Job Description

About us:

The Village was one of the first agencies in the country to provide homes for neglected children. Today, we continue to achieve our mission "to build a community of strong, healthy families who protect and nurture children" by providing a full range of behavioral health, early childhood and youth development, substance use treatment and support services for children, adults and families in the Greater Hartford, Connecticut region.

Named a Connecticut Top Workplace for six consecutive years with national distinction for workplace culture and diversity, equity and inclusion practices, you can be sure you're joining an organization that's just as committed to your success as we are to those we serve.

Job Summary

The Child Development Specialist participates as a key member of a multi-disciplinary treatment team in the treatment and/or education of children with significant emotional, behavioral, and learning disabilities. This staff ensures that the children's physical and emotional needs are met daily and supports the children's academic learning by focusing on the enhancement of their social, recreational, and behavioral functioning.

Starting hourly rate $20.50 including an additional $1.50 for hours worked between 3pm-7am

Eagle House

Eagle House is a 24-bed psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) that serves as a step down, or diversion, from inpatient hospitalization for children ages 6-12 who present with severe emotional and behavioral difficulties due to significant trauma history. Eagle House helps prepare them for transition to community-based treatment, and/or a family or foster care setting, through providing intensive clinical support services like ongoing psychiatry and nursing evaluations, individual, group, and family therapy sessions, case management, and special education services. Youth are typically in the program for around 4 months. We use a trauma-informed model of care to build relationships with youth in order to stabilize them and help them improve overall functioning. Through building supportive and therapeutic relationships with the youth, members of the multi-disciplinary team help guide them through crisis when they arise by reinforcing the use of healthy coping skills to build emotional regulation, so they will be more prepared to manage stressors and interact positively with peers and adults when they transition back into a community setting. The Child Development Specialists are key members of the multi-disciplinary team that aid in the treatment and education of children with significant trauma history, resulting in severe emotional, behavioral, and learning difficulties. The Child Development Specialists contribute to the progress towards each client's treatment goals by providing therapeutic behavior management techniques and teaching them healthy coping skills. They are responsible for overseeing the youth's day-to-day routines (hygiene, meals, etc.) and facilitating/engaging in therapeutic recreational group activities with the youth. The Child Development Specialists provide direct care and constant supervision to the children in the program at all times to maintain a safe and structured environment, not only for physical safety but also for emotional safety. The Child Development Specialists build therapeutic relationships with the youth to meet their physical and emotional needs, and to enhance their prosocial skills, emotional regulation skills, and behavioral functioning.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Maintain the safety of children in all situations using supervision and the implementation of various therapeutic techniques, including Therapeutic Crisis Intervention.
• Maintain a safe, clean and dignified milieu environment.
• Serve as a healthy role model.
• Demonstrate techniques that enhance problem solving abilities and enable growth and maturity.
• Understand and relay relevant information.
• Record and document critical information in a timely matter.
• Communicate with parents/guardians in a professional and timely matter.
• Communicate with coworkers in a professional and timely matter.
• Communicate with external professionals (e.g. Teachers, DCF Workers) in a professional and timely manner.
• Manage and assist in the modification of child behavior.
• Maintain appropriate certifications (see Licensure Requirements below).
• Provide safe transportation to and from program activities.
• Conduct oneself in a professional, courteous manner in all job-related interactions.
• Interact with children in a positive, nurturing, therapeutic manner.
• Facilitate or co-facilitate therapeutic groups.
• Participate in program meetings, agency meetings, supervision and training events as deemed appropriate by supervisor.
• Conduct any other related work to ensure that the physical and emotional needs of the children are met and that the program continues to operate effectively.
• May be required to work in other programs as needed.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Experience and Skills

• Educational Requirements: Bachelor's Degree strongly preferred; Associates Degree or High School diploma considered.
• Licensure/Certification Requirements: Valid driver's license and the capacity to attain or maintain a Public Service License, Medication Administration Certification, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Certification, American Red Cross First Aid and CPR Certification, Defensive Driving Certification, Safe Food Handling Certification.
• Experience Level: Three years in human service field or experience working with special needs children.
• Specific Skills, Knowledge and Ability Requirements: Knowledge of basic child development, issues related to the effects of abuse and neglect.
• Must be able to work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Must be culturally competent to serve a diverse population.
• Must have the ability to manage stress and to respond to emergency situations safely and calmly.
• Proficient with word processing and spreadsheet applications. Possess solid general computer skills, including ability to work in a Windows XP environment. Familiarity with specific applications used by the Village a plus.
• Physically able to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodations, i.e. must be able to supervise groups of children and perform physical intervention if required; must be able to move freely from place to place without restriction.
• CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
• All Regular Child Development Specialists in the Residential and Extended Day Treatment programs are required to obtain and maintain the following certifications:

• All Child Development Specialists in the Residential and School programs are required to obtain and maintain the following certifications:

Certification Timeframe

Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) Within 2 months of hire

First Aid / CPR Within 2 months of hire

Public Service License (PSL)/V Endorsement Within 2 months of hire

DCF Medication Certification Within 6 months of hire

Job Benefits