Direct Support Professional Position Description

Company Summary:

Beacon is a successful and national private-equity behavioral health company providing residential-based services and supports to children and adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Severe Mental Illness, Autism, and high-acuity behaviors. All activities related to this position must be delivered in compliance with the company’s policies and procedures, accreditation standards, state and federal licensing requirements, HCBS guidelines, and the contractual requirements of Community Mental Health Agencies and other regulatory bodies. You are expected to be aligned with the goals and mission of the organization, and to perform in accordance with our “I CARE” core values of the organization – Integrity, Compassion, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence.

Position Summary:

A Direct Support Professional (DSP) helps individuals achieve their personal goals, increase independence, and participate fully in their communities while ensuring their health, safety, and well-being.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Always be compliant with all company and regulatory policies and procedures.
• Sets positive examples for Individuals at all times.
• Adheres to the person-centered plans, and behavior plans as written for each Individual.
• Provides opportunities throughout the day to help Individuals meet their goals. (An example would include teaching groups to follow activity programs and encouraging Individual attendance.)
• Provides quality of care and a safe and healthy setting free from harm while upholding the rights of all Individuals. Creates a space of trust and relationship with all Individuals.
• Protects all Individuals from abuse and/or neglect and immediately reports any occurrence to appropriate entities.
• Maintains and protects the confidentiality of all Individuals.
• Follows and upholds all house guidelines.
• Cook meals as necessary for Individuals based upon food specifications, diets, food exchanges and documentation.
• Understands process for food supply and storage.
• Transports Individuals and attends appointments with Individuals and advocates and obtains necessary documentation, when needed.
• Utilize Individual funds as applicable to help Individuals budget when needed.
• Completes required documentation before the end of shift, including, but not limited to progress notes, miscellaneous notes, daily support logs, event reports, incident reports, LOA forms, Individual inventories, etc.

• Assists with supervision of Individuals doing their laundry as needed per assignment sheet.
• Coaches and assists Individuals with bedroom cleanliness per house guidelines.
• Responsible for cleanliness of home site according to the assignment chart. (Inspection ready at all times.)
• Must remain awake and immediately accessible in all homes requiring 24/7 care.
• Administers medications as needed.
• Hand off communication to next shift staff.
• Cooperates with Beacon Specialized Living, the Department of Human Services (DHS) staff or any other regulatory body during any inspection, investigation or inquiry.
• Performs other duties as assigned or requested.
• Adheres to BSLS Core Values, Mission Statement, and Corporate Philosophies.

Team Member Expectations:

• Must be compliant with company and regulatory policies and procedures.
• Preserve and protect the privacy, confidentiality and security of all medical records, proprietary and other confidential information relating to Beacon Specialized Living, its Individuals served, Team Members, activities and affiliates, in accordance with all applicable laws (especially HIPAA) and contract terms.
• Promote Beacon in a positive manner and lead by example, modeling our core values in everyday behavior.
• Monitors and corrects employee gossip, harassment, favoritism, and other negative social workplace behaviors to ensure a positive and productive work environment.
• Understand how to approach and communicate with everyone at all levels.
• Treat everyone with dignity and respect while responding to their needs.
• Maintain and sustain a safe community environment and workplace
• Follow Beacon’s policies, procedures, and manuals.
• Accept other duties as assigned.

Professional Conduct and Management Effectiveness:

• Job Knowledge: Depth and breadth of knowledge supporting our organization goals.
• Quality of Work: Freedom from errors and mistakes, timeliness. Accuracy, quality of work in general.
• Quantity of Work: Work output of the employee.
• Reliability: The extent to which the employee can be depended upon to be available for work, do it properly, and complete it on time. The degree to which the employee is reliable, trustworthy, and persistent.
• Initiative and Creativity: The ability to plan work and to go ahead with a task without being told every detail and the ability to make constructive suggestions.
• Judgment: The extent to which the employee makes decisions which are sound. Ability to base decisions on fact rather than emotion.
• Cooperation: Willingness to work harmoniously with others in getting a job done. Readiness to respond positively to instructions and procedures.
• Compliance: Always be compliant with all company and regulatory policies and procedures.
• Attendance: Faithfulness in coming to work daily and conforming to scheduled work hours.

• Planning and Organizing: The ability to analyze work, set goals, develop plans of action, utilize time, and delegate work as appropriate. Consider the amount of supervision required and the extent to which you can trust employees to carry out assignments conscientiously.
• Directing and Controlling: The ability to create a motivating climate, achieve teamwork, train, and develop, measure work in progress, take corrective action.
• Decision Making: The ability to make decisions and the quality and timeliness of those decisions.
• Problem Solving: The ability to assess a problem, identify options or solutions, formulate a plan, execute the plan, and achieve and sustain positive outcomes.
• Embrace, support, and manage the business in accordance with Beacon’s Mission and Core Values.

Education and Qualifications:

• • High school diploma or GED preferred. (required in certain states)
  • Must be 18 years or older.
  • Must pass criminal background checks, central registry check (in applicable states) and child abuse registry (in applicable states).
  • Must complete and pass a drug test, in applicable states.
  • Must possess a valid Driver’s License and have reliable transportation.
  • Proficient in speaking, reading and writing the English language.
  • Approved by state, federal and government entities to work within BSLS programs.
  • Ability to use office equipment, including BSLS information technology systems.
  • Ability to physically and emotionally work with individuals who possess mental illness and co- occurring disorders.

Skills and Abilities:

• • Must be able to communicate and function in an interdisciplinary team.
  • Strong computer skills utilizing various software programs and applications.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills.
  • Ability to create professional employee communication materials.
  • Capable of working well with all levels of the organization.
  • A professional demeanor.
  • Demonstrated ability to multi-task.
  • Ability to work with little daily supervision.

Work Environment:

• • While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works in a typical home setting or in the community at various stores, restaurants, entertainment venues, etc. Work may involve the treatment of non-cooperative Individuals with psychosocial problems and needs, or chronic and acute health problems.
  • The work environment presents situations that cause stress and anxiety due to Individual behavior.
  • The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
  • The employee may be exposed to cold, heat, dust, or smoke.

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.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. This would require the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets, and bend or stand on a stool as necessary.

• • While performing the duties of the job the employee must be able to move about the home or community 50% of the time and have the ability to bend, squat, stand, kneel, push, pull, walk, and reach above shoulder. Employees must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.
  • Ability to lift and carry objects up to 50 pounds for short distances (5-10 feet) daily.
  • The employee will climb (approximately 8-12) stairs 8-10 times per day.
  • The employees will operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a copy machine and computer printer. Ability to access, input, and retrieve information from the computer and use information technology systems as noted above.
  • The employee must be able to prepare meals which require the use of an oven, stove or microwave that may require overhead reaching.
  • Complete laundry services that include sorting, washing/drying, and folding. May be required to carry loads of laundry up and down (approximately 8-12) stairs.
  • Grocery shopping that includes driving to the grocery store daily to grocery shop, carrying full grocery bags of groceries up and down stairs (approximately 8-12), and reach and stoop to put away groceries.
  • The employee will perform cleaning activities, which include mopping, sweeping, and vacuuming that require regular lifting, turning, bending and reaching.
  • Provision of personal care to Individuals, transferring of individuals: from bed to chair, chair to standing, sit to standing that requires the strength to assist lifting up to a 200-pound Individual.
  • Constantly communicate and exchanges information with team members.
  • Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus to compare and distinguish administrative data and figures. Ability to make general visual observations of facilities or structures, for safety inspections and hazard identification.
  • Hearing ability to perceive the nature of sounds at normal speaking level with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make discriminations in sound.
  • Dexterity of hands and fine finger movements for medication distribution, manual dexterity to handle objects.
  • Read/comprehend, write, communicate orally, reasoning, and analytical abilities, and mental flexibility. Proficient in speaking, reading, and writing the English language required.
  • Duties performed routinely require exposure to blood, bodily fluid, and tissue.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

AAP/EEO Statement:

This job description is intended to generally describe the nature and level of work required by the person assigned to this classification. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. Other job duties and responsibilities may be assigned by the employer at the employer’s sole discretion. This job description may be amended at any time by the employer.

The employee signature below constitutes the employee’s understanding of the requirements, responsibilities, and duties of the position.

Employee Date