ACCESS: SUPPORTS FOR LIVING Direct Support Professional (DSP)- Columbia and Greene County Salary in the United States

Location: Columbia and Greene County, NY

Variety of Shifts: Days, Evenings and Overnight

Up to $15.50 per hour (experience and house level based)

Job Description: 

Direct Support Professionals work as part of an interdisciplinary team (clinical staff, nurses, families, advocates, etc.) providing services to adults with intellectual/ developmental disabilities. Working under the direction of a Supervisor, Direct Support Professionals provide services that enrich the lives of the individuals we support.  Our mission is to help our individuals live happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives.

Direct Support Professionals provide assistance with activities of daily living, including but not limited to personal care, meal preparation, medication administration, and health maintenance.Direct Support Professionals support individuals with developing independent living skills, such as money management, community integration and appropriate social skills.  Direct Support Professionals encourage and provide advocacy for the individuals they work with.
Direct Support Professionals work in a residential setting and can provide Residential, Day Habililtation or Pre-Vocational services, both within the home as well as out in the community (as appropriate to the specific service).

Direct Support Professionals are bound by the NADSP code of ethics which helps guide and maintain high standards for the life changing work they do every day.  The NYS DSP Core Competencies are value based competencies and skills that Direct Support Professionals use as they foundation of the person-centered supports they provide.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Duties and responsibilities vary in intensity and frequency (ranging from daily total care to verbal support:

Advocacy – assists individuals with achieving desired personal outcomes. (Core Competency 1) 
Professionalism –(Core Competency 3) 
Health Maintenance – supports individuals in achieving optimal health, which may include medical appointment, medication administration and healthy meal planning and preparation (Core Competency 4) 
Safety- ensures for the overall safety of individuals, colleagues and self (Core Competency 5).
Household Maintenance- ensures routine household maintenance gets completed as needed, which may include meal preparation, cleaning, laundry, etc. (Core Competency 5, 6).
Personal Care– supports individuals with all personal care needs, which may include providing hands on assistance (Core Competency4,5) 
Independent Living Skills Development – helps individuals develop skills needed to decrease support needed from others and increase independence (Core Competency 6).
Mentor-serves as a role model, demonstrating appropriate social interactions and implementing approved crisis intervention techniques and strategies as needed (Core Competency 3).
Operational Support - completes documentation, in accordance with regulations and policies, utilizing appropriate computer applications (Core Competency 2,3)
Transportation - provides transportation for individuals to various sites in the community utilizing an agency vehicle (Core Competency 7).
Performs other duties as needed or assigned.

**DSP1’s provide these services and supports at Level 1 IRAs.  Level 1 IRAs are home to individuals who most frequently require a monitoring level of 24 hour supervision and minimum staffing ratios of 1:4. 

Qualifications and experience: Bachelor's or Associate's degree OR 6 months of direct care experience OR customer service experience.

**DSP2’s provide these services and supports at Level 2 IRAs.  Level 2 IRAs are home to individuals with intensive behavioral needs and/or dual diagnosis.  Staffing supports required can range from verbal prompting to physical interventions.

Qualifications and experience: Bachelor's degree with min 6 months of direct care or real life experience OR Associate's degree with one year of professional direct care experience or real life experience caring for others OR at least two years professional direct care experience or real life experience caring for others.

**DSP3’s provide these services and supports at Level 3 IRAs.  Level 3 IRAs are home to individuals with medical and/or behaviorally complex histories and psychiatric disorders.  Many of these individuals have risk management plans and/or acute trauma histories and may require physical interventions.  Level 3 IRAs have some of the highest staff to individual ratios.

Qualifications and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree in a related field. Preferred six months experience with dual diagnosis (e.g. forensic and/or intensive behavioral health needs, autism or medically involved) OR Bachelor’s Degree in any field with one year experience with dual diagnosis (e.g. forensic and/or intensive behavioral health needs, autism or medically involved) OR Associate’s degree with two years’ experience with dual diagnosis (e.g. forensic and/or intensive behavioral health needs, autism or medically involved). OR at least four years’ experience with dual diagnosis (e.g. forensic and/or intensive behavioral health needs, autism or medically involved).

ALL POSITIONS ARE SUBJECT TO A CRIMINAL BACKGROUND, FINGERPRINTING AND MOTOR VEHICLE REPORT CHECK. ALSO, ALL OFFERS OF EMPLOYMENT ARE CONTINGENT ON SUBMISSION TO A PRE-EMPLOYMENT DRUG TEST AND RECEIPT OF A NEGATIVE DRUG TEST RESULT 

The agency is a smoke free workplace and offers smoke free campuses for our employees, visitors, clients and interns. 

EEO, AAE M/F/D/V.