Title: Full-time Residential House Parent Couple for Re: New Homes for Youth
Salary: For the couple is $47,500. This will be paid out equally to each spouse.
Reports To: Re: New Youth Housing Director
Working Hours: 5 days on/2 days off per week.
Closing Date: Open position until filled

Description: Re: New Youth Homes are a partnership between Eastside Academy (www.eastsideacademy.org) a non-profit, Christian alternative high school (grades 9 – 12) for highly at-risk youth, and Bellevue Presbyterian Church (www.belpres.org). Re: New is designed to provide an intentional, healing community for youth that attend Eastside Academy and are in need of safe, stable, therapeutic housing. House parents are the employees of the partner Eastside Academy and reside in a home with up to 6 high school youth.
The Houseparent Couple job description includes the following essential functions:

• Nurturing, Education, and Parenting Students
• Facility and Office Management
• Program Development
• Professional Development

More detailed information for each responsibility area is listed below.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Nurturing, Educating, and Parenting Students (60%)
Demonstrates ability to nurture each student entrusted to our care by:

• creating a culture of love in the home based on humble leadership, positivity, value, and respect
• create a healthy family environment including guidance, safety, individual time spent, and appropriate love and affection.
• establishing trust,
• advocating for students' best interest,
• mentoring students,
• developing strong, mutually respectful relationships,
• providing consistent emotional support through praise, affection, empathy, and recognizing student achievement,
• advising students through personal problems,
• listening to students' thoughts, feelings, concerns, and problems,
• creating a family style environment by establishing student home family rituals and traditions,
• helping students in developing relationships,
• maintaining students' dignity and self-esteem,
• providing opportunities for students to develop personal maturity through developmentally appropriate freedoms and responsibilities,
• maintaining confidentiality of sensitive materials
• supporting students by attending as many functions that involve their students as practical, and
• supporting students through house participation in community service.

Fosters relationships between students and their families of origin by:

• orienting students and their families to the student home after admissions
• participating in parent conferences and meetings
• communicating regularly with the family of origin regarding student’s progress, accomplishments, growth areas, and concerns about the student,
• consulting with the family of origin, when appropriate, and involving them in decision- making concerning the student’s care.

Protects the rights and dignity of individual students by:

• making decisions based on the best interest of students,
• supporting the ethical treatment of all students,
• promoting problem solving and relationship development between students.

Attends to students' health care needs by:

• recognizing students' health care needs and accessing appropriate medical care when appropriate,
• maintaining and securing prescription and non-prescription medications as well as other medical/first aid supplies,
• implementing prescribed/suggested medical treatments
• administering medical treatments as prescribed
• maintaining accurate health care records.

Attends to students' mental health needs by:

• reporting signs of student abuse, depression, and suicide ideation to the Director of Counseling and Recovery and then taking appropriate next steps
• working with the mental health team to implement appropriate care and support for mental health needs, including regular communication with counselors, participation in medical appointments, etc.
• maintaining students' dignity and self–esteem,
• recognizing and supporting students in bereavement and separation issues, and
• listening actively to students' thoughts, feelings, concerns, and problems,

Attends to the moral, spiritual, and character development of students by:

• integrating a love for Christ and a modeling of His character into every aspect of the home and the relationships established there
• providing intentional, regular opportunities for conversation with students about their faith and faith questions
• teaching and modeling values related to sound moral and character development,
• leading daily devotions and prayer at meals
• teaching and role-modeling appropriate choices in movies, music, and television programs, and
• supporting students' attendance at church

Teaches social, self-help, life-long learning, and basic life skills by:

• teaching developmentally appropriate decision-making and critical thinking strategies,
• providing a supportive and flexible structure from which students learn responsibility, problem solving, and time management,
• providing opportunities for students to practice and demonstrate learned skills including manners, conflict resolution, budgeting, and cooperation and teamwork,
• teaching students to develop a positive peer culture through helping relationships,
• facilitating students' development of individual goals and objectives,
• teaching students developmentally appropriate leadership and communication skills, and
• encouraging individuality and creative thinking from students.

Facilitates student scholastic achievement by:

• providing a structured learning environment and assisting with homework when necessary,
• teaching and modeling appropriate study skills,
• assessing students' school grades and performance on a weekly basis through RenWeb and implementing additional learning support when necessary,
• communicating with teachers on a regular basis, and
• assisting students in their preparation for post-secondary education and/or careers.

Manages and evaluates the students' individualized goal attainment through established methods:

• stressing the importance of setting goals, evaluating progress, developing a strong work ethic, following through and remaining committed,
• collaborating with others to decide how best to help each child reach their best potential, and
• participating in overall assessment of students through use of personal development worksheet and through participation in bi-weekly wraparound meetings.

Attends to students' personal safety by:

• being aware of student location and providing appropriate supervision,
• being aware of and attentive to warning signs of emotional distress,
• adhering to the established policies that provide for students safety, such as “blackout”, visitation, relationships, and searches
• supporting overall Re: New programs supervision.

Facilitates student leisure and recreational activities by:

• teaching students to make leisure activity choices,
• planning for and leading students on educational and/or recreational trips and/or activities,
• facilitating home activities,
• participating in school and church activities, and

Teaches students healthy lifestyles by:

• teaching, coaching, and modeling personal hygiene,
• planning, participating, and involving students in regular physical activity,
• teaching students to choose and prepare nutritious meals and snacks,
• educating students on a Biblical perspective of dating relationships, human sexuality, and drug and alcohol issues, and
• accessing appropriate support around these issues when necessary.

Teaches students to exhibit behaviors and values deemed appropriate for a member of the Re: New community through:

• displaying appropriate modeling,
• maintaining personal self-control,
• respecting and appreciating diversity, and
• modeling positive marriage relationships.

Establishes and maintains a developmentally appropriate behavior management system by:

• managing student behavior in the home, community, and public,
• holding students accountable by delivering natural and logical consequences
• collaborating with other Re: New staff and partners to develop strategies to effectively manage student behavior.

Facility and Office Management (20%)
Responsible for managing and maintaining the student home facility by (requires the use of stairs by the employee):

• ensuring a safe, secure, and clean environment by conducting regular home inspections and searches,
• performing minor home maintenance and submitting work orders when necessary,
• conducting monthly fire drills and reviewing emergency exit plan with students,
• maintaining and organizing home inventories, and

Facilitates, coordinates, and provides student transportation needs by:

• transporting students as necessary for their personal goals
• performing/arranging minor vehicle maintenance and collaborating with partners to access/arrange vehicle repair services

Manages and maintains the student home by:

• developing and coordinating students' and Re: New home schedules by consulting all published school schedules, newsletters, and medical, dental, and psychological appointments, e-mails, voicemails,
• preparing student home schedule and instructions for associate house parents,
• developing and managing student home budgets, and
• maintaining food and supply inventories.

Manages and maintains the student records documentation by:

• completing daily documentation of significant events/student interactions
• completing all weekly reports by Wednesday at 9a to allow time for Re: New support team to review, including but not limited to weekly reports and wraparound reports
• completing a monthly report to family of origin, as appropriate (not to negate regular communication with family of origin)
• completing all student performance reports, monthly fire drill reports, weekly menus, submitting receipts, home inspection/search log, etc.
• utilizing available technology by:
• corresponding via e-mail, phone
• proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, DropBox
• maintaining accurate student records from scholastic, medical, psychological, and other internal/external departments, partners, and agencies.

Program Development (10%)
Implementing and maintaining individualized student support:

• facilitating and participating in wraparound meetings and collaborating to develop and implement an individualized plan,
• collaborating and/or implementing individual behavioral management programs for students as necessary, and
• implementing individual community restitution/responsibility programs in collaboration with internal partners and external agencies.

Implementing and maintaining student home programs including:

• developing and/or implementing a program for residents to be involved in household/vehicle care and maintenance
• planning and facilitating regular family meetings where all household members participate in self-evaluations on at least a weekly basis
• collaborating with students to plan nutritional menus,

Professional Development (10%)
Recognizes personal ongoing growth as a vital element of serving students and pursues opportunities for this:

• Participating fully in ongoing trainings and making supervisor aware of suggested training areas
• reading and researching information pertinent to parenting skills and student development,
• setting/meeting annual professional development goals,
• evaluating self performance in collaboration with supervisor(s), and
• soliciting and implementing feedback on job performance and professional behavior from all involved with Re: New partnership.

Assists in the professional development and support of Re: New by:

• mentoring and coaching houseparents and associate houseparents in training
• participating in meetings for professional development, and
• modeling the values of Re: New and its partners.

Qualifications:

• Be a professing Christian and a member of a church or Christian community
• High school diploma or equivalent required. AA/BA preferred.
• Be able to work and live in harmony with the core values and affirmations of Re: New and its partners
• Experience in Christian youth ministry required. Experience with residential youth program development/administration highly preferred.
• Married couple with both spouses eligible and committed to employment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft work and Outlook required.
• Valid Washington State Driver’s License and willingness to use program or personal car for occasional work-related purposes required.
• Agreement with ReNew Partners’ Statements of Faith required

Benefits:

• Insurance: medical, vision and dental
• Vacation and sick leave commensurate with other Re: New staff

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: $47,500.00 /year

Required experience:

• See job posting.: 1 year

Required education:

• High school or equivalent