Youth Services Officer

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Make a difference every day in the lives of youth in conflict with the law

Do you have a desire to work with young persons in conflict with the law? If you would enjoy working with a diverse and challenging client group, where you can make a difference every day, then consider a career as a Youth Services Officer.

The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, Youth Justice Division, is seeking dedicated professionals to join their multi-disciplinary team(s) as a Youth Services Officer providing primary/direct services to youth within a secure detention/custody setting.

The Youth Services Officer position will provide you with an opportunity to work with an employer that promotes diversity while you support and deliver programs and services to youth in the Ministry's care. The goals are to keep youth active and engaged, focusing on specific risks and needs of youth related to reoffending, teaching new skills, keeping youth safe, resolving conflict, and employing intervention techniques and strategies to model pro-social behaviours and help youth make better choices upon their return to the community.

We are looking for compassionate people who will bring awareness, sensitivity, and mindfulness towards diversity and understand the challenges and barriers that youth from marginalized groups may face.

The five (5) available Youth Centres for this posting are:
• Cecil Facer Youth Centre – Sudbury
• Donald Doucet Youth Centre – Sault Ste. Marie
• Justice Ronald Lester Youth Centre – Thunder Bay
• Roy McMurtry Youth Centre – Brampton
• Sprucedale Youth Centre – Simcoe

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About the job

As part of a dedicated team of multidisciplinary professionals in one of Ontario's five youth centres, every day will be an opportunity to work with a diverse and challenging client group where you will:

• Supervise youth on an assigned rotating shift in a secure custody/detention facility setting that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Ensure the safety and security of youth, staff, the youth centre and community
• Provide community escort duties to ensure the safety of youth, staff, visitors and the public
• Support and deliver structured rehabilitative programs and reintegration services
• Use relationship custody and cognitive learning behavioural approaches to foster respectful, caring relationships and create a learning space for life and pro-social skills

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What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

You have either:

1. completed post-secondary education from a college/university of recognized standing in a related field with emphasis in behaviour management, adolescent development, and knowledge of family group dynamics, plus one year of recent relevant work experience
   OR
   
2. a recognized secondary school diploma with supplementary courses in human behaviour, plus three years of recent relevant work experience

You have valid Emergency First Aid, CPR (level C) and AED Certification, or can become certified before being hired.

Knowledge

You have proven knowledge of:

• sociological issues impacting on youth and youth/adolescent development theories
  
• case management and group work principles and techniques
  
• gender responsive therapeutic programming and treatment approaches
  
• mental health and behavioural disorders, including symptoms and causes of deviant behaviour
  
• cognitive behavioural intervention philosophy and techniques
  
• youth justice related legislation such as the Youth Criminal Justice Act, Child, Youth and Family Services Act, and Human Rights Code

Skills

• You can demonstrate respect and sensitivity to the diverse social, cultural, linguistic, developmental, and interpersonal needs of youth
• You have written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills and interpersonal skills
• You have interviewing, mentorship, coaching and counselling skills.
• You can build positive relationships with youth.
• You have facilitation and team-building skills.
• You have analytical, interpretive, reasoning and problem-solving skills.
• You can use business software and operational systems.

Hours of Work

• The hours of work are up to 40 hours per week (pre-scheduled and on-call). You are expected to work rotating shifts within a secure custody/detention facility setting that functions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

***Preparing your Application for a Youth Services Officer Position***
For the purposes of this posting, we do not accept resumes and cover letters. To apply, please fill out the YSO Application form. To access the form please follow the link below:

Application Link

After completing the application, please submit the form using ONE of the following methods:

By email at:YSORecruitment@ontario.ca

By mail to:
Youth Services Officer Recruitment
Youth Justice Division
Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services
6711 Mississauga Road, Suite 700
Mississauga, Ontario L5N 2W3

We encourage applications to be submitted via email. If you do not have access to email, your application can be sent by mail.

This is a continuous posting. The screening and selection processes are ongoing. This posting will be made available until the position has been filled. Please only submit your application ONCE.

Incomplete applications will be rejected. If you have applied for a Youth Services Officer position within the last 6 months, there is no need to re-apply. Pleasedisregard the instructions in the “How to Apply” section in the latter part of this job posting as we do not accept resumes and cover letters.

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How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility

We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.

Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer  accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please  contact us.

Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:

• diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
• accessibility
• Anti-Racism Policy

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What we offer

We are a supportive and compassionate community who are proud about our transformative role in helping youth. You will join a flexible, supportive working environment where you complete meaningful, challenging, and impactful work every day.

Note: The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services will provide compensation to YSO candidates attending the 6-week mandatory pre-employment YSO Basic Training with a weekly stipend of $800.00 for a total of $4800.00.

In addition to your base salary, as a fixed-term employee your total compensation package will include:

• optional enrolment in a defined-benefit lifetime pension plan (guaranteed, ongoing inflation-protected income after retirement)
  
• an Employee and Family Assistance Program, which provides confidential assistance through the challenges of life
  
• Inclusive Counselling Services, which provides confidential mental health support from professionals belonging to diverse communities
  
• 5% gross pay in lieu of statutory holidays
  
• 4% gross pay in lieu of vacation
  
• 6% pay in lieu of insured benefits upon completion of 1-month continuous service
  
• Accrual of attendance credits at the rate of 1.25 days/month of full attendance.

The Ontario Public Service is one of Ontario's largest employers. Employees work for 30 ministries, with offices in more than 70 cities across the province. We offer:

• a career that can grow across ministries and job functions
  
• flexible learning and developmental opportunities, including education and mentorship programs
  
• many employee networks offering support for and education about underrepresented groups

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Additional information:

Note:

• About security checks:
  A criminal or other federal offence record does not automatically disqualify you from the position. We consider each situation based on the position's responsibilities.
  If a check is needed and you've lived outside of Canada in the past 5 years for 6 or more months in a row, or if you are not a Canadian resident, you'll need to provide an out-of-country police clearance certificate from the country you lived in.
  Employment screening checks are only reviewed and evaluated by the Transition and Security Office, which also maintains them and keeps them strictly confidential.
• Please disregard the "How to apply" section below. In order to apply, please fill out the YSO Application Form: Application Form Link. A cover letter and resume is NOT required, only the completed application form.

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Language requirements and assessment:
All external Ontario Public Service (OPS) job ads are posted in English and French. Check the "position(s) language" section at the top of each job ad for the language requirements. For all roles, candidates are assessed in English, the business language of the OPS. If the position is bilingual (English/French), you'll also need to pass a French-language proficiency test.

Exigences en matière de langue et évaluation:
Toutes les offres d'emploi externes de la fonction publique de l'Ontario (FPO) sont affichées en français et en anglais. Consultez la section « Langue du ou des postes » en haut de chaque offre d'emploi pour connaître les exigences linguistiques. Pour tous les postes, les candidats sont évalués en anglais, la langue d'affaires de la FPO. Si le poste est bilingue (anglais/français), vous devrez également passer un test de compétences linguistiques en français.

All external applicants (including former employees of the Ontario Public Service) applying to a competition in a ministry or Commission public body must disclose (either in the cover letter or resume) previous employment with the Ontario Public Service. Disclosure must include positions held, dates of employment and any active restrictions as applicable from being rehired by the Ontario Public Service. Active restrictions can include time and/or ministry-specific restrictions currently in force, and may preclude a former employee from being offered a position with the Ontario Public Service for a specific time period (e.g. one year), or from being offered a position with a specific ministry (either for a pre-determined time period or indefinitely). The circumstances around an employee's exit will be considered prior to an offer of employment.

Information collection notice

We are collecting your personal information to assess how well you meet the qualifications for employment with the Ontario Public Service, and for related recruitment purposes. The collection of personal information is necessary to the proper administration of OPS Careers, which is an authorized common service in accordance with s. 6 of the Ministry of Government Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.25.

Please do not include any more personal information than is needed for your application (for example, do not include your photograph or social insurance number).

If you have any questions about how your information is collected, used, shared or saved, please contact us.