Juvenile Probation Officer- Field Probation and Court Services

Monitors a caseload of juvenile offenders including conducting home, school, and office visits, and preparing chronological reports to document progress and for court proceedings and treatment purposes; conducts interviews; prepares social history investigations; develops individual supervision plans; counsels juveniles and families; prepares documents; refers juveniles to outside services as needed; administers drug tests; serves summonses; represents the department at court and detention hearings; and attends meetings and training sessions.

Duties and Responsibilities:
Monitors a caseload of juvenile offenders, including conducting home, school, and office visits, and preparing chronological reports to document progress and for court proceedings and treatment purposes

Conducts interviews with juveniles and their families to collect background information, including social history investigations

Develops individual supervision plans for juveniles and counsels juveniles and families, including attending subsequent school, therapeutic, and other related meetings

Prepares and files court papers such as petitions, motions to modify dispositions and affidavits requesting a directive to apprehend and serves summonses

Represents the department at court hearings and detention hearings

Refers children for outside services such as counseling

Administers drug tests on juveniles

Transports juveniles/families to appointments

Provides community and school presentations about probation and may serve as group facilitator

Attends training sessions

Facilitates and/or coordinates education/awareness groups

Other duties may be assigned

Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree conferred by a college or university accredited by an accrediting organization recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board plus one (1) year of social service experience. One (1) year of experience must include full-time casework, counseling, or community or group work in a social service, community, corrections, or juvenile agency that deals with juvenile age youth. One (1) year of graduate study in criminology, corrections, counseling, law, social work, psychology, sociology, or other related field may be substituted for the one year of casework experience

Must be at least 21 years of age

Must secure and maintain certification as a Juvenile Probation Officer by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD)

Must secure and maintain a favorable background investigation

Must clear a psychological assessment, pre-employment physical and a pre-employment drug screen test

Must have a valid driver’s license, motor vehicle liability insurance, personal injury insurance and a personal vehicle, or available alternate means of transportation

Must have a cell phone

May be required to work more than 40 hours during the workweek

Must have knowledge of case management practices; knowledge of mediation and behavior modification techniques; knowledge of issues affecting troubled adolescents; knowledge of social services delivery network; knowledge of support service programs and eligibility requirements; knowledge of basic individual and group counseling; knowledge of TYC and residential placement facilities; knowledge of juvenile law, Texas Juvenile Justice Code, and Texas Family Code; knowledge of DSM-IV terminology and court procedures; and knowledge of word processing software and other computer applications utilized by the department

Must have interpersonal skills to interact effectively with troubled juveniles, co-workers, and the general public

Must have skill in dealing with juveniles and families in crisis

Must have the ability to operate a computer and other office equipment; work closely with court officials on cases

Ability to manage time effectively; ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing; ability to communicate effectively with hostile, abusive or irrational individuals; ability to obtain and organize information; ability to operate personal computer and basic office equipment; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, County employees, outside organizations, attorneys, law enforcement agencies and the general public; ability to interpret legal statutes, analyze reports, and create strategic and tactical plans

Responsible for explaining to juveniles and family members, the conditions of supervision and consequences of failure to comply. Employee receives general supervision when performing the essential functions. Employee selects appropriate procedures required to complete work assignments. No supervision of other employees is required

Judgment is required to explain detention/probation/court orders and conditions to juveniles and family members. Uses limited discretion to complete work assignments. Initiative is frequently required to complete work assignments. Conflicting or incomplete data is frequently encountered in decision-making. Decisions are made regarding legislative interpretation and individual work priorities

Constant contact with juveniles, co-workers, and the general public. Frequent contact with other government agencies, outside organizations, other County employees, and law enforcement agencies. Communication is primarily in person, via telephone and through written correspondence Work Environment and Physical Demands:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

Working conditions are primarily inside an office environment with frequent local travel. Must be able to react professionally and safely under potential or actual volatile conditions. While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee occasionally is exposed to emergency situations in which there is the possibility of danger or physical injury. The employee has frequent contact with other employees both within and outside of the assigned division, law enforcement and juvenile justice system officials, and juveniles and their families. The employee must remain calm and professional in tense, emotionally charged, and stressful situations. The employee frequently must work under time pressures to meet deadlines and must perform multiple tasks simultaneously. The employee must work closely with others as part of and/or a leader of a team. The employee constantly must present a positive attitude as a role model in the community. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, but may be noisy and distracting

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee regularly is required to sit at a desk or in a vehicle, and frequently is required to stand and walk on various types of surfaces. The employee constantly is required to reach with hands and arms, bend and kneel, and talk and hear. The employee must be able to use hands and fingers to write and/or type reports into computer. The employee frequently must lift and/or move objects weighing up to 20 pounds, such as files and stacks of records. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus

Supplemental Information:
In order for your application to be consider for the position you will need to complete the supplemental question section of the application. Supplemental questions are being asked due to the position having certification standards, federal and state laws that apply for hiring.

The position you are applying for requires you to obtain certification from the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD). In order to determine if you are eligible to obtain the TJJD certification you must complete the supplemental question of the application. In addition, there are federal and state laws that apply for hiring for this position. In accordance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) (115.317) we are unable to employ individuals who have (1) engaged in sexual abuse in a prison, jail, lockup, community confinement facility, juvenile facility, or other Institution (as defined in 42 U.S. C. 1997); (2) has been convicted of engaging or attempting to engage in sexual activity in the community facilitated by force, overt or implied threats of force, or coercion, or if the victim did not consent or was unable to consent or refuse; or (3)has been civilly or administratively adjudicated to have engaged in the activity described in (2) of this section.

In order for your application to be considered for the position you will need to complete the supplemental question section of the application. Supplemental questions are being asked due to the position having certification standards, federal and state laws that apply for hiring. The position you are applying for requires you to obtain certification from the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD). In order to determine if you are eligible to obtain the TJJD certification you must complete the supplemental question of the application. In addition, there are federal and state laws that apply for hiring for this position.

Computers are available to view current job postings and to complete the application process at 211 S. Flores Street, San Antonio, TX 78204, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Phone: 210.335.2545 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Bexar County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to Workplace Diversity.

We are committed to providing equal opportunity for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.