The Juvenile Services Specialist position provides mentoring, advocacy, and case management to juvenile clients and their families. Incumbents play a crucial role in delivering direct services and coordinating community resources as part of a U.S. DOJ grant focused on Youth Violence Prevention in the City of Richmond. Working within the Youth Justice Team, the incumbent will provide individual and/or group supportive services to address short-term and long-term client needs. This position requires collaboration with courts, law enforcement agencies, public schools, and other community organizations.

Responsibilities:

Determine eligibility of clients for services
Administer needs assessments and refer clients to appropriate community resources
Manage an active caseload of youth referred by courts, schools, and community agencies
Conduct client/family engagement interventions
Coordinate vendor and community resources to address emergency and ongoing needs of families
Facilitate programming, including juvenile educational groups and orientation sessions for parents/guardians
Network with partnering agencies and organizations for community outreach
Perform additional duties as assigned, such as scheduling and conducting home visits, researching and compiling information, preparing reports, monitoring client needs, and networking for referrals
Serve as essential personnel during declared emergencies, as required

Supervision Exercised/Received:

Exercised: This classification typically does not supervise other employees
Received: This classification typically reports to a program supervisor or manager (other reporting relationships may apply)

Minimum Training and Experience:

Associate's degree in human services, social services, or a related field
Bachelor's degree in human services or social services preferred
Three years of experience in human services or social casework paraprofessional roles
An equivalent combination of training and experience approved by the department may meet the minimum qualifications

Licensing, Certifications, and Other Special Requirements:

Valid Driver's License with a satisfactory driving record
Valid Commonwealth of Virginia Driver's License within 30 days of hire

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Laws and legal procedures
Human Services programs, including prevention and intervention
Enforcement of policies and procedures
Case management reporting techniques
Computer programs such as Microsoft Office Suite
Data collection and management
Conflict resolution
Active listening

Skills:

Motivational interviewing
Strong customer service
Ability to work with diverse populations, including hard-to-serve and low-income communities
Excellent interpersonal, oral/written communication, and presentation skills
Proficiency in using automated technology (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite) and maintaining case records

Abilities:

Establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals
Schedule and manage workloads to meet deadlines
Manage time effectively and prioritize tasks

Environmental Hazards:

Exposure to travel within and outside of the City of Richmond
Exposure to hazardous physical conditions
Atmospheric conditions such as fumes, odors, dusts, gases, and poor ventilation
Inadequate lighting
Intense noise
Environmental hazards such as disruptive people and threatening environments

Physical Requirements and Working Environment:

Ability to perform detailed work on multiple tasks with frequent interruptions and under time constraints
Regularly required to walk, stand, reach, grasp, talk, see, hear, and use hands, wrists, or fingers in a repetitive motion
Occasionally required to balance, stoop, crouch, lift, push, pull, and crawl
Physical strength: Light work, exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and negligible force constantly