Community Specialist - Chesterfield County

About the Role

If you want to build a meaningful career impacting the lives of South Carolina's youth, consider joining the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). The DJJ's mission is to transform young lives, strengthen families, and support safer communities through targeted prevention and rehabilitative efforts.

Job Purpose

This entry-level Community Specialist role involves providing case management coordination services, including assessment, interviewing, planning, monitoring, advocacy, direct supervision, and intervention for youth referred to DJJ.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary case manager for youth referred through diversion, intake, probation, or parole.
• Conduct interviews with juveniles, their families, and service providers to evaluate functioning, strengths, and needs.
• Monitor compliance with court orders.
• Offer alternatives to incarceration using graduated responses and the STAP program.
• Serve as on-call agent on a rotational basis.
• Develop comprehensive supervision plans tailored to each youth.
• Formulate needs-based case management plans.
• Advocate for youth and families to obtain timely and suitable services.
• Assess service needs and living arrangements for youth re-entering the community.
• Maintain case files with data entry into the Juvenile Justice Management System (JJMS) and document uploads.
• Promote restorative justice practices to repair harm and compensate victims and communities.
• Prepare reports and participate in relevant meetings and professional development workshops.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in social sciences or comparable field.
• Understanding of federal and state laws related to juvenile offenders and the juvenile justice system.
• Familiarity with juvenile justice intake and probation methodologies.
• Proficiency in fact-finding and interviewing techniques.
• Capability to build and engage with community collaborative efforts.
• Skill in organizing and managing multiple cases.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to facilitate services for juveniles, families, and victims.
• Experience using graduated response strategies.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and related applications.
• Willingness and ability to perform duties involving custody, control, transportation, or recapture of youth, with associated training provided.
• Capacity for occasional overnight travel for training purposes.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel across the state.
• Physical ability to lift up to 25 pounds.

Preferred Qualifications

• Additional experience in strength-based case management, community-based programs, intake, probation, parole, intensive case management, or related criminal justice experience.

Additional Information

• Sign-on bonuses may be available for recruitment into critical needs roles, subject to limitations.
• The agency offers an excellent benefits package including public service loan forgiveness, employee assistance, multiple insurance options, paid leave, holidays, state retirement plans, and discount programs.
• Applicants must complete all supplemental questions and provide education and work history details fully; incomplete applications will not progress.
• Select candidates may be required to supply certified transcripts, undergo background investigations, medical evaluations, and drug testing prior to employment.
• Applicants should provide explanations for employment gaps and note that resumes cannot replace the work history section on applications.