Youth Counselor ORR (Bilingual Spanish)

HeartShare St. Vincent's Services (HSVS) Nuevo Camino program is dedicated to providing 20 unaccompanied minors, ages 5-17, with a supportive, nurturing environment through transitional foster homes, daily education programming, and supportive services in the Sunset Park section of New York City. The program is rooted in ensuring that service delivery is trauma informed, culturally appropriate, and individualized to support each child's needs and circumstances while ensuring full compliance with HeartShare St. Vincent's Services (HSVS), Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and Office of Family and Children Services (OCFS) policies and regulations. The Youth Counselor plays a critical role in providing supervision, support, and direction to children in the Transitional Foster Care (TFC) program while promoting safety, growth, and healthy development in a trauma informed and culturally responsive environment.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities of the Position:

• Maintains required supervision ratios, including 1:1 and 1:8 supervision, while monitoring youth activities, location, safety, and overall well-being in accordance with ORR, OCFS, and Nuevo Camino expectations.

• Helps maintain a safe, respectful, culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and professional environment that supports the well-being and development of youth.

• Provides daily care and support to youth, including supervision during daily routines, education, recreational activities, meals, and program activities. Assists in classrooms during education hours by supporting classroom routines, supervising youth, encouraging participation, and working with education staff as needed.

• Facilitates individual and group activities that promote youth engagement, social skills, emotional regulation, and adjustment to the program.

• Transports and accompanies youth to appointments, legal services, medical appointments, school activities, recreational activities, sponsor/family visits, transfers, and other approved activities as assigned.

• Assists with meal preparation and distribution, including breakfast, lunch, and snacks, while ensuring youth's needs are met and in ratio.

• Remains up to date with program policies, procedures, schedules, and services while maintaining compliance with ORR and agency regulations.

• Completes required documentation, including daily logs, shift reports, incident reports, transportation documentation, and other program records, accurately and in accordance with required timeframes.

• Communicates effectively with Case Managers, Case Aides, Transportation Staff, Direct Care Supervisors, Leadership, and other program staff regarding youth needs, concerns, and updates.

• Uses trauma-informed and therapeutic de-escalation techniques to support youth during behavioral concerns, crisis situations, and other challenging moments while maintaining safety and following program procedures.

• Attends all required staff meetings, training, supervision sessions, and professional development activities.

• Maintains confidentiality of youth information and follows ORR, agency, HIPAA, and child welfare confidentiality requirements.

• Assists with youth admissions, intakes, orientations, transfers, and discharges by completing required assessments, reviewing documentation, providing support, and following program protocols and procedures.

• Travels with youth as needed, including out-of-state travel, to support reunification, discharge, placement transfers, or other approved program-related movements. Travel may include airlines, trains, buses, or other forms of transportation. Staff must be able to accompany youth during extended travel assignments while maintaining supervision, safety, and compliance with ORR and program requirements.

• Provides support to other program departments and assists with agency needs as required to help maintain quality services and program operations.

• Performs other job-related duties as assigned, consistent with the scope, responsibilities, and level of the position, and in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and organizational policies.