Direct Support Professional 1

Community-Link-; Fairview Heights (IL); On-site; USD 19,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Community-Link- seeks a dedicated support professional to assist individuals in achieving meaningful activities and growth within the community. You will provide person-centered supports, help with daily living tasks, and promote safety and well‑being during all activities.

Responsibilities include aiding participants with transportation, enforcing plans, and advocating for preferences while following agency policies. Strong communication and adaptability are essential in this role.

Qualifications

• Ability to read and interpret documents such as participant program plans and procedure manuals.
• Ability to write routine reports and effectively present information to participants.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide using money and measurement units.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and adapt to changing program needs.

Responsibilities

• Assist participant to develop and engage in meaningful activities.
• Provide supports identified in participants’ approved plans.
• Ensure safety and well‑being for participants during all activities.
• Provide personal care including restroom use, hygiene, meals, and minor medical issues.
• Encourage participants to communicate and advocate for their preferences.
• Provide transportation to and from Community Day Services locations and the community as needed.
• Observe agency policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Skills

Language skills

Mathematical skills

Reasoning ability

Other skills

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Job description

SUMMARY

Assists individuals to work toward and achieve outcomes, and to promote personal growth, community integration, economic potential, and have meaningful experiences and interactions.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Assist participant to develop and engage in interesting and meaningful activities.
• Provide supports identified in participants’ approved plans.
• Ensure safety and well-being for participants during all program activities.
• Provide appropriate personal care to participants, including assistance with restroom use, hygiene, meals, and minor medical issues.
• Encourage and aid participants to communicate and advocate their preferences.
• Provide transportation for participants to and from Community Day Services locations and the community in the form of driving and/or monitoring oversight as needed.
• Observe agency policies, procedures, and guidelines.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

None

Requirements

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

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.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Must have a High School Diploma or G.E.D.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read and interpret documents such as participant program plans and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports. Ability to effectively present information in one on one and small group situations to participants.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to perform these operations using units of money.

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.

OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES

Must be able to develop effective and efficient communications skills through instruction and training, to adapt favorably to changing program needs and have genuine interest in the welfare of participants. Must be able to develop basic knowledge of behavior principles through instruction and training. Capability with basic computer operation for participant 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.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, and sit. The employee occasionally is required to bend stoop, squat, crawl, climb-height, reach above shoulder level, crouch, kneel, balance and push/pull. The employee continuously is required to lift up to 10 lbs. The employee occasionally is required to lift between 11 lbs – 50 lbs. The job requires the employee to use the left and right hand for repetitive actions for simple grasping, firm grasping and fine manipulating.

The employee must be able to provide assistance to individuals as needed such as maneuvering wheelchairs, or assisting participants in ambulating and transferring when necessary. The employee is occasionally required to use a keyboard and mouse to input information and view a computer monitor. Must be able to stay awake during the employee’s work shift.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and peripheral vision.

The employee must have the ability to drive agency vehicles.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

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