SUMMARY

A Direct Support Professional (DSP) provides an array of services which are necessary to support individuals and their families with needs related to disabilities, mental health and aging to live in community settings and provide services of fellowship, care and protection. Such services may include household work related to care such as meal preparation, bed-making, laundry and other similar services. Supports are individually planned and tailored to meet the specific needs of the individuals we service. This may include working at multiple homes, and locations. Direct Support Professionals are expected to maintain professionalism and provide excellent customer service at all times.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Interact with Individuals

A. Talk to and interact with individuals respectfully; knowledge of and sensitive to individual verbal and nonverbal communication.

B. Provide guidance and assistance in order to engage individuals in activities in the home and community in ways that are relevant and in tune with individual choices, interests, and concerns. Activities may include going to sporting events or out to eat, shopping, swimming, and participating in exercise groups or church groups and other social activities as determined by an individual’s choices.

C. Work with individuals to discover and pursue personal goals in keeping with their Individual Support Plans. (ISPs)

D. Guide and assist individuals in learning activities of daily living skills (ADLs) both in the home and in the community.

E. Support individual relationships with family members, friends, guardians and other advocates. This support may include, but is not limited to correspondence and visits with family and friends and coordinating attendance at special events such as vacations, funerals, weddings and other celebrations.

F. Support each individual’s personal and family religious belief system in the home and facilitate individual’s attendance at religious services according to individual’s choice, if applicable.

G. Interact appropriately and professionally with individuals with regard to attitude, self-control, self - discipline, cooperation, tone of voice, language usage, and in other areas as needed.

H. Properly care for the house, furnishings and individuals’ clothes and assist with making television, radio, and movie choices according to individual interests. I. Transport individuals safely while following all guidelines pertaining to regulatory standards Support Individual Health and Well-Being

A. Read and follow each individual’s ISPs and protocols.

B. At the beginning of each shift, read individual is Communication Log, going back to your previous shift in order to be aware of individuals’ status and activities.

C. Make entries in Communication Log as appropriate.

D. Provide guidance and assistance to individuals in their personal hygiene and appearance in the areas of tooth brushing, bathing, toileting, hair care including seeking/following guardian permission/direction with regarding to haircuts and hair coloring, care and selection of clothing and dressing appropriately for weather conditions.

E. Be attentive to individual’s medical issues and alert supervisors and /or nurses to medical issues and/or changes in individual’s health and/or problems relating to medication or medical equipment. Also alert day program staff and guardian as requested. F. Follow medical orders and directions from medical staff and supervisors concerningindividual’s health issues, treatments and therapies and be attentive to details in those orders and directions. G. Accompany individuals to medical appointments and to Urgent Care and the Emergency Room as needed. Facilitate communication of information between individual and medical staff. Assist individual participation in medical exams. H. Assist individuals in and out of the bathtub, the van, furniture and in other situations as needed. This may involve awkward, heavy lifting. Use a mechanical lift or other lifting methods for moving individuals who require them.

2. Carry Out Safety, Meal Preparation and Cleaning Procedures A. Safety and Emergency Response: follow all policies, procedures and training related to safety and emergency response.

1. Assist individuals in evacuation drills and emergencies in the home and in the community; this may include lifting and/or carrying individuals who are on ambulatory, non-compliant or for other reasons unable to move to safety.

2. Clear walkways, fire exits and driveways of snow and ice as needed.

3. Know how to use fire-related equipment such as extinguishers and alarms as trained.

4. According to the individual’s ISP, assist them with the appropriate adaptive equipment.

5. Be familiar with all medical equipment used in the home including mechanical lifts and lifting methods.

B. Meals, Food Handling and Preparation

1. Assist individuals with meal planning, shopping for groceries, food preparation, and cleanup as needed.

2. Prepare meals following the regulatory standards and menu and nutrition guidelines provided.

3. Share food and table conversation with individuals in family-style meals when possible.

4. Assist individuals with eating as needed.

5. Clean up table, food prep area, and dishes per regulatory standards.

6. Clean the kitchen appliances according to cleaning checklists.

7. Label food per regulatory standards.

C. Maintain a safe, clean and orderly home and company vehicle by:

1. Putting things away after use;

2. Follow the Cleaning checklist;

3. Refueling and maintaining company vehicle and completing vehicle documentation as required.

D. Take care of laundry and bedding: Wash, dry, fold and put away clothes and other laundry in proper locations; change and launder wet or soiled bed sheets and disinfect bed when necessary, according to regulatory standards.

3. Seek and Follow the Advice and Directions of Supervisors You must seek the advice of a Home Supervisor, Coordinator or the Director of the department, where applicable, when you have questions concerning your performance of the functions of your job. You must follow directions and assignments given by a supervisor concerning the performance of functions of this position.

4. Work Effectively with Coworkers You must work with coworkers as a team player. You must communicate with coworkers both verbally and in writing. You must recognize and respond appropriately to nonverbal and situational cues from coworkers, such as when there is a need for physical assistance with individual care or verbal reinforcement relating to a behavior issue. When problems or emergencies arise, you must be willing and able to adapt to the needs of the group in the working environment.

5. Present a Positive Attitude and Professionalism Present a positive attitude and maintain professionalism regarding all InCommunity’s information (within the home, between homes and outside the company) regarding individual, staff and company issues. This means refraining from inappropriate comments or gossip. 6. Adhere to Scheduling Policies You must be punctual and ready to start your shift at designated times and you must continue working until you are replaced by another staff person.

7. Adhere to Company Policies and Procedures Adhere to all company policies and procedures as stated in the current InCommunity Employee Handbook, InCommunity’s Policies and Procedures binder or other documentation.

FOR OVER NIGHT SHIFTS ONLY In addition to the Essential Functions listed above, the following functions have been determined to be essential to the successful performance of awake night shifts.

8. Follow the Over Night Shift Checklist.

A. Stay awake and alert at night.

B. Follow the house-specific Over Night Shift Checklist it pertains to individual;specifically:

1. Check on individuals during the night as directed in their ISPs. Assist them if needs arisethat require your help or presence.

2. Assist individuals with their morning routines when your shift includes those hours.

3. Follow the protocols for when individuals are sick.

4. Notify supervisor for individual health-related questions/concerns.

C. Follow the house-specific checklist regarding cooking, cleaning and any other household duties which are to be completed during the over night shift.

9. Other duties as assigned.

COMPETENCIES

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; develops alternative solutions; works well in-group problem solving situations; uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.

Technical Skills - Pursues training and development opportunities; strives to continuously build knowledge and skills; shares expertise with others.

Customer Service - Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; solicits customer feedback to improve service.

Interpersonal Skills - Focuses on solving conflict, not blaming; maintains confidentiality; listens to others without interrupting; keeps emotions under control.

Oral Communication - Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; listens and gets clarification; demonstrates group presentation skills; participates in meetings.

Written Communication - Writes clearly and informatively; edits work for spelling and grammar; presents numerical data effectively; able to read and interpret written information.

Teamwork - Balances team and individual responsibilities; exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; gives and welcomes feedback; contributes to building a positive team spirit; puts success of team above own interests; able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives.

Judgment - Displays willingness to make decisions; exhibits sound and accurate judgment; supports and explains reasoning for decisions; includes appropriate people in decision-making process; makes timely decisions.

Motivation - Sets and achieves challenging goals; demonstrates persistence and overcomes obstacles; measures self against standard of excellence; takes calculated risks to accomplish goals.

Professionalism - Approaches others in a tactful manner; reacts well under pressure; treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position; accepts responsibility for own actions; follows through on commitments.

Quality - Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; applies feedback to improve performance; monitors work to ensure quality. Safety and Security - Observes safety and security procedures; determines appropriate action beyond guidelines; reports potentially unsafe conditions; uses equipment and materials properly.

Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; manages competing demands; changes approach or method to best fit the situation; able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.

Attendance/Punctuality - Is consistently at work and on time; ensures work responsibilities are covered when absent; arrives at meetings and appointments on time.

Dependability - Follows instructions, responds to management direction; takes responsibility for own actions; keeps commitments; commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals; completes tasks on time or notifies appropriate person with an alternate plan. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES None

REQUIREMENTS

Must be 23 years of age or older, possess a valid driver’s license, valid insurance and a specific plan for transportation if required. QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

Six months experience in developmental disabilities, mental health, or aging, with the focus being in community based programs and knowledge of family systems, person-centered programs and structures is preferred. Personal and /or volunteer experience is considered for employment.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS None LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Ability to read, write and effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, individuals, and the public MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Ability to manage/ monitor and track individual’s funds and report to the Finance department. REASONING ABILITY: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form; and has the ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The physical demands of this job are as follows: An employee must have acute hearing and speech skills to communicate with the public, family members, and outside agency program and management staff, must have physical stamina to sustain occasional intense periods of activity and stress. While performing the duties of this job the employee must be able to stand for long periods at a time. The employee is occasionally required to walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop; kneel, crouch, crawl, talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee must frequently lift and/or move 50 pounds or more. The employee must be physically able to bend/stop, squat, push/pull, reach above and below shoulder level frequently, physically able to occasionally kneel, walk on uneven ground and crawl. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

COMPUTER SKILLS: To perform this job successfully, an employee should have knowledge of basic popular software and basic business machine functions.

BACKGROUND CHECK: This position has been designated as sensitive and requires a criminal background check. We reserve the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of a criminal background check. This position requires the final candidate to successfully pass an E-Verify check. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by people assigned to this work. This is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities associated with it. Georgia Community Support and Solutions’ management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet business and organizational needs. Please sign below indicating that you have received and reviewed this job description and understand the content of the job and your employment with Georgia Community Support and Solutions. By signing you are acknowledging that you received a copy. If you have any questions please feel to see your immediate supervisor or the Department of Human Resources.