Community Habilitation Specialist

Birch Family Services; New York (NY); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Birch Family Services is seeking a compassionate direct care professional to assist individuals with developmental disabilities in independent living, daily living activities, and community integration. You will work with clients to develop social and travel skills, while documenting progress and ensuring safety and compliance with care standards.

The role emphasizes person-centered support, advocacy, and collaboration with the senior staff to meet each person’s goals.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or GED required.
• Minimum 1-year experience working with developmentally disabled population prefered in a residential/health or treatment setting.
• Specialized training in direct care provision preferred.
• First Aid and CPR certification preferred.
• Demonstrated competency in written, verbal, and computational skills to document records.

Responsibilities

• Counsel, support, and assist individuals with developmental disabilities in independent living, personal care, communication, and travel skills.
• Use a holistic, person-centered approach, participate in activities with the person.
• Assist with development of social skills for community integration.
• Support learning of home living skills (cooking and cleaning).
• Provide opportunities for self-advocacy and perform advocate duties when needed.
• Responsible for all documentation related to the services provided.
• Adhere to mandated reporting procedures and NADSP code of ethics.
• Work toward OPWDD core competency goals.

Skills

Communication skills

Documentation

First Aid & CPR

Interpersonal skills

Safety awareness

Education

High School diploma or GED

Tools

SCIPR Competencies

Job description

Essential Functions

Counsel, support, and assist individuals with developmental disabilities in the areas of independent living; personal care, communication skills, and travel skills to increase their independence and comfortability in the community;

• Using a holistic/person centered approach, participate in the person’s life activities alongside them.
• Assist people in the development of social skills that will help the individual become integrated/ feel included in their community.
• Support and/ or assist people in learning and practicing skills necessary for home living (cooking and cleaning).
• Provide opportunities for the person to practice self‑advocacy.
• Perform advocate responsibilities, when necessary.
• Responsible for all documentation related to the essential function and services for the person being supported.
• Adhere to the procedures for mandated reporting and responding.
• Adhere to the NADSP code of ethics (attached).
• Work toward competency of, and practice, each core competency goal, according to OPWDD requirements.

Other Functions

• Demonstrate respect for all people.
• Professionally interact with others.
• Demonstrate professional demeanor, attention to punctuality and attendance policies, reliability, flexibility, and pleasantness.
• Demonstrate enthusiasm for learning the knowledge and skills required to perform the job.
• Be willing and able to seek and accept feedback to improve performance.
• Apply knowledge and skills gained towards providing service and maintain required certifications.
• Participate in the work of the organization in a positive way by using problem solving skills.
• Demonstrate care for the safety of others.
• Perform additional responsibilities assigned by the Senior Staff.
• Be willing to perform tasks and duties reasonably related to 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, a person 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.

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.

Qualifications

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.
• First Aid and CPR certified preferred.
• Demonstrated competency in written, verbal, and computational skills to document records in accordance with program standards.

Physical Demands

• Ability and willingness to obtain certification in SCIPR Competencies and advance to Promote Competencies.
• Regularly required to listen well and speak clearly.
• Regularly required to read data and documents, including spreadsheets and reports, when printed and/ or on computer screens.

Work Environment

• The home of the person being supported.
• The community, based on the preference of the person being supported.