Re-Creation Retreat
PROGRAM LEADER

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Act as on-site Director: As an on-site Director, you are responsible for the Retreat and the students attending it during your shift. Your goal is to maintain the Retreat at the highest level possible, always being aware of your surroundings and looking for new ways to improve upon our program so that we may operate more effectively. You will act as a direct representative of the Retreat maintaining professionalism in yourself and those with whom you work. In order to do this, you must ensure that you and those with whom you work maintain a professional atmosphere and are familiar with all aspects of the program. You must also be aware that from time to time during your shift it may be necessary for you to be available in your off time (i.e., new student arrivals, parent conferences, emergencies, etc.)

• Supervise RCR staff members, Interns and students
– Primarily your goal is to provide for the health, welfare and safety of the student, this is paramount. In addition, you will be required to act as a supervisor for the RCR Staff members and Interns working on your shift, ensuring that they are fulfilling their duties as listed in their job descriptions.

Primary duties and responsibilities include the following:

• Supervision during morning wake up, laundry, morning chores and school store:

1. Students are awakened at 7:00 AM on weekdays and 8:00 AM on weekends

2. Supervise students in laundry room, doing laundry and getting vacuums and chore boxes for their rooms. Make sure that the students are on task, the dryer filter needs to be cleaned by each student when they put their first batch of laundry in the dryer. Staff are never to be alone with a student. When you are in the laundry room, or any other room make sure that you have at least two students with you. This is for your safety and the students.

3. Monitor the hallway and the student’s rooms to insure that students are not talking in their rooms and to help insure safety. Be aware of exits at all times and any potential run risks.

4. Med room responsibilities: Monitor students taking their medications. Insure that they take the correct dose that is written in their medication log, insure that they swallow their medications. Make sure that both you and the student initial the medication log, any over the counter medication, such as pain medication or cold and flu needs to be approved by the shift leader and is to be documented and initialed in each student’s medication log

5. Student Store Responsibilities: Responsible for handing out makeup and hair care products to students on the appropriate level. Toilet paper and paper towels along with personal care items such as tampons and pads. Other items such as shampoo and conditioner, writing paper, journals, Chapstick etc. can only be obtained by the students when the “store” is open. These items need to be noted in the student store log and initialed by staff and the student. Most of these items should only be renewed at least every 30 days.

• Line supervision and moving of students from one building to the other: Insure that all students are accounted for. If there is a large number of students, have them count off to insure that all students are present. While in line, there is to be no talking, students are to maintain an arm’s length distance between each other and they are to face forward, looking at the back of the student’s head in front of them. While walking to the other building, be aware of the presence and behavior of all girls, watch for any behavior that might indicate thoughts or plans for running. Supervision while in the main room in the restaurant. Be aware of all girls at all times.

• Supervision while in the kitchen. A staff member should always be present with students in the kitchen area. When preparing meals, make sure that the students follow the menu as directed. Any changes in the menu need to be approved by Jorge or Toni.

• When teaching educational classes, the following guidelines should be followed. Students must raise hands and be called upon before talking. Students should be sitting on their chairs at their assigned table unless given permission to sit elsewhere. Students generally should not be allowed to leave class for any reason. Students should use the bathroom, fill their water bottles, and take care of any other personal needs during the break time in between classes. The following classes can be run by any staff member

1. Life Skills Class: The content for this class can come from recorded programs on the TV, books, or other approved curriculums. When teaching a class, the students should be encouraged and given the opportunity to think for themselves and to learn to express their thoughts and feelings in both writing and speaking. Help the students to notice if they are being accountable for themselves, if they are being a victim or a hero, if they are looking through the paradigm of abundance or scarcity and whether they are thinking in terms of selfishness or self-interest. As the staff facilitating the class, you should ask at least three questions during the course of the class that the students should write their responses to on paper and then be given the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings with the rest of the students. The students are required to write a minimum of a page and a half for each class and the content of the writing should be in response to the questions asked, not just re-writing the information that was read or watched on the television. Life skills class should generally run about an hour.

2. Substance Abuse Education Group: The content for this group can come from recorded programs on the TV, books, or other approved curriculums. The purpose of this group is to provide educational material regarding the effects of drugs and alcohol on health, lifestyle, relationships, and life in general. Be aware of “war stories”. This is when a student talks about their substance use in a way that glorifies or glamorizes the use. This is not allowed. Students are encouraged to share their feelings and beliefs but encourage them to think about their beliefs and to be open to whether their beliefs are in their self-interest or selfish. During this group, students are required to write a minimum of a page and a half in response to the questions asked by the group facilitator.

3. Leadership Skills Class: The content for this class comes from books selected by the program director. The same process should be followed when facilitating this class as the life skills class and substance abuse education group. The purpose of this class is to teach the students leadership skills and relationship skills which will help them learn to use their time and talents wisely, set goals and be able to succeed in the workplace and in society as a whole.

4. Ed Video: The content for this class comes from various educational programs that are recorded for the students. This class is different from the others in that in this class, there is very little discussion, and the facilitator does not ask questions generally. The students are required to take a minimum of a page and a half of notes on the information presented in the video program watched.

Mail and Packages: Mail will be picked up daily and delivered to RCR. It is the responsibility of the staff member who is in the classroom to log all letters and emails in the mail log. They should be logged under the correct date, the item i.e., letter or email and who it is from. Students who have been approved by their therapist and parents to receive unmonitored mail will have their mail opened to check for any contraband and then placed in the basket to be delivered to the student. Students whose therapist and parent/guardian have determined that it is not in the student’s best interest to send or receive unmonitored mail due to a history of lying and/or manipulation, should have their letters read for appropriateness. If there is any question regarding appropriateness, they should be given to the student’s therapist for review. All approved correspondence should be placed in the mail basket to be delivered to the student on the next mail day. Students are given mail on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Packages: When packages arrive at RCR, they are placed in the treatment team room. The packages are placed there on the same day they arrive at the school by the staff working that day. The shift leader is responsible for assigning a staff member to be responsible for inventorying and handling all packages and will follow these guidelines.

1 . Always have at least two students or one other staff member with you.

2 .Bring in students, preferably two at a time who have received packages (if there is only one student who has received a package, then bring another student, this student should be an upper level, three or above, to assist in the process)

3. Make sure that all items in the package are labeled with the student’s name

4. List all items in the package on the student’s inventory form in their permanent file and initial the form and have the student initial the form

5. Items that are not appropriate for the student’s level or that are not appropriate period, will be placed with the student’s other belongings in the contraband room.

6. Student will take appropriate items to their room.

7. Student should dispose of all packaging materials in the dumpster

8. Items should not be left in the treatment team room.

• Conduct and record staff disciplinary action.

• Review Daily Progress Notes (DPN)
– You must visually ensure that RCR staff members, Interns and student leaders are completing Student notes on all students on your team.

• Ensure that all staff members, Interns, and student leaders are completing assigned responsibilities.
– It is your duty to ensure that staff members and Interns are completing their assigned tasks. If they are, make note of it in their employee evaluations but if they are not staff disciplinary action needs to occur. (Below is a list of main items to check) Collect/review morning and evening meeting notes and attend when possible

• Teach Leadership, life skills and educational classes when needed

• Inspect/oversee facility cleanliness
– As a shift leader, you are responsible for continually maintaining the cleanliness of the Retreat. Always being on the lookout for any areas of the Retreat that need improvement or repair and if any are found, to insure that it is cleaned and/or repaired immediately.

• Contact/update student’s parents when an event occurs
– If an event occurs involving any student(s) and it is something that involves the health, welfare, safety, or program progress, contact the parents. A list of examples are as follows: serious injury or injury resulting in hospitalization. Stealing, running away, or run plans, fighting, any consequence that results in a level drop or having to stan the program over again. Any violation of the law, new student arrival, or any other event that seems serious enough to warrant contacting the parents. Any of the above incidents need to have a statement of fact form completed and then given to the program administrator or clinical director for review and notification sent to the OBHL

• Assist RCR staff members and Interns when needed
– As a Shift Leader you must be ready to step in and assist in fulfilling the duties of an RCR youth coach or Intern while on shift.

Provide principled/value-based mentorship. As a principle centered school, the shift leaders of Re Creation Retreat will be expected to provide coaching and mentorship to the students and staff. The coaching/mentoring will be limited to coaching related to the program core values and principles taught.

Complete Online Staff Application Form