Direct Support Professional

GENERAL FUNCTION:

The position involves providing support to individuals with disabilities, empowering them to lead self-directed lives, and providing them with opportunities to develop/ maintain skills that enhance the quality of their lives. Our mission is to ensure that supported persons are happy, healthy and safe in an environment where they can enjoy life to the fullest extent possible.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

In order to perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities assistance with performing the essential functions of this position.

• Supports the person supported with personal care and daily routines, and in achieving outcomes from the Individual Support Plan. The ISP provides an overall view of the person and their goals, as well as the specific supports and services they need to be happy, healthy, and safe, in an environment where they can enjoy life to the fullest extent possible.
• Understands and practices Support Solutions philosophy and values in interactions with the person supported and community members by using language and actions that respect the worth and dignity of people at all times, connecting the person supported to preferred activities and experiences of their choice, and ensuring that the person supported is empowered to make decisions and to lead a life that is as self-directed as possible.
• Helps the person supported become integrated with the community by providing person centered supports that assist people to seek their dreams, establish significant relationships and be connected to their communities.
• Assures safe transport and accompanies the person supported as needed to events, job sites, and medical appointments utilizing Support Solutions company vehicles, personal vehicles, or public transportation. This would include securing alternate transportation in instances where an unpaid support transports a person supported who presents a safety concern.
• Ensures proper use of the person supported and agency resources including but not limited to personal funds, vehicles, buildings, utilities, telephones, money, equipment, food and supplies.
• Attends all training meetings assigned by Support Solutions.
• Cooks and provides meals based on scheduled menus.
• Performs daily activities or teaches the person supported to do so, such as activities of daily living skills and other personal skills that work toward achieving independence.
• Consistently works and documents improvement toward meeting outcomes.
• Utilizes electronic records system including completing daily shift notes as required by funding entities.
• Ensures customer satisfaction by following the Customer Service Standards when interacting and communicating with persons supported, their families, conservators, vendors, ISCs, Case Managers, and others.
• Oversees storage and administration of medications.
• Provide assistance to the person supported in their personal grooming, as desired by the person. Support the person to perform these personal grooming activities with independence, as possible.
• Provide assistance to the person supported to keep the house clean and do laundry, as desired by the person.
• Protects confidentiality of person supported.

This job description does not list all the duties of your job. You may be asked by Supervisors, Managers or designated and/or authorized staff to perform other duties. You will be evaluated in part based upon your performance of the tasks listed in the job description. Support Solutions reserves the right to revise this job description at any time. The job description is not a contract for employment and either you or Support Solutions may terminate employment at any time, for any reason.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Must be 18 years of age and able to read and write effectively. ECF staff must have high school diploma or GED. Must have a valid drivers license and maintain a valid drivers license and acceptable driving record throughout employment with SS. Must meet state and local requirements regarding criminal background check, sexual offender check, abuse registry, drug screening and felony offender listing. Must meet all training requirements and keep training current.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Effective verbal and written communication skills
• Effective organizational skills, able to complete heavy workloads within established time frames, and perform with frequent interruptions and/or distractions
• Effective interpersonal skills, able to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with others, ability to interact appropriately with others in various contexts and purposes
• Must be able to practice confidentiality in all matters pertaining to clients and employees
• Can perform a variety of duties, often changing from one task to another, in a job that may require significant differences in technology, techniques, environmental factors, physical demands, or work situations

MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Employee must provide any medical records to comply with regulations required by a governing entity and Support Solutions policy. Examples include: TB Skin tests, HEP B vaccinations and Flu vaccinations.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. This position is either part time or full time and may require additional hours over 40 per week. This position works primarily in a home environment, but is also required to be with supported individuals in community settings, work settings, outdoor activities, etc.

Body Positioning: The employee is regularly required to stand and/or walk for prolonged periods of time. She/he may also be required to sit for short or long periods of time while completing other duties and responsibilities. There is also a requirement to be able to occasionally stoop, kneel, or crouch and to reach with the hands and arms. She/he must be able to drive/travel for short periods of time to transport supported person to appointments and community outings and to attend meetings, and trainings.

Body Movements: The employee must have a full range of body movements including the use of his/her hands, feet, and limbs to perform CPR compressions, abdominal thrusts, CPI (The Crisis Prevention Institute is an international training organization that specializes in the nonviolent crisis intervention training designed to teach best practices for managing difficult situations and disruptive behaviors..) techniques, or to pursue on foot a person to prevent them from injury, etc. The ability to bend the body, to reach for objects, and to crouch/stoop, and climb when needed are also required.

Body Senses: The employee must have command of all five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distant vision, and depth perception. These vision requirements in each area must be sufficient to shift in focus from reading documents to using a computer or tablet for data entry and operating a vehicle. There is also a requirement to talk and listen for prolonged periods both on the telephone and face to face.

Strength: The employee must have the ability to perform heavy lifting over 50 lbs. to assist total care supported individuals with transferring from or to wheelchair, turning/repositioning a total care person in bed, etc.

LICENSES/CERTIFICATES:

• Valid state issued Driver License
• Must maintain valid Medication Certification throughout tenure
• Must maintain valid CPR/First Aid Certification throughout tenure
• Must maintain valid CPI (Crisis Prevention Institute) training throughout tenure, if required

Agency insurance coverage for vehicles operated in the course of work at specific locations shall stand as the primary insurance coverage for employees working in that particular home setting. Valid automobile insurance is required for all employees working at homes where the agency does not provide a vehicle and this coverage must presented prior to transfer to any home where an agency vehicle is not provided. The agency reserves the right to request proof of insurance regardless of the site location or availability of an agency vehicle.