County of Sonoma Hiring for Juvenile Correctional Counselor I at Santa Rosa, CA  Full Time

Do you have experience as a group counselor or providing case management for youth?
Begin your rewarding career as a Juvenile Correctional Counselor with the County of Sonoma. Multiple positions are open!

The Probation Department invites you to watch their video that highlights the work they do within the community we serve:

Benefits

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you’re working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• An annual Staff Development/Wellness Benefit allowance of up to $850 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• County paid 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals and 12 paid holidays
• Eligibility for a salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
• Retirement fully integrated with Social Security
• May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment
• Opportunity to promote: With time and good performance, entry-level JCCs have the opportunity to be considered for advancement to becoming a JCC II (salary up to $95,924/year).
• Student Loan Debt Relief – County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

^Hiring Incentives

The Probation Department is currently offering a $15,000 signing bonus paid over three installments during the first two years of service. Other incentives which may be offered, if applicable, include:

• Advanced paid vacation and/or sick leave (up to 24 hours per leave type)
• Relocation reimbursement of up to $5,000

Joining the Probation Department

The Juvenile Correctional Counselor (JCC) I position offers a challenging and rewarding start to a career helping our community’s youth. In addition to learning the fundamental principles of the juvenile justice system, JCCs have the unique opportunity to use their skills to directly and positively influence the course of a young person’s life. As a JCC I, you will perform a wide variety of duties related to the care, guidance, and supervision of juveniles residing at Juvenile Hall. Responsibilities include:

• Communicating directly with detained youths on an individual or group basis and mentor, counsel, and apply crisis intervention skills
• Facilitating Cognitive Behavioral Interventions and using Motivational Interviewing and other evidence-based practices when interacting with juvenile offenders
• Maintaining on-going security checks and overseeing and directing the activities of youth offenders detained in Probation facilities
• Performing minor clerical duties, including data entry into justice system databases
• Transporting youth to and from various locations

Ideal candidates will possess experience providing services and support to individuals with diverse backgrounds, working with challenging populations (i.e. youth/adults with mental health conditions, youth/adult offenders, troubled youth), and/or experience applying evidence-based programming practices/concepts.

To be considered for these positions, applicants must be willing to work all shifts, including days, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. Juvenile Correctional Counselors are Peace Officers as defined by Penal Code Section 830.5, and must successfully complete the Board of State and Community Corrections Juvenile Correctional Counselor Core Course within one year of appointment. Incumbents must also successfully complete Penal Code 832 training within one year of appointment.

Effective 5/8/23, individuals who possess United States citizenship or status as a permanent resident alien, OR have the legal authorization to work in the United States under federal law, will be considered to meet the citizenship minimum standards for this position.

This recruitment is being conducted to fill multiple, full-time Juvenile Correctional Counselor I positions in the Probation Department. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or Extra-Help positions as they occur during the active status of the list.

*Salary is negotiable. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can found in the Sonoma County Law Enforcement Association’s Memorandum Of Understanding (SCLEA MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory.

Education and Experience: Any combination of education, training and experience which would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities. Normally, this would include completion of twelve semester units at an accredited college in criminology, administration of justice, child development, sociology, behavioral and social psychology, social casework, social welfare, counseling and guidance, child psychology or a closely related field.

AND

Six months experience as a group or youth counselor or other experience related to counseling or case management of troubled youth.

Additional Requirements: In accordance with California Government Code, Section
1029 – 1031, and the California Corrections Standards Authority, Title 15, Section 131, Minimum Standards for Selection, each employee shall meet the following minimum standards: United States citizenship or status as a permanent resident alien who is eligible for and has applied for citizenship (if a permanent resident alien has not obtained citizenship within three years after application for employment or is denied citizenship, he/she will be disqualified for peace officer status); have no prior felony conviction nor be under current formal probation supervision; and achieved a passing score on the California Corrections Standards Authority Juvenile Correctional Counselor written exam, or equivalent prior to appointment.

Candidates certified for employment must be willing to undergo and successfully complete an in-depth background investigation, including a psychological evaluation, finger printing, criminal history check, a medical examination, including physical agilities testing.

License: Possession of a valid driver’s license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the application, examination, and department selection processes.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examinations:

1. An Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (pass/not pass) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant’s combination of educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge and abilities, which relate to this position to ensure satisfaction of the minimum qualifications for this position.

2. A multiple-choice, written examination (weight 100%), will be conducted to further evaluate each candidate’s qualifications as they relate to the position. The written examination will measure the core knowledge, skills and abilities for this position such as:

• Written Communication – Spelling
• Written Communication – Grammar
• Reading Comprehension – Identify a Difference
• Reading Comprehension – Understanding Passages
• Apply Rules – Logical Sequences
• Apply Rules – Appropriate Placement
• Apply Rules – Level of Priority
• Apply Rules – Forms
• Apply Rules – Scenarios
• Basic Math – Addition/Subtraction

Applicants must attain a minimum passing score of at least 70% on the written examination to be placed on the employment list. The minimum passing score may be an adjusted score based on such factors as difficulty of the examination for this group of candidates, natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates, number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, and past practice.

To aid you in preparing for the written examination, the Selection Examination for the Adult Corrections Officer, Juvenile Corrections Officer, and Probation Officer Classifications Booklet can be found at: http://www.bscc.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/COB.pdf (Download PDF reader)

Important Note regarding Examination T-Score Information for Selection Examination for the Adult Corrections Officer, Juvenile Corrections Officer, and Probation Officer Classifications:

Important Note: If you have taken the BSCC “Selection Examination for the Adult Corrections Officer, Juvenile Corrections Officer, and Probation Officer Classifications for Local Corrections” no more than twelve (12) months prior to the date of the exam session you are invited to attend, the Sonoma County Human Resources Department will allow candidates to submit their T score in lieu of re-taking the test. POST exam T scores will not be accepted in lieu of this exam. If your previously obtained T Score from a BSCC Selection Examination complies with the above and you wish to use the score in lieu of taking the test, please email a PDF to [email protected] or mail a paper copy of your “T score letter” to:

County of Sonoma Human Resources Department
Attention: Konmally Kang
575 Administration Drive 116B
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

The letter must be on the testing agencies letterhead and include the:

• Name of the exam
• Date the exam was taken
• T score
• Name of the agency that administered the exam

Should you have any questions, please direct them to Konmally Kang at 707-565-3473.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

It is the policy of law enforcement and legal offices and departments, in the County of Sonoma, that candidates complete a thorough background investigation process prior to employment. This policy is imperative in order to keep the department’s employees and the public safe and to maintain high standards in the law enforcement community. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

The background investigation will include a thorough assessment of a candidate’s personal, employment, educational, criminal, and credit history. The investigation may include but is not necessarily limited to: the use of prescription and/or other drugs, reports from former employers, friends, family members, educational institutions, law enforcement agencies, credit reports, court reports, public records search, and/or other relevant sources. Candidates must be honest and forthcoming about information that may arise during the background process. Deception during any portion of this process is grounds for disqualification, even after employment.

All candidates will be required to take a pre-employment medical examination. The pre-employment medical examination will include drug testing as part of the medical examination for all applicants and for all current employees who are offered employment with the Offices/Departments. Additionally, candidates may be required to take a pre-employment psychological examination. The results of these examinations and the background investigation shall be confidential and shall not be available to the candidate for review. Failure to pass the background investigation will eliminate a candidate from the employment process. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

Issues that arise during the investigation process will be assessed, and judgment and discretion will be used to determine the employability of the candidate. Where there is evidence of a candidate’s past use of controlled substances, many factors shall be used to determine the employability of the individual such as a pattern of use, kind of drug used, circumstances of the start of the drug use, treatment, behavior, and attitude since discontinuance, etc. Please note that a history of using controlled substances does not result in automatic disqualification from the selection process. Prior to disqualifying any candidate whose profile falls within the provisions of the policy, the candidate shall be given the opportunity to present any and all evidence of mitigating facts that the candidate feels should be considered by the hiring authority.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org. Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be RECEIVED by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Continuous recruitments may close without notice at any time that a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: AK
HR Technician: KK