To counsel, assist and train individuals with developmental disabilities in the areas of personal care, travel skills, social skills, home management and life skills in order to maximize their functioning in the community.

Minimum Job Requirements:

Education:

High School diploma or General Education Degree (GED).

Experience:

Minimum 1-year experience working with developmentally disabled population preferably in a residential, health or treatment related setting preferred.

Specialized Knowledge, Licenses, etc.:

• Specialized training in direct care provision preferred.
• Must complete and obtain certification in OPWDD Approved Medication Administration Course (AMAP)during probationary period and maintain AMAP certification.
• Valid NYS Driver’s License required.
• Ability and willingness to be First Aid and CPR certified.
• Ability and willingness to obtain certification in SCIPR Competencies and advance to Promote Competencies
• Demonstrated competency in written, verbal, and computational skills to document records in accordance with program standards.

Physical Demands:

• Regularly required to speak clearly and hear the spoken word well.
• Regularly required to utilize near vision ability to read data and documents, including spreadsheets and reports, in printed form and on computer screens.
• Regularly required to provide physical care for clients and individuals, which may include, but is not limited to bathing, feeding, changing clothes or diapers, and pushing wheelchairs.
• Ability to physically restrain challenging behaviors that include aggression, self-injurious, and destructive behaviors.
• Ability to apply proper lifting techniques.

Work Environment:

• Noise level is consistent with levels usually present in an office, education, group home, residential, rehabilitation, industrial, workshop or health related environment.
• Hazards present are consistent with those common to an office, education, rehabilitation, industrial, workshop or health related environment.
• Working with individuals whose age ranges from childhood to adulthood.

Essential Functions:

Support the individual by supporting a comfortable home environment. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Provide safe and clean environment for the individual based on skill level and risks and support the safety of all individuals in everyday situations.
• Use verbal and physical means to create a positive environment that will encourage and enable individual growth.
• Using a holistic approach, participate in the individual’s life planning activities and assist in their implementation.
• Assist the individual in the development of social skills that will help the individual become integrated/ included in his or her community.
• Perform protective oversight while engaging in community activities.
• Monitor each individual’s personal health on a continuous basis (during situations of high activity, while bathing/showering/swimming, in the morning and the evening, at meals, while in the community, at all times).
• Assist individuals in learning and practicing skills necessary for home living (indoor household chores such as, but not limited to, cooking, sweeping, dusting, bed-making, vacuuming, and dish-washing, laundry, folding and storing clothes, etc.).
• Provide opportunities for the individual to be self-advocate.
• Perform advocate responsibilities, while demonstrating respect for the processes and people involved.
• Responsible for all documentation related to the essential function and services for the individual.
• Adhere to the procedures for mandated reporting and responding.
• Adhere to the NADSP code of ethics (attached).
• Work towards the satisfactory completion of each of the core competency goals according to the OPWDD timeline requirements.

Other Functions:

• Demonstrates respect for all people.
• Demonstrates professional demeanor, attention to punctuality and attendance policies, reliability, flexibility, and pleasantness.
• Professionally interacts with other staff members and with others in the community.
• Demonstrates enthusiasm for learning the knowledge and skills required to perform the job.
• Readily seeks and accepts feedback to improve performance.
• Applies knowledge and skills gained on the job and maintain required certifications.
• Participates in the work of the organization in a positive way by using problem solving skills.
• Demonstrates respect for the safety of all others.
• Performs additional responsibilities as assigned by the Senior Staff.
• May be assigned other tasks and duties reasonably related to their job responsibilities.
• Adheres to all rules outlined in the policy and procedures manual.

The position description is a guide to the critical duties and essential functions of the job, not an all-inclusive list of responsibilities, qualifications, physical demands, and work environment conditions. Position descriptions are reviewed and revised to meet the changing needs of the agency at the sole discretion of management.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions unless this causes undue hardship to the company.

Performance is evaluated each year based on these competencies and the NADSP code of ethics.

Responsible for enrolling students in program at multiple sites; responsible for guiding families through the enrollment process from initial review until the child begins program; coordinate timely submission of annual and quarterly reports to appropriate district administrators; communicate with evaluation coordinators.

Enrollment

• Maintain full program enrollment at all times, throughout the 12 month school year.
• Work diligently to implement policies and procedures that support full student enrollment at all Birch Family Services schools.

Correspondence & Ongoing Monitoring

• Correspond with district administrators
• Correspond with parents and families
• Correspond with Evaluation Coordinators
• Correspond with bussing coordinator, principal, educational supervisor, related service supervisors
• Correspond with supervisor, Agency Evaluation and Intake Coordinator
• Monitor the first attend dates of newly enrolled students
• Monitor the bussing of newly enrolled students
• Monitor the distribution and review of IEPs by all relevant staff members

Coordination of Annual Reviews & Quarterly Reports

• Track and ensure completion of annual and quarterly progress reports for all students
• Ensure that reports are sent in a timely manner to district administrators and parents

Outreach and marketing

• Coordinate site based outreach projects
• Establish relationships with district administrators
• Establish relationships with community personnel to maintain student referrals
• Represent BFS at local community meetings

• Communication, Oral - Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken word.
• Communication, Written - Ability to communicate in writing clearly and concisely.
• Motivation - Ability to inspire oneself and others to reach a goal and/or perform to the best of their ability.
• Organized - Possessing the trait of being organized or following a systematic method of performing a task.
• Time Management - Ability to utilize the available time to organize and complete work within given deadlines.

Education

BA preferred; will accept High School diploma with experience in educational setting.

Experience

Two to four years related experience

SKILLS & ABILITIES

Computer Skills

Microsoft Office, Excel, Word and Outlook

EEO Statement

Birch Family Services provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Birch Family Services complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.Birch Family Services expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Birch Family Services’ employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.