Youth Services Caseworker - Roxbury/Chelsea District Office

The Department of Youth Services (DYS) is the juvenile justice agency for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We work with young people who are detained or committed and provide detention, custody, diagnosis, education, and support to young people ages 12-21. Most of the youth served are between the ages of 14 and 18. The Department promotes positive change for the youth committed to our care and has been on the forefront of de-institutionalization, in part, by providing adolescent-focused rehabilitation to youth in residential treatment. 

The Department of Youth Services employs staff in various professions and backgrounds to engage young people in strategies that support positive youth development. As a key member of the residential team, direct-care staff must monitor and provide on-site and immediate intervention of DYS youth in our residential facilities. 

For additional information about the Department of Youth Services and its programs please watch:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gyP0kCJ181nBakh9Cc0pNNEyPw7kAoI6/view

Duties and Responsibilities (these duties are a general summary and not all-inclusive): 

• Complete diagnostic assessments on youth committed to the agency by conducting home visits and assessments. Interview family members and caregivers with a focus on such areas as developmental and behavioral history, family and educational history and peer relationships, delinquency behavior, and substance abuse; review medication and medical history to provide appropriate services to the youth based on assessment and to determine the youth’s risk and/or needs.
• Develop a service delivery plan and monitor implementation by reviewing and updating plan goals; participate in meetings on the client’s short and long-term treatment needs to provide structure and to encourage and support positive change. Participate in the coordination and delivery of individual core and pro-social services and activities in areas such as education, employment, civic engagement, physical and behavioral health, interpersonal relationships, and pro-social skills. 
• Monitor client accountability through specific supervision regimes including electronic monitoring, daily school and home checks, regular program visits, drug testing, and self-reporting to determine progress in particular programs, to determine reasons for identified negative behavior, and to make determinations concerning the need for changes in program or facility assignments, service plans or referrals.
• Request authorization to issue warrants and assist in the coordination of youth apprehension with local, and state police and other agency law enforcement including Department of Youth Services (DYS) personnel to ensure both youth and public safety. Initiate the issuance and/or cancellation of parole violations and escape warrants and detainers.
• Develop and maintain professional relationships and open communication with juvenile justice system stakeholders including courts, police departments, district attorneys’ offices, parents, schools, government agencies, and community resources to facilitate a continuum of care for youth, to resolve problem situations, and to determine availability of resources.
• Provide and/or coordinate the transportation of youth to courts, job interviews, medical appointments, schools, programs, and other locations to ensure youth receive appropriate services. Transports parents/caretakers of youth to activities related to the youth’s service plan.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive case file including monthly records, case histories, clinical evaluations, police reports, and revocation packages for dissemination and sharing of infor