Direct Support Professional

Job Description

Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) Direct Support Professional

SUMMARY:

The Direct Support Professional provides crucial daily living support and assistance to individuals residing in one of the agency’s Community Integrated Living Arrangements (CILA). This role operates under the direct supervision of the CILA Team Leader, with additional support from the Supported Living Program Manager, ensuring residents receive comprehensive care and opportunities for personal growth.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide Training and Guidance: Educate and guide residents in Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) settings across various life skills, including activities of daily living (e.g., hygiene practices), community integration (e.g., facilitating outings and participation in local events), and economic self-sufficiency skills (e.g., accurate recording of financial transactions).
• Direct Personal Care: Offer direct personal care and/or oversight as needed, ensuring residents’ comfort and well-being.
• Customer Service and Relationships: Deliver excellent customer service to residents and their families, fostering positive relationships and maintaining open lines of communication.
• Medication Management and Health Monitoring: Ensure residents’ medication needs are met by closely monitoring and documenting their medication regimen. Promptly bring any health issues or concerns to the attention of the supervisor.
• Community Integration and Transportation: Actively work within and participate in the community to assist residents in utilizing available resources and developing natural support networks. This includes providing client transportation as required.
• Documentation: Complete all required documentation accurately and in a timely manner.
• Household Management: Prepare and/or utilize basic household necessities such as food, program supplies, and cleaning supplies. Take responsibility for the overall appearance and cleanliness of the home, including daily housekeeping tasks.
• Safety Compliance: Adhere to and maintain all safety procedures and actively participate in safety drills to ensure a secure environment for all residents and staff.

Supervisory Responsibilities

None

Requirements

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

To successfully perform this job, an individual must demonstrate the ability to satisfactorily execute each essential duty. The following requirements represent the necessary knowledge, skill, and/or ability.

EDUCATION And/or EXPERIENCE

• Must possess a High School Diploma or G.E.D.
• Experience working in a residential setting with individuals with developmental disabilities is preferred.

Language Skills

• Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos.
• Ability to write routine reports and simple correspondence.
• Ability to interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to residents and other employees of the organization.

Mathematical Skills

• Ability to add and subtract two-digit numbers and to multiply and divide with 10’s and 100’s.
• Ability to perform these operations using units of American money and weight measurement, volume, and distance.
• Ability to compute percentages.

Reasoning Ability

• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

• Must have a valid driver’s license.
• Must have valid auto insurance.

OTHER SKILLS And ABILITIES

• Must be able to develop effective and efficient communication skills through instruction and training.
• Must be able to adapt favorably to changing program needs.
• Must possess a genuine interest in the welfare of clients.
• Must be able to develop knowledge of behavior principles through instruction and training.
• Must pass the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) with an eighty percent or higher.
• Ability to learn basic computer operations for client data tracking, incident reporting, and other processes deemed necessary by the supervisory staff.

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.

• Regularly Required: Use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; talk and hear.
• Frequently Required: Stand, walk, and sit.
• Occasionally Required: Bend, stoop, squat, crawl, climb-height, reach above shoulder level, crouch, kneel, balance, and push/pull.
• Continuously Required: Lift up to 10 lbs.
• Occasionally Required: Lift between 11 lbs – 50 lbs.
• Repetitive Actions: Use both left and right hands for simple grasping, firm grasping, and fine manipulating.
• Driving: Must have the ability to drive the agency’s van.
• Client Assistance: Must be able to provide assistance to individuals as needed, such as maneuvering wheelchairs, or assisting clients in ambulating and transferring when necessary.
• Alertness: Must be able to stay awake during the employee’s work shift.
• Vision: Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and peripheral vision.

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.

• The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.