Home Community Liaison(Day School Pittsburgh)

Pressley Ridge; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical with HSA

Prescription coverage

Dental and vision

Life insurance & AD&D

Paid sick time

Birthday holiday

Tuition reimbursement

EAP

403b match

Wellness incentive

Job summary

Pressley Ridge in Pittsburgh seeks a Home Community Liaison to identify needs in a student’s ecology and arrange supports to generalize positive outcomes beyond the program. The role works with students and families to implement community-based lessons aligned with IEP goals and behavioral plans.

Responsibilities span clinical and support tasks, family engagement, school coordination, documentation, and ongoing communication with districts, agencies, and caregivers to ensure safe transportation,

Responsibilities

• Identify areas of need within a student’s ecology and arrange to remedy those needs.
• Work with families to discuss home/community strategies aligned to IEP goals.
• Coordinate with teachers, specialists and community providers for services.
• Facilitate parent participation in community activities and school events.
• Maintain documentation and communicate discharge plans with caregivers and agencies.

Job description

Pressley Ridge Benefits

The well-being of our employees and their families is important to us. At Pressley Ridge, we strive to provide the most competitive and comprehensive employee benefit programs that are affordable and help you and your family achieve and maintain your best possible health.

• Medical coverage available with a Health Savings Account (HSA) with employer match
• Prescription coverage
• Dental and vision plans
• Patient advocate and Medicare specialists available at no cost
• Dependent Care Flexible Savings Account
• Wellness incentive (up to $250)
• 403b with up to 9% employer give/match
• Free life insurance and AD&D
• Paid sick time (up to 15 days)
• Paid holidays including a birthday holiday
• Tuition reimbursement (if applicable)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Position Summary

The Home Community Liaison (HCL) is responsible for identifying areas of need within a student’s ecology and arranging to remedy those needs to ensure the generalization and maintenance of positive program effects beyond the program environment. This position will also include working with students/ families to ensure effective development and instruction of community-based lessons outlined in the individual educational plans and behavioral plans of students.

Essential Responsibilities

• Clinical and Support
  • Work with families to assess areas of need.
  • Present progress on identified needs during interdisciplinary reviews.
  • Implement the services required in conjunction with the overall educational/behavioral program of the student.
  • Arrange for each student’s parents/guardians to visit the school, at least, two times per year.
  • Participate in interdisciplinary reviews at which students who are nearing readiness for discharge are identified.
  • Within the interdisciplinary team, design/implement interventions in the school or community setting.
  • Serve as a contributing member responsible for the educational/behavioral development of students.
  • With the special education teacher, deliver and instruct community-based lessons for students and families that directly relate to IEP goals and as well as family goals.
  • Gather appropriate instructional materials.
  • Develop and implement an array of appropriate experiences in the community.
  • Actively implement components of all Re-ED values in the school, home, and community settings.
  • With the team, identify and integrate experiential activities.
  • Demonstrates a proficient level of cultural sensitivity.
• Community Engagement
  • Facilitate parent participation in community outings throughout the school year.
  • Plans and holds 1 out of 4 school-wide family activities (one per nine-week period) per program year.
  • Contact community organizations to increase opportunities for the students
  • Work with school districts and transportation providers to ensure that appropriate and safe transportation services are available.
  • Participate in all regularly scheduled in-service programs at the school.
  • Inform all other service providers involved with the students of the discharge plans and coordinate the various services they will be providing.
  • Actively encourage each student’s parents/guardians to attend at least one family event during the school year.
  • Meet with the student’s family in their home or community within the first month of school to review school rules and policies (handbook), and to discuss home and community issues that may bear directly on the student’s educational/behavioral program.
  • Maintain, weekly telephone contact and a minimum of one (1) face-to-face contact every month with each student’s parents/guardians.
  • Complete community-based activity summary and share with the special education teacher
  • On an ongoing basis, respond to requests for assistance received from the student, parents, or other agency personnel involved with the student.
• Communication
  • Maintain ongoing communication with the referring school district including scheduling and facilitating meetings.
  • Maintain communication (within the limits of confidentiality) with representatives from all the community agencies (e.g., Children and Youth Services, Juvenile Court, and Mental Health) involved with the student including scheduling and facilitating meetings.
  • Maintain, at a minimum, four (4) to five (5) phone contacts per family over the summer break.
  • Maintain, at a minimum, one (1) face-to-face contact per family over the summer break.
  • With the approval of the Program/Education Director, provide in-service/training programs to other programs.
  • Communicate with identified students and their families regarding discharge planning and encourage their active participation.
• Documentation
  • Utilize technology through electronic documentation, electronic communication, and use of the internet to supplement programming and communication.
  • Maintain written records as required.
  • Gather data, as needed, and assist in the preparation of data and/or summarizing information.
  • Assures that all discharge-related documentation is completed in a timely fashion.
• Leadership
  • Meet with the coordinator during supervision to discuss family/student progress.
  • Assist in monitoring the attendance of each assigned student daily.
  • Develop and implement truancy elimination plans as needed.
  • Meet regularly with each student to discuss and monitor his/her current educational and behavioral current goals, and interests.
• Risk Management and Safety
  • Follow program designated procedures for all physical contact with students during physical restraints, students search, and so on.
  • Assist other staff as needed in physical interventions to protect students and staff from injury.
  • According to a designated schedule, supervise students’ arrival and departure to school via buses and cabs.
  • Detect and remediate with Program/Education Director approval, if necessary, any potentially dangerous environmental condition (such as broken glass).
  • Follow program designated procedures for student illness and injury, including arranging necessary care informing appropriate person of the situation and documenting the injury/illness and actions taken accordingly.
  • When transporting students, maintain safe driving procedures.
• Professional Development
  • With approval the Program/Education Director periodically attend local, state, or national conferences and workshops.
• Supervision
  • Receive supervision.
  • Receive supervision from and actively communicate with supervisor on an ongoing basis throughout the week by phone, email, written message and when possible, in person regarding program matters.

Qualifications

• Education/Credentials/License:
  • Requires a bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, counseling, education, or another childcare field.
  • Requires proficiency in American Sign Language (ASL) within two (2) years of employment for the School for the Deaf.
  • Requires a valid state driver’s license, safe driving record, and current auto insurance.
• Experience:
  • None
• Clearances Required by Applicable Regulations:
  • State Police
  • FBI
  • Child Abuse Clearances
  • Mandated Reporter-Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse training certificate and/or statement

Working Conditions

• Physical Demands:
  • This position requires operating a keypad device 75% of the day and electronic/office equipment 75% of the day. Travel is required approximately 5 times per month and works in weather conditions about 25% of the day. Travel includes transporting students to and from school, school-based appointments, and/or field trips. Fingers, thumbs, hands, wrists, elbows, legs and feet are all routinely used throughout the day. The lower and upper torso is used 25% of the day. Employee must meet minimum requirements for hearing, speech, and vision. For positions in the School for the Deaf, hearing and speech are not requiredbut ASL proficiencyis (see qualifications above). Walking is required 25% of the day. Standing occurs 25% of the day. Sitting happens 75% of the day. Reaching above the shoulder as well as bending and twisting are performed 25% of the day. This function routinely lifts 10 pounds, 4 times per day. The maximum lift is under 50 pounds, 1 time per day. Must meet TCI requirements for any interventions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
• Mental Demands:
  • Frequently performs the need to
  • Occasionally handles the need for quick decisions, distractions that interfere, a diversity of problems, and perform multiple tasks.
• Environmental Factors:
  • Environmental demands require this position in schools and community.
• Working Hours:
  • Hours dependent on school schedule. Flexibility to meet student needs.
  • For positions in schools other than PRSD, work a minimum of 10 days over the summer, with 5 of the days being on site for supervision and no more than a 2-week lapse between on-site workdays.
  • Respond to crisis situations during traditional and non-traditional hours as needed.