Residential Youth Counselor

Welcome Home Temporary Shelter Care Facility | Sacramento/Citrus Heights Area
Full-Time and Part-Time Opportunities | AM, PM, and Overnight Shifts Available
Pay: $22.00–$26.00 per hour

Meaningful Work for Teens Who Need Adults They Can Trust

FosterHope Sacramento’s Welcome Home Temporary Shelter Care Facility provides 24/7 care, stabilization, and support for children and teens in the child welfare system. Youth may arrive after removal from their homes because of abuse or neglect, placement disruption, or other urgent circumstances.

For many youth, this is one of the hardest moments of their lives. They may arrive scared, angry, shut down, distrustful of adults, or unsure of what comes next. They may test boundaries, reject support, struggle with emotions, or say things they do not truly mean.

This work is meaningful, but it is not easy.

We are looking for steady, compassionate people who can stay calm during difficult moments, maintain healthy boundaries, and not take youth behavior personally. The right candidate understands that behavior is communication and believes that every child deserves dignity, safety, patience, and unconditional support—even on their hardest days.

At FosterHope Sacramento, we believe every child deserves compassion without condition. That does not mean there are no expectations or boundaries. It means our care, respect, and commitment to a young person do not disappear when they are struggling.

Position Summary

The Residential Youth Counselor provides direct care, supervision, structure, and support to children and teens in a short-term residential setting. Youth Counselors help create a safe, welcoming, home-like environment while supporting daily routines, school participation, appointments, recreation, conflict resolution, and transition planning.

This role requires active engagement throughout the shift. It is not a desk-based position. Staff are expected to be present with youth, attentive to the home environment, responsive to changing needs, and willing to work as part of a close-knit team.

We have openings on AM, PM, and overnight shifts. All shifts require one weekend day and holiday availability depending on the assigned schedule.

What This Work Requires

A strong Youth Counselor can:

• Stay calm when a youth is upset, angry, withdrawn, refusing, or verbally escalated.
• Avoid personalizing rejection, disrespectful language, or difficult behavior.
• Set clear limits without shaming, threatening, or escalating the situation.
• Balance warmth and compassion with safety, structure, and accountability.
• Remain engaged even when a shift is unpredictable or emotionally demanding.
• Work collaboratively with coworkers, supervisors, clinicians, social workers, and families.
• Ask for support, accept coaching, and continue learning.
• See the youth beyond their behavior, history, diagnosis, or current crisis.

Core Responsibilities

• Provide attentive supervision, care, guidance, and support to children and teens in a safe, nurturing environment.
• Help youth feel welcomed, safe, and respected from arrival through transition to their next placement.
• Build positive relationships while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
• Use trauma-informed, restorative, culturally responsive, and de-escalation-based approaches.
• Support daily routines, including meals, hygiene, laundry, room care, chores, recreation, and bedtime routines.
• Prepare meals and maintain a clean, organized, comfortable, home-like living environment.
• Encourage and support school attendance, homework completion, appointments, visitation, therapy, court appearances, and community activities.
• Transport youth to approved appointments, activities, school, visitation, and other program-related needs as assigned.
• Observe youth behavior, progress, strengths, and needs; communicate relevant information to the treatment team.
• Complete shift notes, service documentation, incident reports, and Medi-Cal-related documentation accurately and on time.
• Immediately report unusual incidents, safety concerns, mandated-reporting concerns, injuries, or changes in youth functioning.
• Participate in supervision, staff meetings, required trainings, team debriefings, and ongoing professional development.
• Maintain confidentiality and follow all agency, licensing, HIPAA, mandated-reporter, and safety requirements.

Qualifications

• Must be at least 21 years old.
• High school diploma or GED required; college coursework or degree in social work, psychology, child development, behavioral health, criminal justice, or a related field is preferred.
• Experience working with children, teens, families, foster youth, or individuals with behavioral-health needs is strongly preferred.
• Ability to remain composed and professional in a fast-paced, emotionally demanding environment.
• Demonstrated ability to use sound judgment, accept feedback, and work effectively as part of a team.
• Strong communication, documentation, organization, and time-management skills.
• Ability to work assigned AM, PM, or overnight shifts, including weekends and holidays as needed.
• Valid California driver’s license, reliable transportation, and proof of insurance required.
• Must meet all background-clearance, TB, health-screening, DOJ, FBI, and CACI requirements.
• CPR and First Aid certification required or willingness to obtain.

Preferred Experience or Training

• Trauma-informed care
• Crisis intervention and conflict resolution
• Restorative practices or positive behavior support
• Foster care, child welfare, residential care, group home, STRTP, TSCF, or behavioral-health services
• CSEC - Trafficking and Exploitation
• Substance-use or addiction-recovery support
• Behavioral-health, special education, youth development, or case-management experience

Why FosterHope Sacramento

FosterHope Sacramento serves children, teens, and families through residential, foster care, and community-based programs. We are committed to building a workplace where staff are supported, included, challenged to grow, and connected to a meaningful mission.

This position is a strong fit for someone who wants more than a job. It is for someone who wants to be one of the steady adults a young person remembers: the person who stayed calm, held hope, and did not give up on them.

Physical and Environmental Requirements (Essential Functions)

This position requires the ability to perform the following essential job functions, with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Move throughout the residential facility and surrounding areas and remain standing or walking for extended periods of time.
• Safely intervene in crisis situations using approved Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) techniques when necessary to ensure the safety of youth and staff.
• Lift, carry, and move items consistent with youth supervision and residential program responsibilities.
• Maintain situational awareness and respond appropriately in a residential environment that may involve emotionally intense, stressful, or unpredictable situations.
• Work in an environment where exposure may occur to secondhand smoke, elevated noise levels, and other conditions common to residential youth care settings.
• Staff must be able to remain calm, exercise sound judgment, and respond appropriately during behavioral crises or emergency situations.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: $23.00 - $26.00 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Opportunities for advancement
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• Do you have experience in working with high-risk youth and /or youth with CSEC involvement and/or substance use?
• Do you have at least 1 year of experience working with youth ages 11 - 18 and/or relevant lived experience.
• Are you at least 21 years old?
• What is your preferred shift? a.m. 6:00 - 3:00 p.m.; p.m. shift, 2pm to 11pm? or Awake Overnight 10 p.m. - 7:00 a.m.

Education:

• Associate (Preferred)

Experience:

• Working with youth in the child welfare envornment: 1 year (Preferred)

License/Certification:

• Drivers license (Required)

Shift availability:

• Day Shift (Preferred)
• Night Shift (Preferred)
• Overnight Shift (Preferred)

Work Location: In person