Direct Support Worker FullTime

ARCO, A COMMUNITY RESOURCE is a nonprofit United Way Agency that provides services for adults with developmental disabilities and their families throughout northeast Louisiana since 1954.

Social and Human Service Assistant (SHSA)
(Personal Choices and Community Inclusion)

GENERAL FUNCTION:

The Social and Human Service Assistance (SHSA ) is responsible is to assist the professional service team in the execution of habilitation and rehabilitation plans for those with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, including behavioral or mental health needs. The SHSA’s role is to recognize that men and women with intellectual disabilities can learn and enjoy growing in skill and knowledge, and that they can live their lives as full community citizens and with fully vested rights if they are provided the correct supports.

The SHSA supports participants’ abilities to learn by showing them how to do things, engaging them in doing things for themselves to the best of their abilities, completing activities for them when needed, and providing repetition of these learning opportunities, even when the progress is slow. The SHSA knows that he or she is there to teach and support the everyday things and activities of a normalized life and the abilities and activities that lead to as much independence of the supported persons as possible for fully satisfying community lives.

This SHSA:

• Addresses needs with strategies described in the Individual Service Plan of a supported person with more complex physical, medical, mental health, or behavioral needs.
• Assists the individual or individuals with whom he or she works in obtaining benefits such as housing, food stamps, or other life sustaining governmental services that have been identified as needed.
• Provides modeling and instruction for developing and maintaining community relationships that are compatible with the individual’s needs and interests.
• Assists the individual in developing socially appropriate behaviors or accessing therapeutic services to do so.
• Communicates regularly with the manager regarding the effectiveness of the individualized plans and any needed changes in those, reports changes observed in the needs of the supported individuals, and does so immediately if those changes affect health or safety, are medical emergencies, are related to issues of suspected abuse or neglect, or are a request for changes in services.
• Works closely with management and staff development to provide mentoring to incoming staff.

QUALIFICATIONS:

· Valid driver’s license and ability to drive car or van

· Dependable vehicle available for use on the job

· Ability to follow (operationalize and document) participants’ plans of care

· Ability to assess, instruct, and support social needs of those served

· Ability to teach basic concepts of daily living

· Ability to assess and provide for personal care needs

· General knowledge of community resources

· General knowledge of personal health and personal/home safety

· Knowledge of basic nutrition and the ability to cook

· Ability to organize, clean and maintain a household

· Ability to handle and use adaptive equipment including wheelchairs, walkers, lifts, etc.

· General knowledge of financial matters (general banking/budgeting skills)

· Available to work flexible days/hours

Demonstrated ability to:

· Read, comprehend and implement program guidelines and standards

· Facilitate community connections

· Articulate and follow ARCO’s philosophy

· Write with clarity

· Communicate in a way which promotes positive and personal growth of the individual

· Model behavior and interactions appropriate to community standards

· Meet Core Standards

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

To support the assigned men and/or women as described in each person’s Individualized Service Plan or as otherwise identified as needed. Support is to include such things as assistance and instruction for meeting each person’s overall day-to-day needs, functions, and activities in areas of personal care, nutrition or diet, health management, physical improvements or maintenance, use and care of durable medical equipment, social relationships of choice, behavior management, finances, housing,…