What are the responsibilities and job description for the Self-Sufficiency Advocate position at YSS?
Job Details
Job Location: Multi-Site - Iowa
Position Type: Full Time
Salary Range: $20.00 - $21.00 Hourly
Job Shift: Day
We are YSS!
YSS is looking for a confident, competent, and compassionate, Full-Time, Self-Sufficiency Advocate to join our team! Many kids escape frightening and often dangerous situations, finding safety and solace at YSS. Our programs offer struggling youth and families, support and direction toward something they may have never experienced - hope.
This is a unique hire due to the county coverage area we need this position filled for. This position will specifically provide services within the following counties: Hamilton, Buena Vista, Sac, Pocahontas, Calhoun, Humboldt, and (part of) Webster Counties.
As a Self-Sufficiency Advocate, you will provide aftercare services to former foster care recipients between the ages of 18 and 21 and PAL (Preparation for Adult Living) eligible participants. This service includes assessment and case management, as well as, assisting each young adult in moving toward self-sufficiency and self-responsibility. Additional responsibilities include:
- Oversee and carries out all responsibilities identified in the Iowa Aftercare Services Network Contract.
- Provide face-to-face contact with each client a minimum of twice per month.
- Maintain working knowledge of the relevant sections of the Code of Iowa.
- Maintain collateral contacts with schools, employers, and therapists to monitor progress.
- Attend meetings as scheduled.
- Provide completed billing monthly ensuring that all aspects of billing are included and that it is accurate.
- Carry out all aspects of documentation requirements.
- Provide assessment and case management of young adults.
- Ensure the immediate safety and basic needs of each young adult.
- Transport clients when necessary..
Please note that this description is not intended to be a complete list of the responsibilities required for this position. Duties may change at any time, with or without notice.
For more about YSS programs, please visit https://www.yss.org/program/.
What you can expect in return...
In addition to having the opportunity to do meaningful, mission-driven work. YSS also offers the following:
Benefits provided to ALL YSS staff:
- An exciting, welcoming workplace
- Bright, collaborative, supportive, colleagues
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Employee recognition/years of service program
- Training opportunities
- Personal wellness programs
- Pet insurance discounts
- Qualification for the PSLF
Benefits provided to FULL TIME staff include:
- Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
- Supplemental accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity insurance
- Accrued PTO, plus paid time off for holidays, your birthday, and volunteering
- Retirement options (terms apply)
Qualifications
We want to create a world where youth are valued and empowered to stand strong. To do this, we ask our staff to embrace YSS core values - Commitment, Collaboration, Compassion, Innovation, Integrity, and a “Can Do” Spirit. Additionally, we ask for the following:
MUST HAVES - Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in human services or a related field.
- Two (2) or more years of directly related experience.
- Travel, including transporting clients, is required for this position. For YSS insurance purposes, you must:
- be 21 years of age,
- have a valid, state-issued, driver’s license,
- have a clean driving record, and
- have adequate insurance coverage per YSS policy.
SHOULD HAVES - Preferred Qualifications
- A collaborative mindset and the ability to work effectively with others regardless of backgrounds, identities, and goals.
- Able to effectively communicate with customers, clients, and the public as well as colleagues and other staff members.
- Basic computer skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, Google Docs, and basic database use..
The IDEAL Candidate:
- Is approachable, friendly, warm, attentive to the needs of others, and able to build enthusiasm and support.
- Speaks a language(s) in addition to English.
- Has the ability to draw on their own lived experience to support others on the journey to stability, recovery, and healing.
About YSS...
One of Iowa's oldest and largest, youth-serving, nonprofit organizations, YSS's mission is to create hope and opportunity by putting kids first. Our programs impact tens of thousands of youths and families each year. We offer education to build healthy minds and bodies; counseling to overcome life’s challenges; and stability to focus on the future. Our diverse leadership team brings together a wide range of specialties and expertise, all dedicated to our mission.
Headquartered in Ames and located across Iowa, our sites are not cookie-cutter models—we tailor our services to fit the highest needs of each community. And we are still growing. YSS is constructing Ember, a 50-acre recovery campus in Central Iowa that will offer shelter, crisis stabilization, and residential addiction treatment for youth and young adults.
Our goal is to create a continuum of care—together, with programs give youth the tools they need to succeed their entire lives. Work for YSS and you too can have a positive impact in the lives of young people.
Helpful to Know
YSS is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We believe that our strength lies in the unique perspectives and backgrounds of our employees. We strive to create an environment where all individuals are treated with respect and have equal opportunities to succeed. Our ongoing efforts to promote diversity and inclusion are central to our mission, and we are dedicated to continuous improvement in these areas.
YSS is a nicotine-free workplace.
The YSS Hiring Process
Communication with applicants is done primarily via email from our Paycom system. Please check your messages regularly. If you don’t see messages in your inbox, please check your spam/junk folder. If you have questions about your application, please email recruitment@yss.org.
1. Application - All applicants are required to complete an online application. The application is considered complete when all questions have been answered, all required documents (resume, waivers) have been submitted, and the application has been electronically signed.
2. Assessment – As they are received, applications are reviewed for education, experience, and licensure (if required). If the required qualifications are not met, the application will be declined.
3. Interview – Depending on the number of applications received, we may choose to do initial phone interviews. Otherwise, we will move directly to in-person or Zoom interviews.
4. References – Applicants moving forward after their interview are asked to submit three references, which YSS then contacts.
5. Pre-employment Screening – Applicants are required to submit background check waiver forms at the time they apply. YSS conducts a Single Contact Repository (SING) background check on all final candidates. All offers of employment at YSS are contingent upon clear results of the SING. The SING provides authorized organizations online access to Iowa Criminal History and Sex Offender Registry information held by the Department of Public Safety/Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Department of Human Services (DHS) Central Abuse Registry for Child Abuse (CA) and Dependent Adult Abuse (DAA), as well as Professional License information. YSS also requires a clean driving record for positions that provide transport. Verification will be done through the records of the state that issued the current license.
6. Offer – Applicants selected for hire will receive a formal offer of employment via email with instructions of how to reply.
7. New Hire Meeting - The offer email will provide details on how to set up this meeting. You must schedule and attend this meeting before you can begin working or getting paid.
Salary : $20 - $21
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