Under direction, performs responsible supervisory and administrative support work directing professional, paraprofessional and clerical staff assigned to one or more work units in a dependent children's residential care facility; oversees and provides court ordered supervision, care, and evaluation of troubled, abused and/or neglected youth residents; provides administrative support to management; and does related or other work as required in accordance with Rule 3, Section 3 of the Civil Service Rules.
CLASS CHARACTERISTICS
This is the first supervisory level class in the Shelter Counselor series. Positions at this level work with significant independence to ensure the smooth daily operation of a children's shelter within established guidelines and legal constraints. This classification is distinguished from the class of Shelter Social Worker by its supervisory responsibilities and in the emphasis given in the class to planning, coordinating, and implementing programs and activities for the resident youths.
TYPICAL DUTIES
Selects, assigns, and directs subordinate staff as assigned; provides and arranges for needed staff training; observes work performance and evaluates work for completeness, adherence to guidelines and legal constraints, as well as its effectiveness in meeting the children's needs and best interests.
Organizes and oversees unit activities and events; identifies and ensures that children's medical and emotional needs are met; seeks help for children in crisis; serves as back-up counselor in the units; facilitates positive interactions between staff and youth residents.
Completes, reviews, and prepares a variety of paperwork, forms, schedules, lists, reports, logs, and records; proofreads for accuracy, and adherence to regulations, policies, and procedures.
Responds to medical emergencies by providing immediate first aid and/or CPR as appropriate; notifies appropriate staff and family of medical need and treatment provided.
Conducts investigations into allegations of abuse and complaints; interviews children and staff and notifies other support agencies as required; prepares reports with findings and conclusions.
Prepares reports of runaway youths; notifies law enforcement and other affected parties; assigns staff to assist in the search for missing children.
Ensures adherence to all safety precautions and procedures; supervises fire drills; submits maintenance requests for removal or mitigation of safety hazards, malfunctioning equipment, and general grounds safety concerns.
Attends and participates in a variety of meetings and training programs; serves on committees as assigned; oversee visitation center meetings; prepares and reviews minutes of meetings.
Accepts donations of needed items from the public; conducts shelter tours; answers callers' and visitors' questions; provides guidance to shelter volunteers; sorts, stocks, and issues supplies to the units as needed.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
EITHER I
Experience: One year as Shelter Counselor II in San Joaquin County.
Note: Individuals employed in the San Joaquin County class of Group Counselor II-DCH at the time of adoption of this specification (October 11, 2000) shall meet the above experience requirement.
OR II
Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university.
Experience: Three (3) years performing children’s social services work in a shelter, group home or similar setting; or social service case management for children and families.
Substitution: Additional qualifying children’s social service experience may substitute for the education on a year-for-year basis to a maximum of two years.
AND
License: Possession of a valid California driver’s license.
Special Requirement: Must pass fingerprinting as required by state law
First Aid/CPR Certificate: Must obtain certification in Basic First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) within the first six months of employment and maintain such certification during employment.
Note: Employees at Mary Graham Children’s Shelter are subject to the authority, rules, regulations, standards, and approval of the Community Care Licensing Authority (CCL) of the California Department of Social Services. In addition to the above minimum qualifications, as a condition of employment, approval of the CCL is required for both initial appointment and for continued employment at MGCS.
KNOWLEDGE
Principles and practices of supervision including coaching, counseling, and progressive discipline; Welfare and Institutions Codes as they apply to dependent children; basic medical terminology, childhood illnesses, and health assessment methods/techniques; signs of abuse and neglect; special needs, problems, and concerns of at-risk children including substance exposed infants; stages of child development; behavior modification techniques; children's community resources and referral agencies; basic mathematics; proper English usage including grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
ABILITY
Supervise, train, motivate, and evaluate staff; develop and promote teamwork; read and understand written materials; prepare and maintain files, records, and logs; write clear and concise reports; make and record observations accurately; effectively use and apply observation, counseling, and intervention skills and techniques; assess potentially dangerous situations accurately; make sound decisions requiring independent judgment; work with hyperactive, troubled, and developmentally delayed youth from ethnically diverse backgrounds; provide minor medical aid; perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation as required; interpret, apply, enforce, and adhere to policies, procedures, rules and regulations governing interactions with youth and the operations of a housing facility for dependent minors; plan and implement a variety of activities and outings to meet all of the children's needs; use and operate modern office equipment including personal computer and related hardware and software applications; drive a vehicle in the performance of assigned duties; establish and maintain effective relationships with others contacted in the performance of assigned duties.
PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS
Mobility-Frequent operation of keyboards and sitting for long periods; occasional walking, pushing/pulling, climbing and driving; Lifting-occasionally able to lift 5-70 pounds; Vision-Constant use of good overall vision and eye/hand coordination; frequent reading/close-up work; occasional field of vision/peripheral, depth and color perception; Dexterity-Frequent writing and repetitive motion; Hearing/Talking-Constant talking/hearing in person and on the telephone; Emotional/Psychological-Constant concentration and decision making; frequent public contact and dealing with emergency situations; occasional overtime and working weekends and exposure to hazardous materials, trauma, grief and death; Environmental-Constant exposure to noise.
San Joaquin County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and, upon request, will consider reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.
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