk children and their families, and providing case work services to assist in implementing the plan and monitoring progress of such plan.

Prepares and provides statistical and other reports for Youth Assistance Program concerning dynamics of each case and a description of children and families served, volunteer placements and hours provided investigating, and services provided, including regular progress reports.

Makes recommendations to Director concerning program and organizational needs and/or recommends the use or modification of existing programs and/or the creation of new programs.

Performs various public relations functions within each community, ensuring the continuation or expansion of existing community-funded services, including preparing reports on program activities, speaking before local officials, media and community groups, and preparing news releases.

Serves as Consultant to local boards, programs, and community organizations offering services to the community. Encourages effective program operations, and provides guidance, such as participant organization, project focus, schedule, budget, expectations, and results identification.

Coordinates activities of local boards, including organizing meetings, reporting preparation, election of officers, and preparation of annual budgets for presentation to local, county or state governments, ensuring successful operations and program progress.

Supervises and coordinates office and clerical support for the Youth Assistance Program for the community served to meet administrative needs.

Serves on or chairs local, county or state committees as assigned by the Director.

Obtains names of people wishing to serve as volunteers for submission to the Director, including speaking before local civic groups and contacting community volunteer organizations to work with children and families.

Orients and trains volunteers selected from interviews, providing casework clients with positive and personal influence in their lives to avoid future issues.

Matches clients with most appropriate volunteers, based upon interviews with volunteers and clients, consultations with others agency caseworkers and a review of the clients' files.

Assists with supervision of client/volunteer relationship on a regular basis, ensuring a positive influence is exhibited by volunteers and client progress is being made.

Coordinates county wide recognition events for volunteers and their matches, or recognition events for other persons or groups who have benefited at-risk children and families.

Answers telephones and responds to program-related questions from parents, agencies, and other individuals, sending written materials as appropriate.

Perform related duties as assigned.

Job Requirements:

Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university with a major in Social Work, Sociology, Psychology, Criminology or related area, and two (2) years of full-time casework experience involving establishing, coordinating, and facilitating community-based programs, or Volunteer organizational experience may be substituted for the casework experience.

Master's Degree in Social Work, Sociology, Psychology or related area may be substituted for one (1) year of experience.

Knowledge of social work practices, procedures, and resources including casework, group work, and community organization methods.

Knowledge of and skill in investigating, interviewing and counseling practices, procedures and techniques.

Knowledge of standard computer software used by the department and ability to utilize current word processing, spreadsheet, database, e-mail and Internet software.

Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing with co-workers, other County departments, local, county, and state elected officials, educators, community leaders, parents and children, mentors and tutors, attorneys, probation departments, law enforcement agencies, treatment providers, and the public, including being sensitive to professional ethics, gender, cultural diversities and disabilities.

Ability to cope with difficult and/or emergency situations requiring immediate decisions in accordance with departmental policies and objectives.

Ability to establish rapport with clients in order to achieve treatment goals.

Ability to successfully match children to appropriate volunteers based on compiled written interview information.

Ability to provide public information or maintain confidentiality of client information and/or department information and records according to state requirements.

Ability to assess client treatment needs and develop written treatment plans to address those needs.

Ability to operate standard office equipment, including use of network and personal computers.

Ability to comply with all employer and department policies and work rules, including, but not limited to, attendance, safety, drug-free workplace, and personal conduct.

Ability to understand, memorize, retain, and carry out written or oral instructions and present findings in oral or written form.

Ability to plan and present public speaking programs and reports to organized groups or individuals.

Ability to develop and maintain effective relationships with people.

Ability to occasionally travel out of town for conferences and training, sometimes overnight, and travel to municipalities throughout the county and visits with local officials, schools, businesses, and/or children's family homes.

Possession of a valid Indiana driver's license or chauffeur's license, and a demonstrated safe driving record.

Difficulty of Work:

Incumbent's duties are somewhat narrow in scope, but are of substantial intricacy, requiring consideration of many complex variables and their interrelationships. Guidelines are provided by Juvenile Courts' Director of Youth Assistance Programs and Services/Early Intervention Advocate and may require independent judgment in interpreting precedents and adapting methods to individual cases/situations.

Responsibility:

Incumbent interprets and makes authoritative application of policies and procedures and standard practices of the profession to a variety of unrelated cases and circumstances. Work is reviewed for attainment of objectives, and appropriate supervision or direction of assigned operations. Incumbent receives direct supervision from the Director of Youth Assistance Programs and Services/Early Intervention Advocate, and receives indirect or occasional supervision, and discusses unusual and/or unprecedented situations with the Juvenile Court Judges as required.

Personal Work Relationships:

Incumbent communicates frequently with co-workers, other County departments, local, county, and state elected officials, educators, and community leaders, parents and children, mentors and tutors, attorneys, probation departments, law enforcement agencies, treatment providers, and the public.

Incumbent reports to Director of Youth Assistance Programs/Early Intervention Advocate.

Physical Effort and Work Environment:

Incumbent performs a majority of duties in an office environment, involving sitting for long periods, sitting and walking at will, keyboarding, speaking clearly, hearing communication, and close vision. Incumbent occasionally travels out of town for conferences and training

Hamilton County, Indiana

Job Tags

Hourly pay, Full time, Part time, Work at office, Local area, Immediate start, Relocation, Trial period, Night shift,

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