Residential Support Staff

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITES:

The Residential Support Specialist – Adult Group Homes is a Paraprofessional responsible for providing Psycho-Educational and supportive therapeutic interventions that are intended to meet the mental health, developmental disability, and/or substance abuse needs of clients with significant functional deficits or who because of negative environmental, medical or biological factors, are at risk of developing or increasing the magnitude of such functional deficits. You will be responsible for providing essential expertise and consultation to the entire interdisciplinary healthcare team to promote a culture in which each individual’s point of view and preferences are recognized, understood, respected, and integrated into treatment, rehabilitation, and community self-help activities while serving as an advocate for clients. Services are structured and scheduled activities for adults aged 18 and older with MH/SA disability. You will provide services that are individualized, recovery focused approach that promotes the development of wellness self-management, personal recovery, natural supports, coping skills, and self-advocacy skills and development of independent living skills for housing, employment, and full community inclusion. Support staff are responsible for tasks that ensure a beneficiary has 24 hour a day, seven (7) day a week access to supports to meet their behavioral health and physical needs. They work closely with clinical staff to support and monitor the acquisition of new skills, ensure basic daily needs and activities of daily living are completed and recorded, and support in the recovery-oriented interventions. The support staff work closely with medical staff to ensure monitoring is completed and recorded. Support Staff may coordinate with beneficiary’s primary physician when needed. This position is to be supervised by a Qualified Professional or an Associate Professional within the identified disability area.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITITES:

1. Works directly with clients, (individually or groups) in a naturally occurring and residential facility on functional problems that occur in that setting. Focuses on assisting the client in preventing, overcoming, or managing functional deficits in school, home or in assisting the primary caregiver in acquiring the skills needed to assist the client in all functional domains: vocational, educational, personal care, domestic, psychosocial, communication, problem solving, adaptive, etc.
2. Provides preventive, developmental, and therapeutic interventions designed to direct client activities.
3. Comply with NCAC 27G.5600A requirements for care in a supervised living facility

1. Use psychoeducation strategies and recovery interventions to support the individual
2. Take, record, and report out vital signs as ordered by medical staff
3. Assist with ARC LOU requirements as requested by your supervisor
4. Assist with shopping and meal preparation as required
5. Assist with housekeeping and maintenance of the residence
6. Assist with intake/tenant leasing processes as requested by supervisor
7. Observe and document medications taken by residents
8. Coordinate with pharmacy as needed to assure MAR’s and prescriptions are delivered
9. Transport residents as necessary to appointments, outings, shopping, etc
10. Assist with any coordination of repairs and or emergency repairs as needed
11. Communicate observations and recommendations effectively in written and verbal form
12. Assist with crisis interventions
13. Work independently and as a member of the team
14. Communicate effectively with the individual, staff, and others
15. Learn and apply recovery-oriented practices and person- centered approaches when working with an individual
16. Use psychoeducation strategies and recovery interventions to support a beneficiary with SUD;
17. Assist in skill building interventions;
18. Follow the PCP/service plan and clinical orders;
19. Participate in team meetings and provide input into the service planning process and or PCP

1. Maintain client confidentiality in adherence to HIPPA regulations.
2. Complete in a timely manner, accurate clinical documentation of all services, interventions, and client-related activities. Maintain this documentation in accordance with the standards of SEIC.

1. Other duties as assigned.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Ensure that the facility functions smoothly during assigned shift.
2. Inform consumers about benefits, community resources, and services.
3. Assist consumers with obtaining resources and services.
4. Consult with other treatment staff
5. Ensure that predetermined activities take place
6. Work a varied shift when necessary.
7. Maintain the confidentiality of SEIC and the patients/clients that the corporation serves.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS:

1. Strong Psycho-educational skills.
2. Strong daily and community integration skills.
3. Strong family/caregivers training and consultation skills.
4. Strong adaptive skill training in all functional domains including vocational, education, personal care, domestic, social, communication, leisure, problem-solving, etc.
5. Strong behavior and crisis intervention, monitoring, and anticipatory skills.
6. Strong relational supportive skills.
7. Mentoring skills.
8. Strong behavior and anger management techniques.
9. Strong symptom management skills.
10. Wellness evaluation skills.
11. Ability to implement person centered plan.
12. Ability to give input into the person-centered plan.
13. Ability to refer and link recipient to diverse resources (including natural supports, community supports and paid resources.

SUPERVISON REQUIREMENTS:

A supervision plan is required for hiring a paraprofessional. This supervision plan must be updated at least annually. An Associate Professional or Qualified Professional must provide supervision to the paraprofessional. There is neither a minimum nor maximum supervision time required. Supervisor should plan this supervision based on the Paraprofessional’s need.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position does not oversee staff.

QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education/Experience

• Must possess at a minimum High School Diploma/GED
• Bachelor’s degree in human services-preferred
• Must be a Para Professional, Associate Professional or Qualified Professional
• Valid driver's license
• At least twenty-one years old.
• Clean driving record.
• Able to read, write, understand, and follow directions.
• Experience working in a Human Services field.
• Clear Healthcare Registry report.

Required Skills/Abilities

• Be available to collaborate with enrolled members at least 5 days per week.
• Document direct service delivery according to Medicaid and SEIC standards to include: purpose of contact, describes the provider’s interventions, the time spent performing the intervention, the effectiveness of the interventions, the signature (degree, credentials or position) of the person providing the service in a weekly service note.
• Ability to read a medical record and find pertinent information quickly.
• Ability to write complete service notes.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from consumers, and/or the public.

ADDITIONAL TRAINING AND REQUIREMENTS:

• Therapeutic Behavioral Management (Nonviolent Crisis Intervention –NCI)
• Blood-borne Pathogens
• CPR
• First Aid Certification
• Medication Administration
• Client Rights
• Crisis Management
• Multi-cultural and gender specific issues
• Issues of substance abuse and the process of recovery
• HIV/AIDS
• Incident Reporting
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Drug Screening
• Domestic Violence, sexual abuse, and sexual assault
• Confidentiality
• Therapeutic Parenting skills
• Dynamics and needs of emotionally disturbed and substance abusing individuals.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work is performed primarily in the client’s living environment and in the community and may involve exposure to cigarette smoke, domestic animals/pets, household pests, uncomfortable heating/cooling, and other issues related to the domestic location in which service is delivered.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; talk and hear; and taste and smell. The employee frequently is required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee is occasionally required to sit and climb or balance. The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 20 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Must be able to drive and operate a personal vehicle safely and adhere to all applicable state and traffic laws.