Youth Pre-charge Diversion Counsellor/court Justice

**The **John Howard Society of **Durham** Region** has an exciting opportunity for you. If you have a passion to support youth with resources and services who are referred as an alternative approach to the court system.**

**Youth Pre-charge Diversion Counsellor/Court Justice (back up) Worker**

**Division**: Community and Justice

**Work Status**: Full-Time/Fixed Term

**Location**: EJM: Durham Region (Whitby base) DAP: Oshawa Court House

**About the Role**

This position is a combination of two positions:
Youth Pre-charge Diversion Counsellor/Court Justice (back up) Worker. The **EJM Program** is designed for youth that fall under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (age 12 to 17 years of age) as an alternative approach to the court system. Young persons in conflict with the law, pre-charge, may be diverted to this service as a measure that helps the individual to better understand the impact of their actions on others. Youth participate in group or individual programming to learn about the social, financial and personal costs of crime to themselves, their families, peers and community. Close communication with Durham Regional Police is undertaken to ensure program participants follow-through with expectations and outcomes from the service.

The **Direct Accountability Program** This role will act as back up to the Direct Accountability Program to facilitate adult Pre and Post charge diversion program. For eligible offences, the process provides an alternative to charging or prosecution for the participant. It involves the participant being held accountable through community-based assigned tasks (sanctions) such as paying restitution, making a charitable donation, completing volunteer work, providing an apology, and attending an educational or intervention program. This role will act as back up to the Direct Accountability Program to facilitate the post-charge diversion program in the court office, and the pre-charge program in a JHS office as required when the full time Community Justice Court Worker is away from the office due to vacation, professional development and personal emergency leave. This entails processing referrals, monitoring completion of sanctions and reporting the outcome back to the court or referring police officer, and completing all required documentation.

**You will be working on things like**:
**Service User Support**
- Conduct general intake/assessment
- Facilitate short-term cognitive behavioural-based groups to address anger management and theft related issues as per police referrals for youth in EJM
- Provide short-term individual counselling where applicable to address issues including but not limited to self-esteem, family and relationship issues, parental conflict, depression/mental health, peer relationships and bullying type behaviours for youth in EJM
- Facilitate DAP (direct accountability) client sanctions, follow up and referrals, report progress to the court
- Refer to programs and services that will help address issues that brought individuals in conflict with the law

**Case Management/Documentation**
- Work as part of the JHS team within a community partnership framework providing extrajudicial measures/cognitive behavioural based programming to pre-charged youth referred by Durham Regional Police Services, to adults referred by the Crown for Direct Accountability, and adults referred by DRPS for pre charge diversionacilitate any pre and post assessments required
- Complete and maintain up-to-date and accurate case notes, progress reports and client files with clear rationale for methods and intervention used, according to agency and funder standards
- Maintain confidentiality as per agency policy and procedure.

**Community**
- Maintain ongoing contact and communication with community partners to ensure seamless program delivery
- Liaison with relevant community agencies and collateral contacts as appropriate
- Attend regularly scheduled programming, training, agency and partnership meetings as appropriate
- Promote the programs as required

**Administration**
- Ongoing development of record keeping methods
- Ensure all documentation is complete, accurate and accountable
- Contribute to the ongoing development of program materials
- Maintain up-to-date statistical documentation in accordance with the program requirements
- Achieve all services outcomes and targets as developed by the respective ministry funding agency
- Contribute to the supervision and training of placement students
- Meet all required deadlines

**If you have the following... we want to hear from you**
- Must have completed relevant and related post-secondary education
- Experience working with vulnerable adult and youth population
- Familiar with pre and post charge diversion practices
- Knowledge of the criminal justice act
- Knowledge of the court system processes
- Able to work within a community partnership environment

Status: Full Time**
Hours**:8:00am to 4:00pm Monday to Friday**

Location