DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL A, RESIDENTIAL - CHARLOTTESVILLE (FULL TIME)

Region Ten CSB; Charlottesville (VA); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional community services board in Charlottesville, VA seeks a Direct Support Professional I to provide essential services for adults with developmental disabilities. Responsibilities include ensuring consumer safety, assisting with personal care, and teaching life skills while adhering to professional standards. The ideal candidate must possess a High School Diploma or GED, hold a valid Virginia Driver’s License, and ideally have two years of experience in human services. This position offers FT, PT, or PRN schedules.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED equivalent required.
• Two years’ experience in a human service field is preferred.
• Must hold a current valid Virginia Driver’s License.
• Certification in First Aid/CPR and behavior management or crisis intervention often required.

Responsibilities

• Ensure health and safety of consumers.
• Provide planned and emergency services.
• Assist with self-administration of consumer medications.
• Teach personal care skills.
• Record data on individual performances.

Skills

Behavior management

Community integration

Documentation

Counseling

Safety procedures

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Job description

General Statement Of Responsibilities

This is a FLSA non‑exempt position. The incumbent serves as a Direct Support Professional I in a Region Ten residential program for adults with developmental disabilities. The Direct Support Professional A must maintain safe conditions for the program participants or residents and provide specific training, supervision, and assistance services, documenting as directed.

The incumbent reports to the Residential Program Manager, On‑call Manager, and /or Residential Director. Duties require proceeding alone under standard practices, referring questionable situations to the supervisor. Shift and site supervision is offered by Senior DSP/Program Manager. DSP A carries out position duties analyzing facts and determining actions within the limits of standard practice. The Direct Support Professional I is an employee of the Center for Adult Developmental Services and may be asked at any time by management to work at any given location as needed by various programs. He/she is expected to perform in accordance with applicable professional ethics, state quality assurance standards, Medicaid waiver regulations as well as established Region Ten policies.

Major Duties

• Ensures the health and safety of consumers and provides planned and emergency services
• Counsels and manages behaviors by prevention or de‑escalation of aggression as needed
• Conducts and supervises community integration with residents.
• Teaches targeted skills in house and in the community.
• Assists with self‑administration of consumer medications. Follows agency medication administration policy and procedures.
• Provides a person‑centered approach to services by understanding important to and important for concepts. Understands the importance of community engagement and full inclusion for adults with disabilities and works to ensure that person‑centered activities are offered. This includes assuring that ancillary needs such as transportation, funds, proper attire and the like are attended to in assisting individuals in meeting their personal community inclusion goals.
• Assists, supervises, and or trains all consumers in personal care skills (i.e. toileting, showering/bathing, tooth‑brushing medications, menses care) as needed.
• Performs CPR/First Aid/Crisis intervention for medical or behavioral emergencies following training guidelines.
• Performs all direct care responsibilities working solo at any designated site.
• Records data on individual performances across a wide range of educational and behavioral programs. Completes documentation following all licensing requirements.
• Facilitation of consumers in home care skills – informal and formal training through general upkeep, maintenance, meal preparation, cooking, laundry, shopping and grocery list preparation.
• Meetings – attends Team meeting to review resident care and facility operations.
• Attends training classes, seminars, and workshops as required by supervisor. Participates in required training using agency online systems.
• Using a person‑centered approach to provide support, focusing on teaching new skills that increase choice and control as needed. Adheres to the agency policies, HCBS and Human Rights Guidelines. Staff interventions will include teaching alternative behaviors, using prevention or de‑escalation strategies as outlined by the Region Ten Crisis Intervention and Behavior Management training. Physical restraints will be used as a last resort to protect the client or others from harm. Staff must use methods as outlined in the Region Ten Behavior Management/Crisis Intervention training class.
• Staff are required to stay alert and be readily available to respond at all times during their shifts. Incumbent must have the energy, stamina, and mobility to meet the community integration/domestic skills and personal care needs of consumers. Able to physically assist individuals to evacuate from a building in the event of an emergency.
• Transports resident to planned services, or arrange and train transportation skills applicable. Transportation duties require availability of personal car for business use.
• Acquires and maintains valid certification in First Aid, CPR, Medication administration, Behavior Management and Crisis intervention in order to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the program and/other residence and to comply with state and federal residential staffing requirements.
• Is considered an essential staff and if a scheduled staff is not able to report to work on‑site staff may be required to stay at the site until relief staff can arrive and relieve them of their duties. Consumers who require 24‑hour care may not be left unattended.
• Reads all in‑house, agency, consumer, team, division information/communication.
• Performs lifting procedures following specific trained guidelines. Uses adaptive equipment to assist with mobility and lifting needs of the clients.
• May be required to work in other program locations during scheduled hours to meet needs of consumers and/or facilities.
• Displays professional behavior; works effectively with individuals and team; communicates professionally and with respect to confidentiality; maintains good interpersonal relationships; works with teammates to problem‑solve; and executes service delivery with attention to safety and quality of care.
• Must be able to use a computer effectively to document consumer care in the electronic record; create word documents and communicate effectively in writing reports, emails and creating correspondence in concise and grammatically correct manner.
• Other job‑related duties as assigned by the program manager, director, senior director and/or other designated supervisor

Qualifications

The incumbent must be physically able to respond to behavioral and medical emergencies, go up and down stairs, ambulate quickly in home and community settings. The incumbent must be able to perform all duties including physically assisting individuals with wheelchair transfers, which will require lifting, and assistance with personal care/hygiene tasks.

Education

• High School Diploma or GED equivalent required.

Experience

• Two years’ experience in a human service field is preferred.

Certification/License

• To ensure the safe and efficient operation of the program, all employees in this position must meet the standards of the Region Ten Acceptable Driving Policy. This includes the following:
• Must hold a current valid Virginia Driver’s License (must be non‑expired, not suspended, not restricted)
• Must be able to provide proof of insurance on personal vehicle (employee must be listed as covered driver)
• Have acceptable driving record (certain driving convictions will not meet the definition of an acceptable driver)

Ksas

Knowledge of: characteristics of developmental disabilities including intellectual disabilities; autism; epilepsy; cerebral palsy; first aid; CPR; medication management; emergency procedures; counseling techniques with verbal and non‑verbal persons; teaching techniques, prompting, breaking down information, chaining steps; documentation of different skills; procedures for preventing, diffusing and managing aggression; services available in Charlottesville for resources and back‑up for emergencies; standard residential operating procedures.

Skills in: systematic implementation of a wide range of behavioral programs and instructional formats; counseling verbal and non‑verbal persons; recognizing and responding to medical emergencies; supervising and organizing residents and household schedule when on a solo shift; written and oral communication of “PRN” information to other staff, and other shifts regarding resident needs; accurately describing and recording data and observations; skills in use of non‑aversive techniques to manage behavior problems; facilitating community integration; personal computers and keyboarding; and accessing community resources.

Abilities to: make sound and safe decisions as regards behavior management, health needs, emergencies; perform work assignments under little or no direct supervision as the supervisor may be at a different location; analyze needs of non‑verbal residents and respond appropriately; conduct domestic (daily living and self‑help skills training), community and recreational skills training programs following systems of least prompts, chaining, and a variety of reinforcement schedules; de‑escalate and manage aggressive persons; and drive defensively. Ability to meet the physical demands of the job including lifting a consumer who needs assistance and use of assistive devices. Staff should be able to support consumers as needed so that consumers may attain mobility goals. Incumbent must have the energy, stamina, and mobility to meet the community integration /domestic skills training needs of consumers.

Grade

7

Position Location

500 Old Lynchburg Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903

Schedule

FT, PT, PRN