Direct Care Specialist

Direct Care Specialist

Positions in this job family are involved in providing direct care and supervision to clients with developmental or other disabilities. This includes basic health care and assistance with health care needs, assisting clients with life skills, including living, vocational, recreational, and educational skills, reviewing treatment plans for appropriateness, and supervising implementation of care and treatment plans. Other positions are assigned responsibilities involving paraprofessional guidance and instructional work in an institution, shelter, group home, or school. Some positions may provide assistance to teachers in a classroom setting.

The functions performed in this job family will vary by level, unit and organization, but may include the following:

• Performs routine duties in the care, custody, education, and treatment of developmentally disabled clients, youth or children residing in an institution, shelter, group home, or school.
• Responds to emergencies affecting individuals, including administering CPR and using approved intervention techniques.
• Provides paraprofessional guidance and counseling to clients to help find solutions to their personal problems, including problems of separation and adjustment to group living, and to develop personal values and goals; directs their daily activities, maintains order, and provides support.
• Serves on a treatment team to review resident's progress, treatment, and educational plans; reports on activities, programs, and attendance
• Provides active treatment programming to clients in life skills; controls movement of residents to and from living quarters for activities and off-campus appointments.
• Ensures cleanliness of facilities through inspections, reports and adherence to safety standards.
• Lifts individuals to and from wheelchairs, floor mats, baths or beds; off may perform nonprofessional nursing aide duties; serves as a certified medication aide.
• Supervises residents to and from facility for activities and off-campus appointments.
• Assists teaching staff in classroom with instruction and activities for individuals or for groups as assigned.
• Performs various clerical duties as needed, types and makes copies, orders supplies, etc.; sorts and files records; assists with maintenance of records and reports of attendance, activities and grades; maintains and operates audiovisual equipment.

Levels are distinguished based on the complexity of assigned duties, the level of expertise required for completion of work assignments, and the responsibility assigned for the supervision of others.

Level I - This is the basic level of this job family where employees are responsible for performing routine entry level work in a training status to build their skills in providing resident supervision and direct care and in managing, observing, and recording behavior of clients/residents. In this role, they will attend orientation and training to learn policy, practices, and procedures, provide assistance in basic self care and socialization, and use approved intervention techniques, observation, recording and reporting of appropriate information to facilitate this process. Some positions may provide assistance to teachers in a classroom setting.

Level II - This is the career level of the job family where employees are assigned duties and responsibilities at the full-performance level and perform a wide range of tasks involving direct care, treatment, and supervision of residents/clients. This includes implementing group and individual treatment plans and developing constructive relationships with residents/clients, coworkers, and other treatment team members, participation in interdisciplinary team evaluation, and completion of written documentation on client progress and activities.

Education and Experience requirements at this level consist of a high school diploma or equivalent and one year of experience working with children or adults in a treatment facility for disabled individuals or working with children or adults in a residential or school setting.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required at this level include knowledge of basic human physical and psychological needs; of simple health and safety precautions and basic first aid methods; of the format used to prepare daily progress and behavior reports; of crisis intervention techniques; of behavior and adjustment problems associated with children or clients with multiple developmental disabilities; of developing individuals self-help skills; of health and safety precautions; and of the statutes and agency policy concerning care of residents/clients.

Ability is required to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; to interact with children or clients with developmental disabilities; to read and comprehend training manuals; to follow written and oral instructions; to carry out the physical requirements to assist in lifting individuals, as necessary; to exercise good judgment in the evaluation of situations and in making decisions; and to establish and maintain good working relationships with others.

Some positions may require that applicants be physically able to lift up to 50 pounds. Applicants must be willing and able to work overtime and work on shifts.

Some positions may require that applicants be willing and able to perform job-related travel.

Some Oklahoma Department of Human Services and Department of Rehabilitation Services positions may require applicants possess a valid driver's license and be willing to transport clients.

Some position may require experience with children or adults in a treatment facility for disabled individuals.

Positions in the Department of Rehabilitation Services require completion of paraprofessional training/certification for levels II and above.

Some Department of Rehabilitation Services positions require proficiency in American Sign Language.

Some agencies may have determined positions in this job family to be safety sensitive as defined by 63 O.S. 427.8.

Position may be filled at Level I or II.

Position is located at Oklahoma School for the Blind (OSB) in Muskogee.

Essential Functions: Position provides assistance to students in basic living skills with daily work assignments. Provides direct care to students who are blind/visually impaired. Assist the students in areas of daily hygiene, educational plans, etc. Provides daily and/or weekly transportation to and from home and school, as well as to and from recreational events. Maintains a clean work area, dorm setting, etc.

Applicant must be willing to perform all job-related travel.

Trial period (if applicable) is required.

Background Check: The Department of Rehabilitation Services will conduct a criminal background check on new hires as part of an offer of employment that is made contingent upon a successful criminal background check.

*Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. now and in the future without employer sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications: Paraprofessional Certification, Valid Oklahoma Driver's License

Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services