Youth Support Counselor - relief / on-call

WestCoast Children's Clinic, located in Oakland, California, is a non-profit community psychology clinic that provides mental health services to Bay Area children, youth and families. Working at WestCoast Children's Clinic means being part of an organization that is client-centered, trauma-informed, collaborative, and committed to justice and equity.

WestCoast Children's Clinic is a seeking skilled Foster Youth Relief Support Counselors who are committed to helping children and youth in the foster care system reach their full potential. Foster Youth (STAT) Relief Support Counselors provide community-based, intensive strategies to address current needs for stabilization, crisis intervention and trauma-focused treatment.

Program and Position Overview:

The WestCoast Children's Clinic's STAT program is an innovative, model program that provides mental health Screening, Stabilization and Transition (STAT) services to children as they enter the foster care system in Alameda County. The STAT Support Counselor works as part of a multidisciplinary team that includes STAT Clinicians, an Assessment Center Manager, the STAT Assistant Program Director, Alameda County Social Service staff, and the Assessment Center Public Health Nurse to provide comprehensive care, supervision, and assessment of children in a nurturing, child-friendly environment at the Alameda County Assessment Center. The STAT Support Counselor is specifically responsible for the basic care and supervision of children, ages 0-18, who are admitted to the Assessment Center after being removed from their home for reasons of abuse and/or neglect or who are changing placement within the foster care system. The Assessment Center is a 72-hour facility. All job duties are completed with the intention of supporting and stabilizing the child, providing a comprehensive assessment, and preparing him/her for placement.

Shifts Needed:

Day Shift (7am-4pm)

Swing Shift (3pm-12am)

Overnight (11pm-8am)

How the Foster Youth Relief Counselor makes an impact:

• Actively contributes to the comprehensive assessment of the children as part of a the multidisciplinary team
• Provides warm, nurturing, empathic support to children
• In collaboration with other Assessment Center staff, provides crisis intervention and de-escalation intervention when needed.
• Conducts intake with children who are brought to the Assessment Center.
• Assures children's basic needs are met including meals, hygiene, and sleep, including:
• Completes accurate and timely documentation regarding child's medication according to program protocol. May administer medication to child according to current prescription. Consults with Assessment Center nurse or Assessment Center nurse's supervisor, WCC supervisor, and/or Alameda County child welfare supervisor whenever there is any question about medications or medical concerns.
• Monitors activities and whereabouts of children at all times.
• Engages children in age appropriate activities.
• Maintains a clean, attractive, physically safe environment.
• Responds cooperatively and flexibly to changes in shift schedule, need for additional shift coverage, scheduling or re-scheduling of meetings
• Provides support functions (e.g., answering the phones, greeting facility visitors, filing, etc.).

Primary Responsibilities:

• The STAT Relief Support Counselor position is part-time, intermittent work that does not include benefits.
• Relief staff work when the program needs additional staff or to cover shifts for regular staff when they are sick or take vacation.
• Relief staff must be available and able to commit to a minimum of two shifts per week.
• Relief staff are expected to arrive within 30 minutes of being called in when scheduled for a On-Call shift (Program Located in Hayward)
• Relief staff hours vary depending on program need and are not guaranteed.
• Ability to pick up shifts on short notice and emergency basis.
• Relief staff MUST be available to attend a monthly staff meeting held the first Tuesday of every month from 6-7:30 pm and a monthly group supervision (various times offered)

The ideal candidate has:

• Age requirement: must be at least 21 years of age to apply (per CCL operating requirements)
• Bachelor's degree in psychology, social work, education, child development, or another social science preferred. Master's degree in a related field a plus.
• Prior experience working with children in a residential treatment setting is preferred.
• History of excellent attendance and punctuality in previous jobs.
• Ability to provide visual and auditory supervision of children, effectively and appropriately engage with children ages 0-18 and Non-Minor Dependents ages 18-21.
• Understanding of the need for and maintains appropriate professional boundaries and confidentiality.
• Tact, discretion and judgment.
• Ability to stay calm and emotionally available when interacting with a child who is upset.
• Openness to feedback and supervision. Interested in learning.
• Ability to promote a positive, healthy work environment in the service of a cohesive team and positive culture.
• Comfort working in a multicultural/diverse environment; sensitivity to issues of race, class, gender and ethnicity.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Effective verbal and written communication.
• Ability to proactively identify and communicate when issues need to be addressed.
• Familiarity with computers and adequate typing ability.
• Efficiency and strong time management abilities.
• Problem solving and creativity skills.
• Experience with developmental milestones and child development.

Working Conditions:

• Position involves working with children who have been traumatized and exposure to physical and verbal aggression.
• Position involves potential exposure to communicable diseases including the common cold, flu, and tuberculosis.
• Position requires the ability to work irregular hours, including evenings, overnight, and weekends.
• Overnight shifts are awake shifts. Support counselor must be awake and alert and able to intake children or attend to any child needs throughout entire shift.
• Position does not involve restraining children.

Position Details and Compensation:

This is a relief position reporting to the Assessment Center Site Manager. Hourly rate starts at $23.00 per hour, ($25.30 for bilingual Spanish), as well as extra Overnight and Weekend pay differential. Health benefits are not included for relief positions. This position is located at the Assessment Center in Hayward, CA.

Join us and make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families in the Bay Area.

WCC is passionate about leading and encouraging open conversations around race, gender, power, and privilege and how these impact community mental health. We are an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to diminishing the influence of privilege and discrimination in our field and our workplace, whether due to differences concerning age, citizenship, color, disability, marital or parental status, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.