Arlington County Government

Important Notice: Arlington County requires all applicants to thoroughly complete each section of the application, including prior job responsibilities, duties, and supplemental questions. While you may attach a resume, it will not replace a completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Arlington County Juvenile and Domestic Relations (JDR) District Court Services Unit is seeking a Part-

Time, Bilingual After-School Program Counselor (English/Spanish) to join our team!

This position will assist with the day-to-day operations of the Young Achievers Program and support the Group Home Counselor II’s managing their caseloads, including interfacing with clients’ families. This bilingual position will report to the Juvenile Program Supervisor and support and assist with the development and delivery of educational programs, therapeutic interventions, and counseling meetings.

The Young Achievers program consists of boys who are actively on probation and under court-referral. Many clients are at high risk of drug use and overdose, truancy, emotional problems, and delinquency in the community. Even with relief coverage, current staffing levels are insufficient to meet increasing demands for interventions and continuity of services provided by experienced professionals who have a daily connection with the program clients.

Specific duties include:

• Supporting families by explaining program’s practices, policies, procedures, and schedules as well as providing information to families about available resources, services, and programs within the community;
• Assisting with the coordination of and participating in multidisciplinary team and staff meetings;
• Ensuring supervision and program continuity when case managers are not present or available;
• Providing crisis intervention;
• Supervising study hall and preparing meals for clients;
• Providing transportation for clients;
• Meeting with parents to discuss youth’s progress and needs and sharing information with program case managers.
• Performing administrative functions such as updating case files, program logs, incident reports, and other administrative functions as needed; and
• Serving as a language interpreter in meetings.

The Ideal Candidate for this position will have the following:

• Experience working in residential or group home settings with youth and families;
• Ability to work in rapidly changing environments;
• Strong sense of initiative;
• An understanding of adolescent growth and development; and
• Experience working with youth with complex trauma, histories of drug and alcohol use, and multi-system involvement.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bilingual capability (English/Spanish)
• Bachelor's degree in Human Services, Education, Psychology, Recreation, Social Work or directly related to supporting adolescent wellness and development; and
• Some experience supervising youths in a group home setting, performing social casework, juvenile probation/justice, youth counseling or related work.

Substitution: Additional qualifying experience may substitute for the education requirement on a year for year basis.

Desirable Qualifications: Preference will be given to applicants with one or more of the following:

• Experience working in a gender specific program (all males) in a multilingual and multicultural environment;
• Demonstrable skills and experience in leading psychoeducational or substance use groups for adolescents or creating afterschool or leisure programming for at-risk youth.
• Substance abuse treatment and/or counseling experience; and/or
• Considerable experience working with families and youth from marginalized, high needs communities.
• Driver’s License - Applicant must possess, or obtain by time of appointment, a valid driver’s license, and must provide or authorize Arlington County to obtain a copy of official driving record. Any offer of employment may be contingent upon favorable review of the applicants driving record.
• Bilingual - An assessment of verbal Spanish proficiency would be required before a candidate can be appointed to a bilingual position (English/Spanish). The incumbent in a bilingual position would receive the language pay premium on all hours worked and on paid leave hours.
• CPR/First Aid – Applicants must have or obtain certifications in CPR and First Aid.

Special Requirements

A pre-employment criminal record check will be conducted to include: National Crime Information Center (NCIC) check, Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) background check, FBI fingerprints, and a Virginia Department of Social Services Child Protective Services Central Registry Search.

Please complete each section of the application including the supplemental questions. Your responses to the supplemental questions are required because they provide us with specific information necessary to evaluate your qualifications for this position. These responses are considered part of the selection process. A resume may be attached; however, it will not substitute for a completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Additional Information

Work hours: This is a part-time, permanent position which consists primarily of a 4-hour shift between 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm, Monday through Friday, during the school year. Alternate schedules are determined during summers and holidays but are generally 1:00-5:00 pm. The work schedule will be determined when the employee is hired, and work hours may change to support program needs.

This is a part-time, permanent position, with benefits.

This employee must be comfortable with driving a 15-passenger van to transport clients from school to appointments in the community, and for group outings.

The official title of this position is Group Home Counselor I.

For more information on Arlington’s generous benefits and retirement plan, click here.

Arlington County is committed to advancing diversity, equity, access, and inclusion across all our services, activities, and programs. Learn more about our commitment.

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