Milieu Lead

Responsibilities

• Serves as a mentor and role model for Youth Care Professionals by following trauma-informed practices.
• Ensures client safety and collaborates with co-workers to maintain an environment that is positive, respectful, clean and therapeutic.
• Regularly assists in training and development processes for new Youth Care Professionals.
• Leads the shift and ensures that all related daily shift activities occur as planned; coordinates daily decision-making and problem-solving as needed during the shift.
• Counted as part of the staff/client ratio and performs all duties of a Youth Care Professional.
• Leads and directs youth daily routine and coordinates changes and the deployment of staff in order to meet youth and milieu needs.
• Watches over the milieu culture and instills interventions for the establishment of a healthy, safe, and effective residential culture.
• Assumes a leadership role among Youth Care Professionals to support trauma work in the milieu.
• Participates in the planning and implementation of trauma-informed, strengths-based treatment plans, restorative approaches and therapeutic services.
• Mentors and coaches other Youth Care Professionals on ways they can better respond to situations in alignment with the agency's treatment philosophy and the individual guidance plan.
• Provides in the moment feedback in the milieu and intervene and/or redirect all Youth Care Professionals interactions that are not within the trauma response framework.
• Leads staff in ensuring compliance with all emotional and physical safety policies and procedures involving living areas, buildings, campus grounds, and while attending off-campus activities.
• Coaches and mentors Youth Care Professionals to increase and enhance de-escalation skills and reduce the need for physical restraints.
• Takes an active role in establishing and maintaining a work environment consistent with the agency standards and organizational values; carries out the vision of the agency and program leadership in supporting staff and youth.
• Works effectively with client families and/or support networks to reinforce positive partnerships, engagement and involvement techniques.
• Remains cognizant of clients' individual guidance plans and their individual needs while providing in the moment coaching and mentoring for optimal interactions and relationship building.
• Collaborates with the clinical team to address concerns, strengths and recommendations to the Individual and Family guidance plans.
• Ensures compliance with licensing, regulatory and accreditation bodies during scheduled shifts.
• Complies with all documentation and standards in a timely manner and ensures the completion of all documentation and shift duties are completed by the end of the shift.
• Conducts debriefing activities with Youth Care Professionals and youth regarding significant events in order to provide continuous quality improvement as needed.
• Provides ongoing encouragement and verbal recognition of Youth Care Professionals, while also providing feedback about Youth Care Professionals' work performance on formal evaluations and for the purpose of employee development as necessary.

Direct Care Job Family Competencies

• Teamwork: Working as a productive member of a cohesive group toward a common goal and contributing to team development and effective team dynamics.
• Stress Tolerance: Performing well when faced with pressure due to time frame, workload, adversity, disappointment, crisis intervention, or opposition.
• Adaptability: Maintaining effectiveness in reaching set goals by adapting to changed circumstances, tasks, responsibilities, and people.
• Quality Orientation: Setting high standards regarding his/her work and working environment and acting accordingly; developing quality standards, continuously evaluating performance, products, and procedures; actively seeking ways to improve quality.
• Empathy & Self-Awareness: Demonstrates self-awareness by acknowledging & understanding one's own thoughts, feelings & emotions.
• Fosters a Safe Space: Fosters a safe workplace or 'safe space' for Nexus youth, family, co-workers & employees to be vulnerable & share individual experiences in confidence, with acceptance & without consequence.