GENERAL FUNCTION:
The Direct Support Worker II (DSW II) is responsible is to assist the professional service team in the execution of habilitation and rehabilitation plans for those with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, including behavioral or mental health needs.  The DSW’s role is to recognize that men and women with intellectual disabilities can learn and enjoy growing in skill and knowledge, and that they can live their lives as full community citizens and with fully vested rights if they are provided the correct supports.  The DSW II supports participants’ abilities to learn by showing them how to do things, engaging them in doing things for themselves to the best of their abilities, completing activities for them when needed, and providing repetition of these learning opportunities, even when the progress is slow.   The DSW II knows that he or she is there to teach and support the everyday things and activities of a normalized life and the abilities and activities that lead to as much independence of the supported persons as possible for fully satisfying community lives.     
 
  This DSW II addresses needs with strategies described in the Individual Service Plan of a supported person with more complex physical, medical, mental health, or behavioral needs. He or she assists the individual or individuals with whom he or she works in obtaining benefits such as housing, food stamps, or other life sustaining governmental services that have been identified as needed.  He or she provides modeling and instruction for developing and maintaining community relationships that are compatible with the individual’s needs and interests. He or she assists the individual in developing socially appropriate behaviors or accessing therapeutic services to do so.  He or she communicates regularly with the manager regarding the effectiveness of the individualized plans and any needed changes in those, reports changes observed in the needs of the supported individuals, and does so immediately if those changes affect health or safety, are medical emergencies, are related to issues of suspected abuse or neglect, or are a request for changes in services. He or she works closely with management and staff development to provide mentoring to incoming staff.
 
 
 
QUALIFICATIONS:
 

• Valid driver’s license and ability to drive car or van
• Dependable transportation available on the job
• Ability to follow (operationalize and document) participants’ plans of care
• Ability to assess, instruct, and support social needs of those served
• Ability to teach basic concepts of daily living
• Ability to assess and provide for personal care needs
• General knowledge of community resources
• General knowledge of personal health and personal/home safety 
• Knowledge of basic nutrition and the ability to cook
• Ability to organize, clean and maintain a household
• Ability to handle and use adaptive equipment including wheelchairs, walkers, lifts, etc.
• General knowledge of financial matters (general banking/budgeting skills)
• Available to work flexible days/hours

• Read, comprehend and implement program guidelines and standards
• Facilitate community connections 
• Articulate and follow ARCO’s philosophy
• Write with clarity
• Communicate in a way which promotes positive and personal growth of the individual
• Model behavior and interactions appropriate to community standards
• Meet Core Standards

1. Fully uses his or her time with a participant to engage him or her in activities described below: 

1. Assuring that activities of the ISP occur at the time and place designated as desired by the participant or participants. 
2. Providing follow-up and reinforcing activities in areas of interest to the participant/s.
3. Encouraging and modeling engagement in self-development activities of fun, intellectual, domestic, and personal care growth.

2. Treats participants with respect, recognizing and supporting their adulthood and rights as any other citizen.
3. Supports participants’ social and personal needs including:
4. Assisting with communicating and engaging others who are significant in their lives;
5. Enlarging their circle of friends through engagements in social activities that introduce new individuals or interests;
6. Teaching and modeling social interactions which are socially appropriate and personally satisfying;
7. Creating new opportunities for social engagement and providing opportunities to practice social skill building;
8. Teaching and assuring that each individual has the social resources (manners, communication skills, clothing cleanliness and appearance, etc.) to appropriately fit into the social situations of their interest.
9. Assisting the participant to engage in social services or mental health services for habilitative or rehabilitative purposes.
4. Supports participants with very high needs with their personal care including specific strategies for hand’s-on instruction and/or physical assistance, whichever is needed by the individual.  This includes bathing, dressing, toileting, management of salvia or nasal mucus, or any other bodily function.  It may include use of assistive devices and equipment for the safety of both the employee and the participant.  It also includes assuring that personal hygiene supplies are in adequate supply, developing lists and shopping for personal hygiene items.  It includes assuring that the Team Manager is aware of the needs of the individual.

1. Assures that assigned participants’ social needs are not overshadowed by his or her high health/ physical need.  Meeting health/physical needs is viewed as the means by which social needs can be met.  Engages health care professionals as needed and assists in assuring that these plans are followed.
2. Works closely with any health care or mental health care professional as well as ARCO’s Health and Fitness Coordinator to clearly understand and execute procedures that support the health of the participants. Arranging for interventions by mental health professionals as needed and assuring that the treatment strategies are carried out.

5. Supports participants’ household and other domestic needs including instruction and/or physical assistance with house cleaning, organizing for efficiency and décor with consideration for sanitation as well, doing and putting laundry away in an organized efficient manner, maintaining a clean and well stocked kitchen with proper cookware, utensils, and servicing dishes, assuring cleaning supplies are adequate in amount and type, developing shopping lists and assisting with shopping.  

6. Supports participants with their health needs, assuring that their health needs are identified and addressed accordingly, including but not limited to:  

1. Being cognizant of each assigned participant’s health concerns, watching for symptoms that indicate there is a need to be addressed, informing the Registered Nurse and ARCO management of these recognized or suspected needs;
2. Following orders or recommendations of health care providers including professionals such as the registered nurse, dietitian, psychologist, social worker, or physical therapist. Documenting according to orders of health care provider.
3. Giving or supervising medication administrations according to the required rules; 
4. Assuring that health care visits, lab work, physical exercises, use and care of equipment or assistive devices, or other prescribed or needed health concerns or assignments are met;
5. Cooking nutritionally healthy meals and snacks according to the preferences and particular health needs of the individuals being served.  Developing ingredient lists and shopping for these.
6. Communicating any and all information regarding these health care needs to one’s Team Manager, or in that person’s absence, the Department Director.
7. Reporting changes in participant’s condition to Team Manager upon discovery, immediately doing so in cases of emergencies, including medical emergency.  Reporting immediately to the RN as well as the Team Manager in the case of medical emergencies.
8.  Working with the Team Manager, Registered Nurse or other professional, or the Health and Fitness Coordinator to acquire skills needed to accurately address health and safety needs.
9. Assuring and teaching about a safe environment in terms of:

•  household or vehicle temperature between 65 and 80 degrees as determined by the participant and generally safe and comfortable conditions, 
• storage and usage of harmful household products, 
• being free from rodents or pests,
• neighborhood safety, stranger danger, visitors to the participant, 
• pedestrian safety, 
• functional smoke detector and fire extinguisher
• evacuating and sheltering strategies for emergency situations,  
• as well as any other safety needs that arise in participants’ day-to-day activities.
• safe travel, including vehicular and pedestrian travel.

10. Assisting with pets of participant as needed.

7. Under the direction of the Team Manager or Finance and Benefits Coordinator, supports and/or instructs on financial matters, to include (but not limited to): budgeting, checking account transactions, savings, housing (section 8), SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, and Food Stamps.

8. Supports the behavioral health needs of the participants, following behavior support strategies and using Crisis Prevention Institute methods when required.  Evaluates the effectiveness of prescribed services or activities reports any occurrences that call for the use of individualized strategies.

9. Assists as needed in the development of the individualized service plan, to provide information relative to the strengths, needs, and preferences of the participants and where appropriate, their families, and carries out the ISP as developed.  Reports to Team Manager on effectiveness of plan.

10. Timely, fully, and accurately documents and submits documentation related to the individual and his or her services to include (but not limited to): progress of goals or plans, contacts, training hours, daily logs, other relevant reports, time sheets, etc.  Assures that daily documentation is completed and available for inspection in real time.  Where requested by management, assists with collection and filing in records.  

11. Provides transportation as necessary, desirable and feasible.  Safely and accurately uses lifts or other mechanical devices needed for transportation.  Places wheel chairs, walkers, etc. in typical car when needed.  Practices defensive driving.  Accurately documents and submits transportation logs as required.

12. Participates in in-service training as required by ARCO. 

13. Assists in obtaining durable medical equipment or interventive devices as needed. Works with vendors and medical professionals as needed to achieve this.  Attends to the details of equipment: cleanliness, condition, warranty, etc. and reports these to the Health and Fitness Coordinator and then accurately and timely follows-through on directions.

14. Takes care of ARCO equipment or devices, and uses these only for their intended purposes for agency business.  Reports any misuse or inappropriate activity with devices or equipment.   

15. Uses and permits ARCO’s use of electronic communication (tablets, real-time cameras, videos, etc.) and GPS tracking of activities for the business purposes of ARCO as described in the consents provided in specific training for these.   

16. Captures and transmits Electronic Visit Verification accurately and timely as required by the State and by ARCO, if that is a function of the job. 
17. Protects HIPAA information as required by law. To use an electronic tablet provided by ARCO for capturing and communicating HIPAA protected information including Electronic Visit Verification billing or other business, and to communicate with management through the use of this tablet. 
18. Allows monitoring of all devices and applications used for work purposes, including those that are personal devices with which ARCO work or information is done or stored.
19. Assists with inter-agency committees as well as inner-agency committees through direct involvement and support.

20. Represents the agency and its participants in a professional manner through appropriate interactions with participant and others while in the community, modeling agency tenets and dress.

21. Reports to the Team Manager when the participant requests a change in services and does so within 24 hours of the next business day.

22. Reports suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, or extortion immediately on the day of discovery to the Team Manager or Department Director.  Should these not be available, the Executive Director.

23. Competently completes required training, including but not limited to initial 16 hours, annual 16 hours, courses required by governing standards, person specific training, and any other training focused on service delivery or weaknesses in performance.

24. Employees are expected to occasionally participate in a broad array of agency efforts where the work may differ from the typical functions of the job for which an employee was hired and to do so in a way that promotes the mission of the agency.  Employees are required to have their names, pictures, or videos used by ARCO in a way that informs a targeted group or general public of the agency’s work and mission.
25. Performs any other duties as required by manager.

• Perform physical duties including, but are not limited to:

• Lifting, carrying and or pushing supplies and light equipment necessary to assist in the routine cleaning in one’s personal office or work space or to collect/carry office supplies.
• Lifting without assistance a person or thing that weighs under 40 pounds; lift a person or thing that weighs over 40 pounds with assistance.  A reasonable consideration of the actual weight to be lifted should determine the number of people or the kind of assistance needed to lift a larger than 40 pound object or person.
• Handling or positioning a person of any size where the person’s full body weight is being otherwise supported (wheelchair, lift, using CPI measures, etc.).
• Assisting a person into and operating lifts, and pushing or pulling wheelchairs, standers, or other adaptive equipment according to the manufacturer’s standards and adjusting the person in these pieces of equipment.
• Performing household/grounds cleaning activities, including using tools and equipment necessary at the participants’ homes, ARCO facility or any other facility where ARCO work is done. This includes but is not limited to:  bending, stooping, squatting, lifting, carrying, reaching overhead, pushing, or pulling needed for:

5. Mopping, sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning walls, cabinets, etc.;
5. Washing and storing dishes, storing foods, household supplies, cleaning refrigerator, stove, etc.
5. Carrying clothes to laundry, lifting into washer or dryer,
5. Moving furnishings.
6. Other common household or grounds activities

• Apply passive physical restraints using Crisis Preventative Institute (CPI) methods and strategies as presented in training to prevent injury to the individual, another person, oneself, or property.

• Attend to injuries using First Aid, discerning the difference when First Aid alone is not adequate and immediately engage emergency medical assistance.  Apply CPR as indicated in training.

·      Run or walk briskly when necessary to keep a participant safe or secure.

·      Work extended hours without rest when called for by the situation including, but not limited to, working as a fill-in, responding to an emergency, agency events, participation in workgroups or committees, conferences or seminars. 

• Employee must be able to withstand abusive language or rejective, or physical aggression from program participants and demand of families that may seem unrealistic without becoming personally offended.

• One of the most important aspects when dealing with persons with developmental disabilities is that their ability to understand language and its uses may be severely impaired.  As a result, employees may be subjected to behavior from persons with developmental disabilities that would be completely unacceptable from other employees or visitors to ARCO.  Therefore, abusive language of program participants may include racial slurs, derogatory statements, obscene gestures and language.

• Further, to accept the functional and growth limits of participants in all areas without blame.