JOB TITLE: JUVENILE COURT CONSULTANT

JOB CODE: 41450

DEFINITION: This is professional and consultative work advising courts and agencies in the effective development and implementation of juvenile court and juvenile probation services for the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges' Commission (JCJC).

An employee in this job evaluates existing programs, practices, and organizations to design and develop service delivery improvement programs for juvenile court and probation services. Work involves providing advisory support to juvenile court judges and probation staff, defining legislative proposals, preparing evaluation reports of juvenile courts and juvenile probation offices, providing relative interpretations of statistical trends, and developing programs which emphasize the most effective techniques for addressing adjudicated youth issues. Work includes preparing grant applications, developing statewide policies and guidelines, explaining laws and policies concerning youthful offenders, and participating in training programs for juvenile court and juvenile probation staff. Work may include participating in the design of in-service training programs. Work is performed with considerable independence and assigned by an administrative supervisor who reviews the work through conferences and reviews of reports for adherence to program policies.

EXAMPLES OF WORK: (NOTE: The examples of work are representative of the work, but every position classified to this job may not perform all examples of work listed. Conversely, this is not an all-inclusive list of work examples.)

• Conducts comprehensive evaluations of juvenile court and juvenile probation offices and recommends programs designed to improve the standardization of practices.

• Explains statutes, regulations, and policies to administrators of juvenile probation programs and community groups to promote public cooperation and understanding.

• Develops program innovations in juvenile delinquency and plans for future needs of the system; prepares grant applications for implementation of new programs.

• Provides educational information through meetings and conferences to public groups interested in juvenile rehabilitation.

• Represents the JCJC on intra-disciplinary task forces involved in examining juvenile court policy and programs and developing standards and recommendations to improve the juvenile courts.

• Schedules and coordinates training and recruitment programs of the JCJC, and conducts training for juvenile court and juvenile probation staff.

• Participates in administering a statewide grant-in-aid program.

• Reviews legislation and makes recommendations on legislative proposals.

• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with agency associates, court employees, community leaders, and the public.

• Collects and analyzes juvenile court and delinquency statistics and research data.

• Performs related work as required.

ENTRY LEVEL KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of laws, legislation, regulations, and procedural rules governing the operation of juvenile courts and juvenile probation departments.

• Knowledge of the resources and service delivery systems available to meet the social, economic, and health needs of juvenile offenders.

• Knowledge of the causes, treatments, and prevention of juvenile delinquency.

• Knowledge of individual and group juvenile behavior.

• Knowledge of the use and functionality of Microsoft Office Suite software.

• Ability to analyze and interpret regulations, policies, and procedures.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.

• Ability to effectively communicate orally.

• Ability to effectively communicate in writing.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING: (NOTE: Based on the Entry Level Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities)

• Five years of professional experience as a juvenile probation officer and a master's degree in criminal justice, behavioral science, or a closely related field;

or

• An equivalent combination of experience and training that includes five years of professional experience as a juvenile probation officer.