Direct Support Professional

Join to apply for the Direct Support Professional role at Birch Family Services
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To counsel, assist and train individuals with developmental disabilities in the areas of personal care, travel skills, social skills, home management and life skills in order to maximize their functioning in the community.

• Work towards the satisfactory completion of each of the core competency goals according to the OPWDD timeline requirements.
• Provide a safe and clean environment for the individual based on skill level and risks and support the safety of all individuals in everyday situations.
• Use verbal and physical means to create a positive environment that will encourage and enable individual growth.
• Assist the individual in the development of social skills that will help the individual become integrated/included in his or her community.
• Perform protective oversight while engaging in community activities.
• Monitor each individual’s personal health on a continuous basis during situations of high activity, while bathing/showering/swimming, in the morning and the evening, at meals, while in the community, at all times.
• Assist individuals in learning and practicing skills necessary for home living (indoor household chores such as cooking, sweeping, dusting, bed‑making, vacuuming, and dish‑washing, laundry, folding and storing clothes, etc.).
• Perform advocacy responsibilities while demonstrating respect for the processes and people involved.
• Responsible for all documentation related to the essential function and services for the individual.

• Demonstrated competency in written, verbal and computational skills to document records in accordance with program standards.

• Regularly required to speak clearly and hear the spoken word well.
• Regularly required to utilize near vision ability to read data and documents, including spreadsheets and reports, in printed form and on computer screens.
• Regularly required to provide physical care for clients and individuals, which may include, but is not limited to, bathing, feeding, changing clothes or diapers and pushing wheelchairs.
• Ability to physically restrain challenging behaviors that include aggression, self‑injurious, and destructive behaviors.
• Ability to apply proper lifting techniques.

• Noise level is consistent with levels usually present in an office, education, group home, residential, rehabilitation, industrial, workshop or health‑related environment.
• Hazards present are consistent with those common to an office, education, rehabilitation, industrial, workshop or health‑related environment.
• Working with individuals whose age ranges from childhood to adulthood.

• High School diploma or General Education Degree (GED).
• Minimum 1‑year experience working with developmentally disabled population, preferably in a residential, health or treatment related setting.
• Valid NYS Driver’s License required.

• Specialized training in direct care provision preferred.
• Must complete and obtain certification in OPWDD Approved Medication Administration Course (AMAP) during probationary period and maintain AMAP certification.
• Ability and willingness to be First Aid and CPR certified.
• Ability and willingness to obtain certification in SCIPR Competencies and advance to Promote.

Birch Family Services provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Birch Family Services complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Birch Family Services expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Birch Family Services’ employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.