JUVENILE JUSTICE SCHOOL COUNSELOR

Position Overview:

Subject to administrative approval of the Principal, acquires and transfers academic and other pertinent records to and from Juvenile Justice facilities, educational facilities or other public, state or local agencies; monitors and tracks the provision of Juvenile Justice School District education services for compliance with state and federal education mandates and required deadlines; documents and records data; provides counseling and guidance to students, parents and guardians regarding educational testing, educational goals, graduation planning and career planning; assists educators and administrators in evaluating and improving teaching methods and classroom strategies for all students.

Essential Functions:

• Responsible for key college and career readiness practices, career guidance and instruction, development, and administration of the vocational assessment.
• Collaborates with School Principals, School Counselors, and other support staff.
• Plans, organizes, and/or facilitates college and career experiential learning activities.
• Provides support to transitional services identified for youth at each facility.
• Completes weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual follow-up data collection activities/reports pertaining to several performance indicators.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Requires a master’s degree in school counseling, school psychology, counseling psychology, education, social work, or psychology or closely related field.
• Requires completion of an Illinois program for the preparation of school counselors or a comparable approved program in another state or a comparable certificate or license issued by another state.
• Requires completion of a supervised counseling practicum of at least 100 clock hours that provides interaction with individuals of school age and includes at least 40 hours of direct service work.
• Requires a Professional Educator’s License (PEL) issued by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) endorsed for teaching having completed as part of an approved program, coursework addressing the structure, organization, and operation of the educational system with the emphasis on P-12 schools.

Preferred Qualifications: (In Order of Significance)

• Prefers at least three (3) years of experience providing counseling services to juveniles in a congregate care setting.
• Prefers at least two (2) years of experience assessing students’ progress in specially assigned programs in a congregate care and/or equivalent settings.
• Prefers at least two (2) years of experience assessing students’ educational abilities and needs.
• Prefers at least two (2) years of experience evaluating student transcripts, and recommending educational needs, for youth to obtain a GED or High School Diploma.
• Prefers at least two (2) years of experience providing support to youth for transitional services such as: career goals, applications for scholarships, colleges/universities, trades, other post-secondary vocational education programs, and/or employment opportunities.
• Prefers at least two (2) years of experience facilitating conferences and/or meetings with teachers, students, and parents.
• Prefers the ability to maintain effective working relationships with staff, students in a juvenile justice setting, and parents of students in a juvenile justice setting.
• Prefers the ability to maintain a calm and collected demeaner while deescalating situations involving juveniles displaying challenging behaviors.

Conditions of Employment:

• Requires the ability to pass an IDOC/IDJJ background check.
• Requires ability to pass a drug screen. The use of unauthorized drugs by an employee, regardless of position held, is prohibited.
• Requires ability to travel in the performance of duties, with overnight stays as appropriate.
• Certain provisions of the revolving door restrictions contained in 5 ILCS 430/5-45 apply to this position. As a result, the employee should be aware that if offered non-State employment during state employment or within one year immediately after ending State employment, the employee shall, prior to accepting any such non-State employment offer, notify the Office of the Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor (OEIG) or may be subject to a fine.

The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.

About the Agency:

The mission of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) is to build youth skills and strengthen families by promoting community safety and positive youth outcomes. Over 900 staff members from across various departments—security, programming, education, mental health, and more—collaborate with the understanding that youth are physically, emotionally, and cognitively different from adults. The department provides extensive services to young people through a developmental, treatment-focused model of care that builds youth resiliency, engages families, and promotes community safety at the five youth facilities it operates across the state. IDJJ serves and houses approximately 150 youth and is responsible for approximately 500 youth on Aftercare in various Illinois’ communities.