Youth Development Specialist - Decarceration

Position/Program Information

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT: OPEN COMPETITIVE- EMERGENCY

Applications will be open for filing on TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. (Pacific Time)

to before 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time).

EXAM NUMBER: YD8299D-EA

The LA County Board of Supervisors recently declared a local state of emergency for homelessness , and the County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.

The Department of Youth Development is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Youth Development Specialist - Decarceration vacancies related to the homelessness crisis.

At this time, the Department seeks Youth Development Specialists to provide program and project management to facilitate the development of strategies, priorities, and direction for youth decarceration initiatives, including programs and policies focused on increasing access to supportive services and alternatives to incarceration for justice-involved youth. This role includes facilitating partnerships with community and system partners, including justice system partners, to coordinate and collaborate on shared priorities and implementation of decarceration strategies.

Applicants will be processed on an as-received basis and those who meet the requirements may be hired on a temporary basis for up to 90 days.

Before the end of your temporary work period, you will undergo an assessment which consists of an evaluation of experience based upon your performance. This assessment will be weighted 100% and will evaluate your general ability to perform the job duties.
Those who successfully pass the assessment will be placed on a list for and considered for permanent appointment to Youth Development Specialist - Decarceration.

Essential Job Functions

What Does The Youth Development Specialist Do?

Provides coordination and collaborative project management for a wide range of youth development services, opportunities and support-from prevention and early intervention to engagement and support for youth and their families involved in the justice system-so that all youth in Los Angeles County have access to youth development.

CLASS STANDARDS:
Positions allocable to this class are responsible for coordinating and facilitating service delivery; information-sharing, communication, and collaboration among relevant community partners; and interdepartmental collaboration with County partners; providing youth development services, opportunities, and supports to youth on their behalf through connections from schools, child welfare, community organizations, youth and community centers, law enforcement agencies, and other partners within a young person's network. Youth Development Specialists may provide direct services to youth by connecting them with community-based services and other services as appropriate, supporting youth participating in collaborative programs or policy planning, and by participating as members of multi-disciplinary teams engaging in crisis response.

Youth Development Specialists are expected to have in-depth knowledge of core principles of youth development. Positions in this class are also expected to have familiarity with federal and State laws pertaining to youth justice and diversion, as well as the Department's policies, regulations, and procedures, and to work creatively, referring only the most complex cases to a supervisor. Youth Development Specialists must demonstrate knowledge in youth development, equity and anti-racism, restorative justice, conflict de-escalation, trauma-informed crisis response, other healing-centered and cultural practices, and relevant policy and legislation impacting youth in Los Angeles County.

Some essential duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Works to assess and enhance youth-centered, care-first system policies, protocols, practices, accountability, and improvement with youth justice system partners, including the County’s Office of Public Defender, Alternate Public Defender, District Attorney, and Probation Department, to reduce youth incarceration and improve youth well-being.
  
• Works to develop and implement alternatives to incarceration to serve youth safely and effectively in the community.
  
• Provides relationship-based contract and project management to facilitate capacity-building, shared learning, and cooperation with relevant agencies, institutions, and CBOs.
  
• Monitors, evaluates, and facilitates learning and capacity-building among service providers that can serve as alternatives to incarceration to ensure the program's consistency, flexibility, and overall effectiveness in reducing use of detention and improving youth well-being.
  
• Develops and maintains collaborative working relationships with various city, county, social, legal, court, and law enforcement entities, educational institutions and community partners to facilitate systems and policy change to reduce youth incarceration, and improve service delivery, information sharing, communication, and collaboration to advance a youth development framework.
  
• Composes, prepares, and processes a variety of correspondence, reports, data, forms, and other documents; establishes and oversees accurate and efficient program and case management records, including confidential and sensitive files subject to various legal requirements.
  
• Engages in reflection and analysis of program and system gaps and opportunities, including receiving feedback from youth and families to inform active and ongoing improvement.
  
  

GENERAL COMPETENCIES and ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF JOB DUTIES:

For detailed information regarding Youth Development competencies and examples of additional job duties, please visit Youth Development Specialist | Class Spec Details .

Requirements

SELECTION REQUIREMENT:

One year of experience managing youth development programs* at the level of Youth Development Ambassador**.
LICENSE:
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

PHYSICAL CLASS:

2 - Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION:
*Managing Youth Programs can be described as:
A) directly overseeing and managing youth reentry or youth development programs within or through community-based organizations, public organizations, or other youth-serving agencies or

B) managing and conducting quantitative and/or qualitative research and evaluation to inform and develop or enhance programs and policies related to youth development or youth justice system involvement or

C) independently analyzing and making recommendations towards the solution of operational problems as it pertains to budget, fiscal, or contracted personnel for youth development, or youth reentry services.

**In the service of Los Angeles County, a Youth Development Ambassador a ssists in the coordination and collaborative project management of a wide range of youth development services, opportunities and support-from prevention and early intervention to engagement and support for youth and their families involved in the justice system-so that all youth in Los Angeles County have access to youth development.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

• Individuals with histories of contact with the justice system who can make a unique contribution to the responsiveness and effectiveness of services and policies focused on populations and communities most impacted by the justice system.
  
• Individuals with histories of personal exposure to the Child Welfare System.
  
• Individuals with histories of personal exposure to the negative elements and experiences as a result of residing within an underserved community.
  
• Individuals with histories of personal exposure to young people who have experienced homelessness.
  
• Individuals with experience with assessing, advocating and/or implementing changes and reforms to system policies, protocols, practices and accountability.
  

Personal exposure can be any exposure which involves you, a same household family member, partner, child, etc.

Additional Information

EXAM CONTENT:

Near the end of your temporary assignment, the appointing department will evaluate your performance. Those who achieve a passing score on this evaluation will be placed on a list and considered for permanent appointment.
BACKGROUND PROCESS:
Appointment to this position is contingent upon successful clearance of all pre-employment screening and onboarding requirements. This position requires live scan clearance.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION:

Applications must be filed online only. You MUST include a recent resume as part of your application submission.

APPLICATIONS WITHOUT A RESUME ATTACHED WILL BE DEEMED INCOMPLETE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
Many important notifications will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address. Please a dd hr@dyd.lacounty.gov , estranger@hr.lacounty.gov, noreply@governmentjobs.com, and info@governmentjobs.com to your email contact list and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.

You can opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County. Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.

Plan to submit your online application on TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 2025, before the 5:00 p.m. deadline as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty, you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

Computer and Internet Access at Public Libraries: For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI)

The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Human Resources is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.

Department Contact Name: HR General

Department Contact Phone:

Department Contact Email: hr@dyd.lacounty.gov

Teletype Number: (800) 735-2929

For detailed information, please click here

Closing Date/Time: 3/18/2025 5:00 PM Pacific

• 

• Los Angeles County

• (800) 970-5478

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