ORGANIZATION SUMMARY
Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE) benefits and proudly supports more than 4,000 individuals with intellectual / developmental disabilities, mental illness and traumatic brain injury. It is the mission of FREE to support people of all abilities reach their full potential and thrive in their communities. FREE provides a diverse array of supports and services including: housing; recovery services; transition to work; employment; day, community and family services; respite; crisis services; education and after school support; specialty health services; and advocacy.
POSITION SUMMARY
Under the supervision of the Manager, the Community Direct Support Professional (DSP) is responsible for assisting individuals to become more independent when performing activities of daily living and community integration in order to achieve their valued outcomes. Habilitation services are designed to develop skills in order to increase an individual’s level of independence. The Habilitation services that the Community DSP is responsible for organizing and implementing includes but is not limited to: training, supervision, or assistance related to communication skills, interpersonal skills, socialization, mobility, community transportation/travel training skills, problem solving skills, money management, life safety skills, etc. Services are primarily community based and revolve around volunteer and recreational opportunities. The Community DSP is responsible for fostering and maintaining an environment that promotes the health and safety of all persons served and must abide all agency policies, procedures, mission, vision, etc.
DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
• Works with the people we support to help them identify and realize their personal life goals.
• Advocates with the people we support in a variety of situations.
• Works with the people we support to teach them new life skills.
• Works in partnership with the people we support to promote their health and safety.
• Assists the people we support to overcome barriers and challenges to establishing and maintaining a network of relationships and valued social roles.
• Works with the people we support and other members of the interdisciplinary team to develop service plans that aid the person in achieving their personal life goals.
• Provides positive behavior support to the people we support as necessary.
• Prevents, recognizes and reports abuse toward the people we support.
• Provides direct services, in person only, that support the participant(s) in a least restrictive manner. The Community DSP teaches, assists, and motivates 1 or more participants in identifying activities that reflect the participant(s) wishes based on the participants objectives and valued outcomes identified in the Life Plan and assist them with developing more independence in those areas.
• Assists with participant(s) abilities including areas of self-care, independent living, community integration, etc. as directed in the Staff Action Plan.
• Responds appropriately to crisis/emergency situations in order to ensure and secure the safety and well-being of participant(s). Response includes acting appropriately to severity of the situation, adherence to regulatory/agency guidelines, communication and documentation of situation to appropriate staff, honor the participant’s right to assume risk in an informed manner, etc. Prevents abuse and correctly follows procedures for responding and mandated reporting to Agency and Justice Center representatives/personnel as directed. Works with participant(s) and their support network to identify areas of risk and to create safeguards to these concerns.
• Proactively and respectfully addresses challenging behaviors with the participant & their Supervisor as needed.
• Attends IDT-Interdisciplinary team meetings, or Life Plans meetings, and participates in required trainings, including but not limited to behavioral and medical trainings, as needed.
• Ensures that all required documentation (paper and electronic) is completed /processed appropriately, in a timely manner, and meets quality and compliance thresholds.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
Responsibilities of All FREE Employees
• Always communicates in a respectful manner with all people including the people we support, supervisors, other valued team members, and members of the community.
• Complies fully with FREE’s confidentiality policies by holding in strictest confidence all information pertaining to members, residents, the people we support and their families, clients, providers, contractors, and employees.
• Meets all safety training requirements; adheres to all safety policies and reports any and all unsafe conditions; takes measures to prevent accidents and/or eliminate conditions that pose a safety or health risk.
• Coordinates, supports, attends and participates in all required events/ meetings/ reviews/ committees, including ones outside of standard working hours.
• Meets all job requirements and stays in compliance.
• Adheres to FREE’s standard of ethical behavior as outlined in the Employee Handbook and Code of Conduct as well as applicable laws and regulations.
Please note the above duties, responsibilities, and essential functions are a non-exhaustive list, and may be changed by FREE at any time, with or without notice to the employee.
QUALIFICATIONS
• Education:
o High School Diploma or equivalent is required
• Experience:
o Experience performing related job duties preferred
• Specialized Training, Licenses, Certifications:
o Not required, training will be provided upon hire as needed
• Knowledge, Skills, Competencies, and Abilities:
o 18 years of age or older
o Proficient computer skills preferred
o Proficient writing skills with grasp of basic grammar and spelling
o Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment with flexibility, keeping others informed and anticipating needs is essential
o Must be efficient, well organized, and have excellent communication skills
• Other Requirements:
o Valid NYS Driver’s License and satisfy criteria to be a driver for the agency is required
o Must be able to be reached by phone
WORK ENVIRONMENT
This role is performed in-person and requires extensive travel. Community DSPs might be required to utilize their own transportation to provide services (program dependent). Staff might be required to utilize their personal cell phone for the Electronic Health Records system (program dependent).
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
• Employee is required to sit, walk and stand for prolonged period of time (at least 8 hours).
• Employee is required to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing.
• Employee is required to operate standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, fax and filing cabinets.
• Employee is required to reach with hands and arms.
• Employee is required to bend, stoop, kneel, crouch or stand on a stool as needed.
• Employee is required to be able to lift 50 pounds at a time.
Notwithstanding the above listed physical requirements of this position, FREE will provide reasonable accommodations to allow employees to perform the essential functions of the position, provided such reasonable accommodations do not cause undue hardship on FREE.
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