Description

Birch Family Services is a leading provider of education, employment, and community support services for individuals with autism and developmental disabilities and their families in New York City. Every year, the organization supports more than 2,000 people across 31 locations in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. From preschool to graduation, employment, housing, and beyond, Birch Family Services provides fully integrated programs and services to support individuals in achieving their goals across their lifetime.

Enhance the quality of services provided to people supported in the agency’s community services department by evaluating, monitoring, training, strategizing, troubleshooting, providing technical assistance and giving regular feedback to staff, Managers, Clinicians, Coordinators and Directors.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Assist with the development of quality assurance systems, monitor implementation and assess degree of compliance with agency and regulatory standards.
• Assist with the development, revision and implementation of internal systems, tools and procedures to ensure adherence to agency standards and regulatory compliance.
• Recommend resolutions to regulatory and agency deficiencies and deficiencies in each person’s quality of life.
• Monitor implementation of agency and regulatory standards by performing regularly scheduled site visits. These visits will include meeting with Manager, Coordinator and others to receive an update on the status of the program, complete a program evaluation, train staff on various systems as requested, offer technical assistance, engage in audit preparation activities, facilitate surveys, conduct observations, provide feedback (positive and developmental), and help team to prioritize, strategize and/or problem solve etc.
• Keep staff informed by participating in Manager and Coordinator meetings, answering questions, and communicating changes in regulations, systems and procedures.
• Develop and\or revise policies in response to changes in city, state, and federal regulations as well as changes in agency standards.
• Assist assigned QA Associates to prepare IRMA reports analyzing and summarizing information and trends, and submitting recommendations impacting on staff training, facility needs, and issues affecting people supported.
• Provide accurate information to the Executive Vice President (EVP), Assistant Director/Director of QA, Director and Deputy Director of Community Services Coordinators, Coordinators, Managers, Clinicians, and other members of the team by reporting on the welfare of the people supported, physical plant concerns, program evaluation results and other items that impact the quality of life of the people we support.
• Provide progress reports regarding compliance with agency/regulatory standards and quality of life issues to Residence Managers, Coordinators, Assistant Director/Director of QA, Director/Deputy Director of Community Services, EVP and others. Progress reports will include a comparison of previous data.
• Chair the Incident Review Committee (IRC) and assist with transition of this responsibility when applicable.
• Train and orient key personnel to participate in the IRC process.
• Participate in Manager and Coordinator meetings to communicate specific trends and areas of focus of oversight agencies.
• Communicate changes in regulations.
• Assist assigned members of QA team to ensure thorough investigation of all incidents and allegations of abuse/neglect are completed and recommend actions to prevent further harm to our consumers.
• Assist assigned members of QA to review investigations of incidents and allegations of abuse conducted by others to ensure thorough investigations regarding the appropriate findings and recommendations made.
• Assist assigned members of QA to compile the information gathered during investigations to analyze trends.
• Assist assigned QA staff to complete and submit an analysis of incident trends to the Assistant Director/Director of QA, EVP, Director/Deputy Director of Community Services, members of the Incident Review Committee and Board of Directors.
• Assist Assistant Director/Director of QA to ensure committees have appropriate membership, are appropriately prepared for each meeting, and are conducted to meet all requirements as specified by regulatory agencies and agency policy.
• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops and review professional publications to establish personal networks.
• Attend training and information seminars conducted by oversight agencies and peer agencies.
• May be assigned other tasks and duties reasonably related to their job responsibilities.

Qualifications

EDUCATION

Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, special education, or related field.

EXPERIENCE

• At least 5 years prior clinical, vocational, or programming experience (including 2 years at the supervisory level) working with disabled individuals.
• Excellent organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Knowledge of OPWDD regulations.
• Knowledge of Total Quality Management principles and program evaluation methodologies.
• Knowledge of personal computers and standard software.

Communication Skills:

• Ability to articulate the company’s philosophy, mission, and goals to a varied audience.
• Ability to interview a variety of managers, employees, applicants, people we support and their families.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence and procedures for a wide audience.
• Ability to lead ad-hoc task forces and meetings, which may include all levels of managers and employees.
• Ability to respond to inquiries or complaints, including those of a sensitive and confidential nature, from any of the following, if applicable, under a variety of circumstances, including adversarial situations: people we support, managers, employees, regulatory agencies, arbitrators, union representatives, vendors, or applicants.
• Ability to effectively present information to people we support, managers, clinicians, staff and government officials in verbal and written formats.

Mathematical Skills:

• Ability to perform basic mathematical skills such as addition, subtraction, division and multiplication.
• Ability to convert data to charts and graphs.

Reasoning Skills:

• Ability to understand, analyze and apply concepts and directives from complex documents such as contracts, legal documents, and government regulations.
• Ability to analyze, interpret and apply concepts from general business periodicals, professional journals, and technical procedural manuals.
• Ability to define problems collects data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to solve practical and intellectual problems utilizing principles of logical thinking.
• Ability to work within general guidelines and minimal supervision.
• Ability to organize, prioritize and execute responsibilities in the face of conflicting priorities or unexpected situations.
• Ability to recognize the need for confidentiality of information and to maintain such confidences.

Physical Demands:

• Regularly required to speak clearly and hear the spoken word well.
• Regularly required to physically operate routine office equipment such as telephones, computers, etc.
• Regularly required to travel to sites in and outside the company using customary modes of public or private transportation.
• Regularly required to utilize near vision ability to read data and documents, including spreadsheets and reports, in printed form and on computer screens.

Work Environment:

• Noise level is consistent with levels usually present in an office, education, rehabilitation, industrial, workshop or health related environment.

• Hazards presents are consistent with those common to an office, education, rehabilitation, industrial, workshop or health related environment.

OTHER

Flexibility in working hours may be required, including occasional early mornings or late evenings, to meet project deadlines or accommodate business needs.