Residential Care Specialist

Summary:

The Residential Care Specialist provides direct care to the children in the residential treatment program by providing a safe therapeutic home-like setting in a positive, consistent, and structured environment. This includes mental health support and documentation based on service goals and plans for each client.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities – Child Treatment & Development:

• Must adhere to the Agency philosophy and mission statement.
• Administers therapeutic treatment to the clients.
• Plans, provides, and supervises the daily activities to build self-esteem and appropriate peer interaction for each client.
• Significant events and behavior shall be documented and communicated in process notes each shift.
• Responsible for the direct supervision of clients.
• Exhibits a positive upbeat attitude to encourage client interaction.
• Responsible for medication administration, after successful completion of probation, supervisor's recommendation and passing medication administration training and testing which includes direct observation by an assigned staff.
• Responsible for planning and documenting visits and/or telephone calls (under guidance by Supervisors and the Program Manager) and following each client’s visitation/telephone schedule.
• Builds a safe and positive relationship with each client using basic principles of reality therapy without punitive approaches while providing engaging, nurturing structure.
• Understands the cultural diversity of clients and team members to better serve our clients.
• Develops mutually respectful relationships with our clients and their families.
• Appropriately intervenes to meet the needs of clients to gain skills and confidence to address issues or problems as they take place.
• Works as a partner with other team members.
• Teaches and models healthy and safe relationships.
• May be responsible for the direct supervision of clients with sexualized behaviors.
• For Paraprofessionals, under the supervision of a Qualified or Associate Professional, the Paraprofessional will administer therapeutic treatment to the clients.
• Ensures client’s needs for special services are addressed with program leadership

Administrative & Training

• Attends and completes Sagamore’s extensive training program designed to teach crisis prevention, intervention, and safety.
• Attends other in-service training as required.
• Must have the ability to read and interpret documents and write routine reports and correspondence.
• Adheres to all Anderson Health Services policies and procedures.

Daily Living:

• Responsible for the daily living requirements for each client.

• Must actively participate in the daily milieu.

• Teaches and models independent living skills as it relates to the client population.

• Assists/teaches clients how to complete their laundry.

• Maintains clothing requirements for clients and documents specific clothing needs.

• Monitors, teaches, and assists the clients with their daily chores.

• Responsible for preparing all meals in the cottage or teaching/assisting the clients with this.

• Submits maintenance requests as needed.

• Maintains the grocery requirements for the cottage in conjunction with program guidelines.

• Ensure that all areas of the cottage are adequately cleaned.

• Staff must always remain awake during their shift.

Other Duties:

• Performs other related duties as required and assigned by supervisor.
• Flexibility in job schedule to accommodate needs of the cottage.
• Transport clients in Agency vehicles off-campus to assist with emergency transportation needs, medical appointments, and routine off campus outings.
• Facilitates activities that are developmentally appropriate, and trauma informed.
• Oversee cleanliness and order of campus and buildings.
• Reports and responds to incidents as required by policy, procedure and circumstances.
• Supports the implementation of effective crisis co-regulation strategies that minimize the usage of physical restraints.

Qualifications:

Education/Experience

• This entry-level position requires a high school diploma, GED, or associate degree with preferably a minimum of two years of population specific experience working with children ages 12-17 with emotional difficulties.
• Four-year degree in Human Service or related field preferred.
• Must have a valid driver’s license with a good driving record. Must have the ability to respond effectively within and cope with an environment that can be extremely stressful on the mind and body. Position requires driving agency vehicles as well as transporting clients. A valid NC driver’s license, at least three years of driving with a driver’s license and clean driving record are required.
• All potential job candidates must pass a drug screening test and an extensive background check.

Physical Requirements

Will frequently perform a wide variety of physical tasks such as standing, walking, running, stooping, bending, climbing stairs, and lifting of individuals, which requires strength, coordination, endurance, and agility. In addition, there may be occasional contact with hostile individuals, and incumbents may be subjected to physical and verbal abuse while restraining children and adolescents. The employee must maintain sufficient physical agility and stamina to intervene with violent, unruly, or uncooperative children and adolescents and must be able to exert the minimum necessary strength to restrain and subdue the youth. The employee must be agile enough to control and rapidly extricate him/herself and children and adolescents from buildings in case of an emergency. The employee must be capable of running a distance as required in the prevention of a client absconding. Persons with any medical problems such as joint problems, obesity, arthritis, or cardiopulmonary conditions, where it would be unwise or not possible to engage in moderate physical exertion should not be considered.