Team Leader

JOB SUMMARY:  Assists Cottage Supervisor with the administration, coordination, and implementation of the daily direction and operation of a single cottage unit for 8 to 12 youth in a residential setting. Leads other cottage staff in accomplishment of assignments.  Participates in the organization’s performance and quality improvement efforts.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Assists in leading the implementation of the daily operations within a cottage unit by:

• Serve as lead staff in the cottage in absence of the Cottage Supervisor.
• Provides assistance to youth caregiver.
• Ensures accountability for supervising and monitoring children to insure the resident’s safety, health, and security.
• Implements the cottage program and routines
• Ensures daily cottage cleanliness to meet health and safety standards
• Ensures assigned children are available and attend cottage activities (i.e., sports runs, groups, cottage activities).
• Assists with managing and overseeing effective implementation of medication and medication documentation. Oversees the maintenance of the cottages First Aid Kits.
• Runs BHOS audits daily to ensure timely documentation of BHOS notes.
• Coordinates and plans transportation needs for cottage activities (i.e., ensuring that the van log request form is completed and turned in timely fashion).
• Demonstrates the youth caregiver model to facilitate therapeutic relationships for the clients in group and individual settings.  Serves as an advocate for the clients residing in the cottage program.  Provides interactive supervision and monitoring of clients at all times to insure the best care, welfare, safety, health, and security. Establish a positive and productive relationship with clients within the framework of the youth caregiver model.
• Provides or arranges program required services in a manner that is sensitive to age, culture, religion, dietary needs, native language, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other important individual needs of each child/youth.
• Facilitate and implement milieu services to teach children/youth, goal setting, problem resolution, educational activities, social skills development, employability skills, anger management, crisis management, group, independent living skills, life space interviews, home visit evaluation and one to one supervision. 
• Works collaboratively with staff to effectively implement treatment plans to prepare child/youth into long term placement or reunification placement. Works to effectively transition child/youth from one cottage environment to another as necessary.
• Follows agency and professional standards regarding mandated reporting laws.  Follows agency policy and procedures for reporting critical incidents and runaways.
• Assists the Cottage Supervisor  in monitoring, implementing and evaluating cottage systems and programming.
• Assists in training new staff in caregiver model, agency standards and rules and regulations as they pertain to daily cottage operations. Participates in and presents portions of the residential new employee orientation program.
• Actively provides on the job training to cottage staff on ways of developing a therapeutic relationship, and assessing children’s strengths and looking at children’s weaknesses as a building block for growth opportunities.
• Assists in ensuring that caregivers integrates the clients’ history and all recommendations information into the milieu treatment process.
• Fosters and maintains a positive and productive relationship with children and the cottage team. Assists Cottage Supervisor in developing a cohesive working team on cottage responsibilities, promotes collaboration, cooperative efforts, and professional growth.  Provides input on staff performance to Supervisor as requested.
• Responsible for operating within program guidelines with respect to discipline, Behavior Management, verbal de-escalation techniques and non-violent physical crisis intervention techniques.  Demonstrates knowledge and practice of agency policy and procedures for restraint- NAPPI Non-abusive Psychological and Physical Intervention or other agency-approved intervention.
• Participates in training, committees and meetings as required.
• Attend cottage meetings and facilitate meetings as assigned by cottage manager.
• Acts as liaison between program and sponsor/auxiliary/volunteer groups as assigned.
• Assists with ensuring appropriate staff coverage. 
• Maintains documentation within guidelines for incident reports and log entries as per program, state and federal requirements.
• Assists with SOD with duties a minimum of once a week as part of the overall training and development program for team leader.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

***THESE ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS ARE NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A COMPLETE STATEMENT OF ALL DUTIES PERFORMED.  EMPLOYEES WILL BE REQUIRED TO PERFORM OTHER JOB RELATED MARGINAL DUTIES AS REQUIRED***

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education & Experience:

• Associate’s degree from an accredited college or university in a Human Service and/or related field, or commitment to obtain behavioral health certification within 18 months, and two years’ experience as a Caregiver in a residential setting serving children.

Licenses & Certifications:

• First Aid and CPR Certified; classes available on-site, if necessary.
• Must possess a valid Florida driver’s license with no record of criminal driving offense of license suspension.  Must be insurable under CHN’s insurance policy.
• Must possess means of providing job related transportation and show proof of required insurance. 
• Must be able to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends. 
• Must successfully complete Federal background and state criminal background check and sexual predator screening.
• Must be able to successfully complete NAPPI .or other verbal/physical de-escalation course.
• Successful completion of  youth medication distribution training.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of Department of Children and Families rules and regulations regarding the care of children.
• Knowledge of child abuse or neglect reporting procedures and methods.
• Knowledge of residents' histories, habits, tendencies, general behaviors, etc.
• Knowledge of crisis intervention techniques and procedures.
• Knowledge of effective childcare practices.
• Knowledge of agency's organizational structure, standard operating procedures, and policies.
• Knowledge of proper medication procedures including distributing, administration, and potential effects of use.
• Knowledge of appropriate protocol for handling injuries, incidents and child AWOL occurrences.
• Knowledge of basic budgeting  principles.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships with clients, co-workers, supervisors and other individuals.
• Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing. 
• Ability to work effectively as a team member.
• Skill in training new employees.
• Leadership Skills .

ESSENTIAL PHYSICAL SKILLS:

• Ability to perform physical restraints using the NAPPI Method.
• Ability to participate in physical activities with children (weighing 107 pounds on average) that may require bending, stooping, and moderate lifting.
• Reasonable accommodation will be made for otherwise qualified individuals with a disability.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

• Treatment center environment.
• Possible exposure to verbal abuse and physical behavior.
• Possible exposure to clients with communicable disease.
• Works both indoors and outdoors on a routine basis.
• High interaction with children.
• Moderately high level of potential for exposure to bloodborne pathogens; therefore, eligible for Hepatitis B vaccination series.