Youth Services Specialist I - Zebulon Pike Youth Services Center na State of Colorado, CO

About the Department

Please note: This recruitment may be used to fill multiple vacancies.

Most State of Colorado employees are eligible for a great benefit package! Please see the Supplemental Information section below for details!

Physical Job location: 
Zebulon Pike Youth Services
1427 W. Rio Grande
Colorado Springs, CO 80905

About the Division of Youth Services: The mission of the Division of Youth Services (DYS) is to protect, restore and improve public safety utilizing a continuum of care that provides effective supervision, promotes accountability to victims and communities, and helps youth lead constructive lives through positive youth development. The strategic goal of DYS is to operate healthy trauma-responsive organizational environments as demonstrated through prosocial, safe, and non-violent interactions.

DYS provides a continuum of services that encompass juvenile detention, assessment, commitment and parole. DYS is the agency statutorily mandated to provide for the care and supervision of youth committed by the District Court to the custody of the Colorado Department of Human Services. The Division operates 15 secure facilities that serve youth between the ages of 10 and 21, who are pre-adjudicated, sentenced, or committed. For pre-adjudicated youth, the Division is also responsible for the management and oversight of the Colorado Youth Detention Continuum; a State-funded, locally administered program that provides services to youth at risk of further progressing into the juvenile justice system. In addition to residential programming, the Division administers juvenile parole services throughout the State.  We have many opportunities within DYS to positively impact youth and families.

We invite you to explore the DYS website and learn about the services provided to youth, families, and local communities in the State of Colorado at: www.colorado.gov/cdhs/dys.  There are numerous opportunities within DYS to positively impact youth and families and we welcome you to join our team.

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of diverse backgrounds and abilities.  

Position Duties

WE WANT TO HIRE YOU IF:

• You have a passion for youth and a desire to improve your community

• You love learning new skills and teaching them to others

• You desire a job that teaches you what safe supervision is all about – physical, social, psychological, and moral

• You thrive on developing healthy relationships, professionalism, and teamwork

About the position. This position is a direct care/essential role that provides direct and engaging supervision of Youth in DYS State Operated Secure Facilities. Specific duties and expectations are: Safety/Security, Youth Center Programming, Documentation/Recording and Reporting, Training, and Organizational Accountability. Positions may be required to work overtime on a rotating basis, based on business needs.

Duties Include but are not limited to the following: 

Safety/Security. Work involves providing direct care, safety, security, and supervision of adjudicated and/or pre-adjudicated youth in a secure setting. Monitor, participate, support, and enforce behavioral management plans for individual youth as directed (e.g. Behavioral Contracts, Individual Growth and Change Plans). Duties include supervision of youth or group of youth, supervision of daily activities, youth orientation, intervention in crisis situations, non-escalation, de-escalation, use of physical response/restraint in emergency situations, debriefing of all incidents, and conducting searches. 

Youth Center Programming. Actively and with positive engagement, implement and follow the Youth Center’s behavioral management program, teach, coach, and redirect youth within the program. Support DYS initiatives and strategies as they relate to youth programming and crisis intervention.

Documentation/Recording and Reporting. Document observations of youth behavior and response to program(s) and document all unit activities and required information in appropriate logs and records systems. Document all youth group activities in appropriate database systems. 

Organizational Accountability. Through all communications and behaviors demonstrate, support, and contribute to a healthy, positive, and respectful cultural climate throughout the Youth Center by adhering to our organizational values of Nonviolence, Open Communication, Social Responsibility, Growth and Change, Social Learning, Democracy, and Emotional Intelligence.  Requirement to adhere to the CDHS Code of Conduct, DYS Compliance Review Standards, and CDHS and DYS policies.  Success will come through the development of healthy, positive relationships supported by creating a trauma responsive environment.

Training. Complete DYS Pre-Service training academy, Youth Center training, and orientation process as a new employee. Some travel may be required.  Complete all assigned online training, and maintain and support the Division’s prevailing behavior management and intervention strategies.  Training will help you learn problem-solving, the development of relationships with youth grounded in solid boundaries, how to teach skills to youth to decrease further risk and need, and a better understanding of trauma, behavioral health, and high-risk behavior.

Other Duties as Assigned

Minimum Qualifications

*** Please read the entire job announcement and follow all of the instructions prior to completing the application.  You must provide documentation to be given credit for it.  There will be no exceptions on timelines to provide documentation. All documentation must be uploaded- this is the first evaluation in the selection process***

Note: Applications will be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for the position. If it is determined that you meet the minimum qualifications, your application will also be used as part of the examination process.  You should ensure that your application specifically addresses the requirements as listed in the minimum and preferred qualifications, as well as the job duties and the highly desired competencies. Take the time to adequately address your specialized experience, work products, and accomplishments as they relate to the position.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

Education and Experience:  High school diploma or General Education Diploma, (GED).

Substitutions: None

These positions are not sedentary positions. Employees are typically on their feet during the entire shift.  Youth living quarters are located on multiple levels and employees must frequently climb stairs in the performance of job duties.  Please take into account your physical ability in relation to the essential job duties when applying for a job. Employees must also be willing and able to physically intervene with assaultive youth.

Preferred Qualifications

• College education in a behavioral health and or juvenile justice-related field.

• Experience working with adjudicated and/or detained youth within a secure residential facility and/or a behavioral health setting;  

• Experience facilitating psychoeducational groups; 

• Education/experience working with adolescents who have trauma;  

• Experience working with youth in positive leadership roles, such as mentoring and coaching.

• Experience utilizing verbal de-escalation and motivational techniques.

• Relevant years of state service experience.

Highly Desirable Competencies

• Skilled in conflict management.

• Strong work ethic, integrity, and dependability.

• Sound judgment and decision-making skills.

• Self-control, composure, and the ability to manage stressful situations.

• Ability to verbally communicate clearly and willingness to do so respectfully.

• Ability to identify and act on changes, inappropriate activity, hazards or potential security breaches and verbally communicate pertinent information.  

• Ability to study information and recount events in a written, factual, concise, and legible method.

Work Environment

• Employees are required to work shift hours. This includes evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.  Shifts may vary between agencies and may include eight (8) hours, ten (10) hours, or twelve (12) hours in duration.  Mandatory overtime may be required.  Day shift work is not usually available. As a Correctional Youth Security Officer, your position is considered essential and you may be required to report to work during inclement weather.

Conditions of Employment:

• Be a minimum of 21 years of age, with no felony convictions or history of domestic violence.
  

• Full Background.  CDHS employees (all Direct contact with vulnerable persons): CBI name check and fingerprint check, ICON Colorado court database, Medicare fraud database, Reference Checks, Professional License verification (licensure requirements), Drug Screen, PREA (Division of Youth Services), Trails check (direct contact with children), CAPS (direct contact with adults – Mental Health Institutes, Regional Centers, Veterans Community Living Centers).

• This position requires State of Colorado residency at the time of application (unless otherwise identified in the posting), and residency within the state throughout the duration of employment in this position.

• Motor Vehicle Check , if the employee will drive a state-owned vehicle, either in an on-going capacity while performing their normal day-to-day job duties OR on occasion for training/meetings/client visits/etc.

• Must possess a valid, non-restricted Colorado Driver’s License or an non-restricted U.S. Driver's License for positions within 30 miles of the CO state border

• Out-of-State Driver’s License holders must obtain a valid, non-restricted Colorado Driver’s License within 30 days of employment start date. 

• Shift Work - subject to assigned Shift

• Travel- Transportation of youth in state vehicles travel to assigned training and/or alternate work sites.

• Continued employment is contingent upon successful completion of the DYS Pre-service Training Academy, Field Training Program (FTO), and mandatory annual training in all subject areas.

• The Diana Screen®, a sexual risk screening tool, is administered to all applicants to the Division of Youth Services (DYS) seeking positions of trust with children and teens to help ensure that ethical boundaries between children and adults are maintained. At the DYS, the safety and protection of the youth who have been entrusted to us is our #1 priority.   The results of the Diana Screen will be provided to the Division of Youth Services and may be used as part of the Division's decision on whether a candidate is selected.

• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must:

  • Disclose that information on the application.

  • Explain why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify you from the current position.
    Provide your employee number from your prior State employment.  Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resignation in lieu of termination and failure to provide this information will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with CDHS.
    
    
    

• You or your representative must sign and submit the official appeal form for review.  

• You can find the official appeal form here. 

• You must be deliver the official appeal form to the State Personnel Board:

  • By email ([email protected]), or

  • Postmarked in US Mail to(1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver CO 80203, or 

  • Hand delivered (1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver CO 80203), or

  • Faxed (303.866.5038) within ten (10) calendar days from your receipt of notice or acknowledgement of the department’s action.

Contact the State Personnel Board for assistance:

• At (303) 866-3300, or

•  Refer to the  Colorado Code of Regulations (CCR) 801-1, State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, Chapter 8, Resolution of Appeals and Disputes, within the Rules webpage.

Other Qualifications

How to Apply

Need help with your application? Click here.

The Assessment Process

For additional recruiting questions, please contact [email protected]

If your goal is to build a career that makes a difference, join the dedicated people of the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS). Our professionals strive to design and deliver high quality human and health services that improve the safety, independence, and well-being of the people of Colorado. Each of us is committed to contributing to a safe and accessible CDHS. In addition to a great location and rewarding and meaningful work, we offer:

• Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan plus 401(k) and 457 plans

• Medical and dental health plans

• Employer supplemented Health Savings Account

• Paid life insurance

• Short- and long-term disability coverage

• 11 paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave

• State of Colorado Employee BenefitHub Resource Center

• Employee Wellness program

• Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, training and more

• Remote work arrangements for eligible positions

• *Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

• We believe in a people-first approach: We prioritize the needs, well-being, and dignity of the individuals, families and communities we serve. We commit to respect, fairness and access in every decision, policy and interaction. We engage client voices and experiences in the development and implementation of the services we provide.

• Balance creates quality of life: We want our team to be resilient through a supportive workplace that values flexibility, health and wellness, and employee engagement.

• We hold ourselves accountable: We take responsibility through our actions, programs, and results for the state of health and human services in Colorado.

• Transparency matters: We are open and honest with employees, our partners, the Coloradans we serve, and the public.

• We are ethical: We abide by what is best for those we serve by doing what is right, not what is easy.

• Collaboration helps us rise together: We work together with all partners, employees, and clients to achieve the best outcomes for Coloradans.

CDHS is committed to a Colorado for ALL qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment. 

This includes completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or performing essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to [email protected].

The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer

We are committed to increasing a “Colorado for ALL" of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of all backgrounds and abilities.  The State of Colorado believes that a “Colorado for ALL” drives our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

Toll Free Applicant Technical Support

If you experience technical difficulty with the NEOGOV system (e.g. uploading or attaching documents to your online application) call NEOGOV technical support at 855-524-5627 Mon-Fri between 6 am and 6 pm (Pacific Time).  Helpful hints: if you are having difficulty uploading or attaching documents to your application 1) ensure your documents are PDF or Microsoft Word files and 2) close the document before you attempt to upload (attach) it.