Community Support Worker

Summary: 

Community Support Workers are advocates, companions, and facilitators, who play an active and important role in empowering the individuals they support to live independently and participate fully in their communities where they live and work.

The Community Support Worker will assist program participants with intellectual disabilities and diverse behavioral and mental health needs with support in their home and community. Using the strategies of Informed Decision Making, coaching and mentoring and skill building, the Community Support Worker will provide assistance with household management, including maintaining cleanliness and order, shopping, preparing meals and helping to manage their day-to-day activities.  Additional support may include assistance with attending appointments and providing support with self-advocacy, communication and self-expression.  Assisting individuals with working toward and achieving their desired goals and outcomes is paramount in helping to ensure that each individual has a meaningful life experience that supports their individual desires for successful independence.

The ideal Community Support Worker can build client rapport through empathy, compassion and active listening; have strong organizational skills and the ability to establish healthy professional boundaries and work independently.

Key Relationships:  

The key relationships for this role are the supported individual(s), Families, Community Support Supervisors, Regional Program Managers, Director and Assistant Director.

Supervisory Responsibility:  This position does not have supervisory responsibility.

Essential Functions of Position:  

Leadership:

• Helping with health and wellbeing by supporting someone to make positive choices about their healthcare choices such as eating well; exercise; maintaining good hygiene; attending appointments; following doctor recommendations, developing and maintaining healthy relationships.
• Support with decision making and planning as it pertains to budgeting, meal preparation, household maintenance and overall activities of daily living in the home and community.
• Providing emotional and mental support to those living with mental and/or behavioral health experiences.
• Implementing actions and strategies as outlined in Individual Support Plans and Behavioral Support Plans to assist with goal attainment.
• Encourage, assist and support with getting involved in their local community and develop a network of support.

• Driving clients to community activities, appointments, and shopping.
• Teaching skills to develop, increase and maintain their independence.

Collaboration

• Working with interdisciplinary team members, healthcare providers, family members and external support systems to ensure consistency and follow-through on support recommendations as deemed necessary.

Communication

• Understanding communication needs and learning styles; adapting your communication to each individual, e.g. sounds, tone, body language.
• Monitoring and reporting on progress toward goals and outcomes, including brainstorming solutions and strategies to address barriers to goal attainment.
• Completing required support documentation including Outcome Progress Notes, Behavior Support Charts, healthcare visit forms, Incident Management forms.

Problem-Solving and Follow-through

• Support with taking medications as prescribed; reporting to appropriate team members any difficulty with following regimen.
• Ensure the safety and wellbeing of the individual.
• Act immediately in an emergency, including calling 911, administering CPR/FA, contacting supervisors or emergency on-call as required.

Qualifications: 

• High School Diploma or GED.
• 2 years working with individuals with Intellectual Disabilities or Autism.
• 1-2 years experience working with individuals with diverse behavioral or mental health diagnoses.
• Organizational and time management skills.
• Good listening and communication skills.
• Good writing skills in order to complete required documentation.
• Ability to work independently in a home and/or community setting without direct supervision.
• Able to adapt to changing environments.
• Able to understand and use technology such as an iPad.

Physical Demands: 

• Regularly required to sit, stand and walk for periods of time
• Occasionally climb and descend steps
• Frequently talk and hear
• Frequently required to use hands and fingers to handle materials and or equipment
• Occasionally required to drive or travel from location to location for periods of up to 1 hour
• Be capable of visual and auditory scanning of the work environment to monitor the facility to ensure safe and effective operations.
• Perform physical work, including the ability to exert or lift up to 30 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to maneuver objects.

Working Conditions: 

This position requires use of your own vehicle to travel to individual(s) homes and transporting the individual travel within the community for various activities, appointments.  May be required to attend meetings in person (individuals’ home), in the community or virtually. Occasional travel to satellite offices for in-person meetings or training.