Community Work Program Coordinator (#MDDZ15)
$43,142.00 Yearly Min / $53,927.00 Yearly Mid / $64,712.00 Yearly Max

A class incumbent is responsible for assisting inmate-clients assigned to Department of Corrections custody in securing employment within the community and motivating them towards resocialization.

An incumbent in this class assists clients newly released from a correctional institution or assigned to the custody of a correctional unit such as Work-Release or supervised custody in locating employment within the community. A significant aspect of the work involves motivating clients towards self-improvement, assisting clients in developing skills and presenting them on a formal application or at an interview, and dealing with resistant and sometimes hostile behavior.

Essential functions are fundamental, core functions common to all positions in the class series and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all job duties for any one position in the class. Since class specifications are descriptive and not restrictive, incumbents can complete job duties of similar kind not specifically listed here.

• Interviews clients to obtain and verify social and criminal histories with particular emphasis given to eliciting information concerning problems which might hinder employment e.g., domestic, financial, alcohol/drug, educational, lack of skills. Serves as resource person for assistance programs.
   
• Counsels clients regarding means and methods of improving their marketability to the community by conducting mock interviews, role-playing exercises, and providing instruction on resume/application completion.
   
• Motivates and encourages clients to seek and/or retain employment. May coordinate efforts between clients and employers or potential employers.
   
• Coordinates job search to assist clients in their resocialization process.
   
• Works with other members of the correctional treatment and resocialization team such as Probation and Parole Officers, Correctional Officers and Correctional Counselors.
   
• Performs follow-up job checks with clients and/or employers, either by telephone or in person, to ensure that good employee-employer relationships exist and conditions of employment are being met.
   
• Investigates complaints from employers relative to client's attendance, abuse of alcohol/drugs, attitude, or any other problem endangering the client's employment status. 
   
• Determines validity of complaints as needed, counsels clients as to consequences of their actions.
   
• Monitors clients activities to ensure that conditions of work status, probation/parole or community work assignment are being followed as prescribed.
   
• Maintains client history and status files to ensure complete documentation of client activities at all times.
   
• Prepares a variety of records, reports, and summaries in compliance with departmental policy. 
   
• May be required to submit them in court or to appear in person to support client activity as reported.

The intent of the listed knowledge, skills and abilities is to give a general indication of the core requirements for all positions in the class series; therefore, the KSA’s listed are not exhaustive or necessarily inclusive of the requirements of every position in the class.

• Knowledge of human behavior with particular emphasis on criminally-oriented behavior.
• Knowledge of basic counseling techniques to include dealing with client resistance and eliciting information of a sometimes sensitive nature.
• Knowledge of departmental policies, procedures and programs to include social service and support agencies providing a variety of assistance which meet the needs of the formerly institutionalized client.
• Skill in motivating clients, assisting clients in self-improvement and raising their levels of self-esteem.
• Skill in identifying client needs, assessment of their current status, and skill in employment of the proper technique and/or resources in meeting client needs.
• Ability to work under sometimes stressful or hazardous conditions in dealing with criminally-oriented persons who may be hostile or resistant to change.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing to include individual and group counseling, conducting employment briefings and workshops for clients, and establishment of effective working relationships with clients, employers, and members of the department and community resources team.

JOB REQUIREMENTS for Community Work Program Coordinator
Applicants must have education, training and/or experience demonstrating competence in each of the following areas:

1. Six months experience in case management which includes assessing, planning, developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating options and services to meet an individuals human service needs.
2. Six months experience in career counseling which includes assisting hard to serve job seekers to develop realistic and achievable employment goals; interviewing to obtain facts and explore issues; identifying obstacles or barriers to employment and jointly formulating employability development plans directed at employment outcomes.
3. Six months experience in interpreting laws, rules, regulations, standards, policies, and procedures.
4. Six months experience in narrative report writing.
5. Knowledge of criminal behavior which includes reviewing social and criminal histories and eliciting information concerning problems which might hinder offender employment such as violent behavior, financial, alcohol or drug abuse, education or lack of skills.