Direct Support Professional

Thurs-Fri 3pm-11pm, Sat-Sun 8am-4pm-driving position

Position Summary : Provide all aspects of care to program participants to enable them to become independent and productive. Some knowledge of computers is needed.

Essential Accountabilities :

Each DSP must be able to perform the following functions in order to ensure the life safety, care and well-being of the people served by WellLife Network.

• Ensures that all activities enhance and support each person’s social responsibility, independence, dignity and continued growth.
• Implements goals designed to maximize each person served with a level of independence, as determined by the IDT, including but not limited to : budgeting, grooming, nutritional planning, use of public transportation, and use of community resources, shopping and housekeeping.
• Must be able to safely operate agency vans and / or vehicles as per the agency driving policy.
• Must successfully complete and perform all techniques required in AMAP, SCIP, CPR and First Aid.  Employment is conditional upon passing the exams for each course.
• Coordinates evacuation and ensures safety in actual emergencies and fire drills.  Essential functions of this duty include : the ability to climb and descend fire escapes and assist others to do the same.  This may include both verbal and physical prompting and the ability to perform first aid for the people served.
• Administers medication and / or monitors self-administration of medication as a certified AMAP.  This includes documentation of the computerized EMAR (Electronic Medication Administration Record) system, where applicable.  (This may not apply to relief staff).
• Responsible for crisis intervention and incident reporting procedures.
• Responsible for monitoring and recording progress on daily checklists, any behavior contracts, quarterly summaries, monthly goal forms and progress notes, family contact log, monthly and daily recreation reports, clothing and personal effects inventory.
• Required to display proficiency while entering person served data documentation in the electronic data system. Communicates relevant information to other staff and supervisor(s), verbally and in writing, (i.e., daily communication log, telephone log, incident reports, medication and behavior incident reports).
• Meets routinely with people served and the management team to review goal progress, identify participant needs and update program plans. Assists person in researching and obtaining community resources appropriate and applicable to their needs and goals.
• Assists person in planning and follow through on or escorts person evening and weekend recreational activities.  Participates in moderate physical activities as part of recreation program.
• Assists in planning of daily activities and events.
• Provides training in ADL and other areas, performs these functions for people served requiring total support (diaper changing, ambulation, G-Tube, feeding, transferring from bed to chair using Hoyer lift), specifically staff will perform all aspects of the task i.e., showering, shaving, toileting, hand washing, mouth care.
• Attends all scheduled staff meetings, mandatory in-service training sessions, and assigned annual meetings within the residence and day program.
• Acts as a role model for people served in various settings / situations.
• Follows-up on any aftercare / recommendations for treatment.  Escorts / accompanies people served as needed on appointments (medical, psychiatric, etc.).
• Maintains confidentiality at all times.
• Work schedules and locations are subject to change based upon person served and / or program need.
• Other duties as requested.

Qualifications :

About WellLife Network :

ABOUT US : Since 1980, WellLife Network, has been meeting the growing challenges of individuals with intellectual / developmental disabilities and mental illness. Our multidisciplinary approach and centralized referral process help to ensure that each person we serve receives the appropriate range of services and level of care, with an individual treatment plan, coordinated by highly competent and supportive case management professionals. In its early years, WellLife Network operated and maintained community residential facilities for people with developmental disabilities and mental illness, and provided programs of care, service, habilitation, rehabilitation, and social and recreational activities, in a home-like environment. Partnerships Make It Happen For almost four decades, WellLife Network has changed, evolved, and expanded, while remaining true to its mission of meeting the diverse needs of New York communities, businesses, and society and assisting those we serve to achieve greater personal and economic independence. WellLife Network has a long and valued tradition of working in partnership with the government, the business community, private philanthropy, and our colleagues in the nonprofit sector to offer proactive responses to society’s social and economic challenges. Since its founding, the WellLife Network culture has been marked by program growth and organizational development. A Network of Services - A Culture of Caring and Best Practices Today, with an annual operating budget of $100 million, a workforce of 1,800 staff, interns, and volunteers, and an affiliate subsidiary company, WellLife Network delivers critical services in the areas of behavioral health, intellectual / developmental disabilities, housing, co-occurring substance abuse behaviors, family support, vocational training, and care management. These services meet the pressing needs of more than 25,000 individuals and families annually, some 2,000 New Yorkers every single day. A culture of caring, best practices models, a spirit of innovation, and a commitment to measuring results and producing high returns on investment drive our work. A key element to our successful growth is our focus on technology, financial viability, and quality assurance – critical infrastructure supports that enable WellLife Network to deliver services with cost-efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and accountability in a manner that mirrors the standards of high-performing business enterprises.