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youth health specialist

title: Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Youth Health Specialist
salary: $45,000 - $75,000
categories: ["Healthcare", "Community Health", "Youth Services", "Public Health"]
description: A comprehensive overview of the key responsibilities, required technical skills and professional background for the role of a Youth Health Specialist.
Comprehensive list of responsibilities and required skills for a Youth Health Specialist — ideal for recruiters and hiring managers. Includes 20+ role duties, core competencies, education, experience, and career path guidance optimized for SEO and LLMs (keywords: youth health specialist, adolescent health, health education, case management, community outreach, mental health, sexual and reproductive health).

🎯 Role Definition

A Youth Health Specialist is a trained practitioner who plans, delivers, and evaluates health services and education tailored to adolescents and young adults. This role blends direct case management, health education, community outreach, and program development to improve physical, sexual/reproductive, and mental health outcomes for youth. The Youth Health Specialist works with schools, clinics, community organizations, families, and multidisciplinary teams to ensure evidence-based, culturally competent, trauma-informed care and to increase access to preventive and treatment services.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Community Health Worker or Outreach Worker with youth focus
  • School Health Aide or Health Educator
  • Public Health Intern or Social Work Intern

Advancement To:

  • Youth Health Program Coordinator / Manager
  • Adolescent Health Services Supervisor
  • Clinical Lead for School-Based Health or Community Clinic
  • Public Health Program Director

Lateral Moves:

  • Case Manager (specializing in adolescent health)
  • Health Education Specialist / Trainer
  • School-based or Community-based Behavioral Health Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, plan and implement evidence-based youth health programs (sexual and reproductive health, mental health promotion, substance use prevention, nutrition and physical activity) targeted to adolescents and young adults, ensuring alignment with public health guidelines and funder requirements.
  • Conduct individualized case management for youth with complex health or social needs, including intake assessments, care planning, coordination of services, ongoing monitoring, and transition planning to adult services as appropriate.
  • Provide one-on-one and group health education and counseling sessions using trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches, covering topics such as contraception, STI prevention, consent, mental health coping skills, and healthy relationships.
  • Build and maintain referral networks with primary care providers, mental health clinicians, substance use treatment programs, housing services, legal aid, and school-based supports to ensure seamless access to comprehensive services for youth.
  • Screen and triage youth for mental health concerns, suicidality, substance misuse, sexual exploitation, and other high-risk behaviors; complete safety planning and urgent referrals in accordance with clinical protocols.
  • Deliver outreach and engagement activities in schools, community centers, juvenile justice settings, shelters, and online platforms to increase awareness of services, reduce stigma, and improve service uptake among underserved youth populations.
  • Facilitate youth advisory councils and participatory programming to integrate youth voice into program design, evaluation, and service improvement efforts.
  • Maintain accurate, confidential client records and case notes using electronic health records (EHR) or secure case management systems, ensuring compliance with HIPAA and organizational privacy policies.
  • Collect, manage, and analyze program data and indicators (service delivery, outcomes, attendance, referral completion) to inform continuous quality improvement and to meet monitoring & evaluation and grant-reporting obligations.
  • Design and deliver culturally competent training and capacity-building workshops for staff, volunteers, and partner organizations on adolescent development, confidentiality, consent, harm reduction, and motivational interviewing.
  • Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and care conferences, contributing clinical insight, social determinants context, and coordinated care plans for complex youth cases.
  • Support the development of written materials and digital content (fact sheets, curricula, social media posts) tailored for adolescents and caregivers with health literacy and youth-friendly design principles.
  • Lead or support program grant proposals, budgets, and reporting to secure funding for youth health programs and services.
  • Monitor program fidelity and ensure that interventions are delivered to specification; implement corrective actions and staff coaching when needed to maintain service quality.
  • Advocate on behalf of youth clients with schools, systems, and service providers to remove barriers to care (e.g., transportation, consent issues, financial constraints) and to promote youth rights and confidentiality.
  • Implement harm reduction strategies and evidence-based brief interventions (e.g., SBIRT — Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment) for substance use and risky sexual behavior.
  • Coordinate school- or clinic-based health screenings and immunization drives; support vaccination outreach and education in collaboration with public health authorities.
  • Participate in community needs assessments to identify priority health gaps for adolescents and use findings to shape new initiatives or expand services.
  • Respond to crisis situations (behavioral health crises, abuse disclosures, acute medical issues) following organizational emergency and safety protocols, including documentation and mandated reporting when applicable.
  • Ensure programs are inclusive of LGBTQ+ youth, immigrant and refugee youth, youth of color, and other marginalized groups through targeted outreach, inclusive policies, and staff training.
  • Support telehealth and virtual engagement strategies to expand reach, including running virtual group sessions, tele-counseling, and secure messaging to maintain continuity of care.
  • Track and manage supply inventories for clinic services (condoms, contraception supplies, testing kits) and ensure compliance with clinical safety and infection control practices.
  • Evaluate program outcomes and prepare clear, data-driven reports and presentations for stakeholders, funders, school boards, and community coalitions.

Secondary Functions

  • Contribute to the development of organizational policies and standard operating procedures related to adolescent confidentiality, consent, and service delivery.
  • Support ad-hoc community events, health fairs, and school-based wellness days, offering screenings, brief counseling, and referrals.
  • Mentor and supervise volunteers, interns, or junior staff focused on youth programming and outreach.
  • Participate in coalitions, task forces, and advocacy campaigns to advance adolescent health policy and resource allocation at local and regional levels.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Adolescent health assessment and case management — ability to conduct biopsychosocial assessments, build care plans, and monitor outcomes.
  • Health education curriculum design and delivery for youth populations, including sexual and reproductive health curricula.
  • Motivational interviewing and brief behavioral intervention techniques (e.g., SBIRT).
  • Mental health first aid and basic crisis intervention skills, including suicide risk assessment and safety planning.
  • Proficiency with electronic health records (EHR), case management systems, and secure documentation best practices (HIPAA compliance).
  • Data collection, monitoring & evaluation (M&E), and basic quantitative/qualitative analysis for program improvement and grant reporting.
  • Familiarity with public health screening tools (PHQ-9, GAD-7, CRAFFT) and clinical referral pathways.
  • Knowledge of sexual and reproductive health services (contraception options, STI testing and treatment protocols).
  • Experience with outreach and community engagement strategies, including digital/social media outreach for youth.
  • Grant writing and funder reporting: developing scope of work, budgets, and outcome reports.
  • Trauma-informed care and cultural competency practices, with ability to adapt services to diverse youth needs.
  • Basic clinical skills as applicable (CPR/First Aid certification, rapid STI testing, vaccination campaign coordination).

Soft Skills

  • Empathy and non-judgmental communication that builds trust with adolescents and families.
  • Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills.
  • Ability to work independently and manage a high caseload with excellent organizational and time-management skills.
  • Collaborative team player comfortable in multidisciplinary settings.
  • Problem-solving and adaptability in fast-paced, resource-limited environments.
  • Boundary-setting and professional resilience when working with challenging cases.
  • Facilitation and public speaking skills for workshops and group education.
  • Attention to detail in documentation, reporting, and compliance.
  • Advocacy and negotiation skills when coordinating services across systems (schools, courts, healthcare).
  • Ethical decision-making and commitment to youth confidentiality and rights.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate’s degree in a health or human services field (public health, social work, youth development) and relevant experience; OR
  • Equivalent combination of education and experience working directly with youth.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree (B.A./B.S.) in Public Health, Social Work, Nursing, Psychology, Adolescent Health, Education, or related field.
  • Advanced training or certification in adolescent health, sexual health education, or behavioral health is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Public Health
  • Social Work
  • Nursing
  • Psychology
  • Education
  • Human Services / Youth Development

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2–5 years of direct experience working with adolescents and young adults in community, clinical, school, or outreach settings.

Preferred:

  • 3+ years experience providing case management, health education, or counseling for youth.
  • Experience with sexual and reproductive health services, mental health screening/referral, and working with marginalized youth populations.
  • Bilingual candidates (Spanish, and other community languages) strongly preferred where applicable.
  • Prior experience with EHRs, M&E, grant-supported programming, and cross-sector partnership development is highly desirable.
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