Youth Diversion Coordinator - Lincoln County

The Lincoln County State’s Attorney’s Office invites applications for a Youth Diversion Coordinator. This position will be responsible for the coordination, management, and expansion of the local Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), a juvenile justice improvement and detention alternative program.  The Youth Diversion Coordinator may also have to manage a number of projects at one time and may be interrupted frequently to meet the needs of youth and organizations. The Youth Diversion Coordinator must remain patient and committed to the activities and may have to engage in conflict resolution or crisis management at times. Periodic travel will be necessary.

This position is located in Canton, South Dakota.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, social science, social work, or a closely related field plus two years of project management, program development, management, or other directly relevant work experience or an Associate's Degree in a closely related field and four years of directly relevant work experience. A comparable combination of education and experience may be considered. Must successfully complete the pre-employment background process.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of the criminal justice system and diversion programs. Awareness of and ability to work effectively with diverse individuals of varied ages, races, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Ability to collaborate with multi-agency partners. Knowledge of the juvenile criminal justice system and youth brain development.   Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Ability to maintain effective working relationships with employees, other agencies, vendors, and the public. Ability to maintain professional appearance and demeanor.

What will you be expected to do:

• This role is responsible for Diversion and JDAI tasks.
• Diversion:
  1. Assist in the development of policies and procedures for diversion programing.
  2. Publicize and communicate program activities.
  3. Provide regular reports on the success of diversion to key stakeholders.
  4. Perform public speaking to groups and individuals to explain the program.
  5. Ensure program quality through definable program outcome measurements and objectives.
  6. Gather and report statistical information on client caseload.
  7. Complete grant and contract reports per the requirements of the funding sources.
  8. Complete screening and assessment for youth and families referred to the diversion program. Gather information from youth, parents, schools and social service agencies.
  9. Explore all likely sources of information regarding the home and family life.
  10. Provide case management services as needed.
  11. Meet with family and/or youth in the diversion program as needed for guidance, education, and motivation.
  12. Attend court as needed for testimony, information sharing and receipt of referrals.
  13. Complete all forms and reports necessary to maintain accurate case documentation and statistics.
  14. Maintain an awareness of available community resources.
  15. Advocate for families and youth when necessary.
• JDAI Responsibilities:
  1. Plan and coordinate regular meetings as necessary.
  2. Facilitate the development of a work plan and complete plan tasks in a timely manner.
  3. Meet, as necessary, with various parties and key stakeholders on an individual or small group basis.
  4. Review and request relevant data and data analysis from stakeholders and consult with state JDAI Coordinator on such analyses.
  5. Prepare and review various written documents, procedures, and agreements, formal position statements, action plans, and other assignments as needed.
  6. Represent the JDAI collaborative at meetings with other local groups and boards. In consultation with state JDAI coordinator, participate in state JDAI meetings, JDAI training seminars; JDAI model site visits to other states; and the national JDAI conference.
  7. Participate in regular conference calls with other South Dakota JDAI sites.
  8. Keep the JDAI collaborative and other South Dakota JDAI partners informed of progress and challenges with regular reports/communications summarizing recent issues, policy/procedure changes, significant developments, and other activities.