Childrens Group Lead & Outreach Specialist

Job Description

Job DescriptionSalary: $30 per hour

Childrens Group Lead & Outreach Specialist

In-Person Full-Time Position in Castro Valley, CA / Oakland, CA (Non-Exempt)

Who We Are

Ruby's Place dba Restorative Pathways (RP) is an innovative nonprofit committed to ending domestic violence, human trafficking, and violent crime through hope, advocacy and connection. Our services include emergency shelter, transitional housing, rental subsidies, mental health services, substance recovery, and wrap-around services. All our services are trauma-sensitive and client-centered and are provided at no cost to our clients. All programs are low barrier.

RP is led by survivors with a focus on reflection, innovation, and connection. We believe in fostering relationships, both in our direct service work and throughout our internal work culture. We aim to cultivate a workplace that appreciates and emphasizes the voices of those most impacted by violence. We recognize these voices are vital to interrupting the cycle of violence and transforming lives towards safety, unity, and trust.

Who You Are

You have a strong commitment to preventing interpersonal violence, supporting families, and serving diverse populations with care, humility, and respect. You believe people should determine their own path toward healing, and you have an orientation toward survivor-centered, trauma-informed services.

You enjoy working with children, youth, and families and understand that safe, structured, and supportive group environments can help participants feel welcomed, seen, and cared for. You are comfortable helping coordinate childrens groups, supporting group activities, preparing materials, engaging participants, and assisting with the flow of programming.

You are also comfortable being part of outreach and engagement efforts. You can build rapport quickly, explain services clearly, and help individuals feel safe, respected, and informed. You are comfortable supporting outreach within Restorative Pathways programs and, when needed, with outside organizations and referral partners. You can build trust with staff, participants, and community partners while helping create warm pathways into care.

This position is designed as a developmental pathway into an AOD Counselor role. Initially, the position will focus approximately half of the time on childrens group coordination and approximately half of the time on outreach and engagement. As the employee completes required education and certification milestones, and demonstrates readiness, the role may transition toward AOD counseling responsibilities, including intake support, SUD group facilitation, documentation, and participant engagement.

You are a go-getter who enjoys fast-paced environments. You enjoy working both collaboratively and independently. You are organized, dependable, and able to follow through on multiple responsibilities. You are flexible, creative, and take initiative when supporting participants, families, staff, and program needs.

What qualifications are required for this position?

You Are Also:

• GED or high school diploma preferred; willingness to complete GED required if not already completed.
• Interested in pursuing registration and certification as an Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor through a DHCS-approved certifying organization such as CCAPP, CADTP, or CAADE.
• Willing to follow an AOD Counselor development pathway, including education, registration, certification requirements, supervision, and training.
• Experience working with children, youth, families, or vulnerable populations preferred.
• Experience supporting groups, activities, classrooms, youth programming, childcare, family programming, or community-based programs preferred.
• Experience in outreach, participant engagement, community engagement, case management support, or social services preferred.
• Strong ability to build rapport with children, youth, adults, families, staff, and community partners.
• Comfortable speaking with participants who may be hesitant, overwhelmed, ambivalent, or new to services.
• Comfortable helping explain programs, services, schedules, expectations, and next steps.
• Organized and able to document participant contacts, outreach activities, group support activities, and follow-up tasks clearly and on time.
• Comfortable supporting outreach presentations, program introductions, participant engagement activities, and warm handoffs within partner organizations.
• Interested in learning about substance use disorder treatment, relapse prevention, group facilitation, trauma-informed care, and participant-centered services.
• Able to work effectively with adolescents, adults, children, families, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Willing to complete required training related to trauma-informed care, mandated reporting, confidentiality, boundaries, overdose prevention, and participant safety.
• TB/health screening annually.
• In possession of a valid CA drivers license, proof of insurance, and be approved by RP insurance as a driver in order to drive agency vehicles. If a staff member cannot be approved by RP insurance as a driver, employment might not be able to continue. Instances where staff cannot be approved to drive will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine if employment can continue in their role without driving agency vehicles. Items considered include but are not limited to: the shift the staff member holds and the frequency or necessity of driving during that shift, the amount of time before the staff member may be approved to drive by the insurance carrier, and the availability of other staff on site to drive agency vehicles as program needs require.
• Able to complete all required background checks. Additional requirements may be deemed necessary, including fingerprinting, Live Scan, completion of all Community Care Licensing documents, and ability to meet applicable licensing requirements.

What You Will Do

This role supports childrens group coordination, participant engagement, outreach, warm handoffs, and program support for Restorative Pathways and Riley Recovery Centers substance use disorder programming.

This role will begin with two primary areas of responsibility. Approximately half of the role will focus on coordinating and supporting childrens group programming. This includes helping prepare for groups, supporting safe and structured activities, engaging children and families, assisting with group flow, and helping ensure a welcoming and trauma-informed environment.

The other half of the role will focus on outreach and engagement. This includes helping educate Restorative Pathways staff and participants about available substance use disorder services, supporting internal referrals, participating in outreach activities, and helping create warm pathways into care.

This role delivers services in a trauma-informed, culturally responsive, participant-centered, and developmentally appropriate manner consistent with RP values and applicable program standards.

Responsibilities include

1. Coordinate and support childrens group programming, including group preparation, participant engagement, activity setup, and group flow.
2. Help create a safe, welcoming, structured, and trauma-informed environment for children, youth, and families.
3. Support children and families during group programming by helping participants feel included, respected, and cared for.
4. Prepare materials, supplies, activities, and space needed for childrens groups and related programming.
5. Assist with transitions before, during, and after groups to support participant safety and program flow.
6. Communicate with supervisors and team members regarding participant needs, group concerns, supplies, schedules, and follow-up items.
7. Support outreach and engagement within Restorative Pathways programs to educate staff and participants about available SUD services.
8. Build relationships with RP program staff, case managers, advocates, and other team members to support warm referrals into Riley Recovery Centers services.
9. Participate in outreach efforts with outside organizations, referral partners, and community-based programs as assigned.
10. Help explain program services, schedules, expectations, referral pathways, and next steps to participants, staff, and community partners.
11. Support warm handoffs from Restorative Pathways programs into Riley Recovery Centers SUD services.
12. Track and document outreach contacts, participant engagement efforts, group support activities, and follow-up tasks accurately and timely.
13. Assist with participant engagement calls, reminder calls, follow-up contacts, and basic program navigation as assigned.
14. Support intake and admissions-related activities as appropriate to training, supervision, and role readiness.
15. Participate in trainings related to AOD counseling, trauma-informed care, group facilitation, confidentiality, mandated reporting, overdose prevention, and participant safety.
16. 1Work toward completing GED requirements if not already completed.
17. Work toward AOD registration and certification requirements through a DHCS-approved certifying organization as part of the AOD Counselor pathway.
18. Shadow AOD Counselors, Program Directors, intake staff, case managers, and other team members to learn program operations and participant care expectations.
19. Support program activities, events, wellness activities, orientations, and participant engagement efforts as assigned.
20. Maintain professional boundaries, confidentiality, and ethical standards at all times.
21. Deliver trauma-informed, culturally responsive, gender-affirming, and participant-centered support.
22. Support overdose prevention and emergency procedures, including Naloxone readiness, as trained and assigned.
23. Participate in team meetings, reflective supervision, staff training, quality improvement activities, and program development.
24. Complete functional timesheets by assigned due dates in compliance with time allocations.
25. Actively participate in reflective supervision sessions.
26. Create and maintain documentation of processes and procedures related to job duties.
27. Other duties as assigned.

Working Conditions

This position is 100% in-person. You must be able to stand for long periods of time and perform physical activities, including lifting up to 25 pounds. You will be subject to frequent interruptions and must be able to multitask and handle stress. Local travel in the greater Bay Area may be required.

Applying

The pay scale for this role is $30 per hour (non-exempt). The benefits that come with working at RP at full-time hours include medical, dental, and vision plans, a life insurance policy, significant vacation, sick time, restorative care time, and immediate vesting in our 403(b) with a generous match. Applicants must be located in the greater Bay Area.

Preference will be given to internal applicants.

If all this sounds like a good fit for you, please submit your resume and, instead of a traditional cover letter, respond to the following prompts:

• Why do you want to work for RP and why are you a good fit for this role? (200 words max)
• Using the qualifications listed above (under Who You Are section), please list the top 5 qualification(s) that you feel you currently excel in and 2 qualifications you feel you will need to work toward proficiency. Please provide a brief explanation for each (a few sentences).
• How have you built and maintained relationships with community members or stakeholders, especially when addressing concerns or conflicts?