Flat Rock Community Services Lead DSP
Position Overview
The Lead Direct Support Professional (Lead DSP) plays a crucial role in the Flat Rock Community Services team, led by the Administrator (DOO) of Flat Rock Community Services and the President/CEO.
Location: Based in various counties served by the supportive living program (currently Seneca, Sandusky, Erie, Huron, and Lorain Counties). This is a critical position requiring on-site work at an assigned home.
Local workday travel with occasional regional, workday travel for meetings, events, conferences and/or to assist with consumer needs throughout, primarily, northern Ohio. Mileage reimbursement is provided for all company-related travel outside of the daily commute to/from home and primary work location. Overnight travel is extremely rare and voluntary.
Schedule: Hourly with most shifts usually occurring within the 3 PM – 9 AM timeframe, 7 days/week.
Emergency calls/messages may be after usual office hours. While many emergencies can be addressed by phone/video during off hours, occasionally, the Lead DSP may need to report in-person to assigned homes to assist in these situations. Participates in a regular rotation of being the designated weekend on-call contact for homes and must be accessible during these times.
Overview:
Provides care and services to consumers with intellectual/developmental disabilities in FRCS supportive living homes. Provides mentoring and leadership to peer Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) in the assigned home. Assists the Supportive Living Manager in ensuring assigned homes comply with Ohio DODD and Medicaid Certification standards and regulations as an agency provider of waiver services. Inspires and leads staff by example, showing positivity and involving them in the organization's mission, vision, values, and strategic goals.
Responsibilities:
- Leadership Support: Supports the Supportive Living Manager in:
- Overseeing operations of assigned home, ensuring quality care and services for consumers.
- Maintaining compliance with rules/guidelines for DODD/Medicaid Certification Standards and state/federal laws and regulations as well as Flat Rock’s policies and procedures.
- Ensuring appropriate reporting of Major Unusual Incidents (MUIs) and Unusual Incidents (UIs), including any allegations of abuse/neglect, related to assigned home.
- Ensures consumers’ needs are met as outlined in their Individual Service Plans (ISPs). Monitors and remedies Quality Assurance issues in assigned homes, including cleanliness, quality of care, and accuracy of documentation, files, physician’s orders, financial records, etc.
- Periodically, attending ISP and other planning meetings for assigned consumers as requested and providing input as a member of their team.
- Communicating with each consumer’s team, including guardians (if applicable) and/or County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
- Advising the Supportive Living Manager and Administrator (DOO) of issues that could adversely impact the quality of care or compliance
- Ensuring adequate, safe staffing for assigned home(s). Secures coverage in the event of staff callouts. Covers open shifts as a priority when other coverage is not available. Adjusts shifts, when necessary, within HPC staffing pattern as approved in each consumer’s ISP. May be asked to fill-in shifts in other homes based on emergent needs to meet the demands of all FRCS supportive living homes.
- Leadership of Peer DSPs:
- Creates a positive and engaging new hire experience for new staff. Works to increase onboarding success and new hire retention.
- Effectively mentors, trains, engages, and motivates DSPs in the home. Clearly and effectively communicates with staff and others. Ensures all DSPs in the home are sufficiently trained to fulfill their essential duties as outlined in the DSP job description to meet all contract requirements, state/federal/county requirements, and FRCS policies and procedures. Ensures staff are current on required training.
- Leads by example. Contributes to a high-performance, engaged culture with reduced turnover and improving retention of rock star employees. Acts as “cheerleader” of the home’s team. Encourages high performance by peer staff. Helps them understand consumers’ needs and how they can make a difference.
- External Stakeholders: Creates/sustains positive relationships with external stakeholders, including staff of County Boards and DODD, consumers, guardians, and other stakeholders. Ensures FRCS is viewed as a provider of creative solutions. Coordinates logistics with consumers and County Service and Support Administrators (SSAs).
- Direct Support Professional: Performs all duties as defined in the DSP job description, including:
- Ensures health and wellbeing of each consumer served.
- Builds an appropriate therapeutic relationship with each consumer built on respect.
- Assists consumers in building independent living skills in their daily routines. Coaches, encourages, and guides them in personal hygiene, grooming, housekeeping, home maintenance, meal preparation, and other skills, especially those outlined in their Individual Service Plan (ISP).
- Ensures medical treatments, medication administration/prescriptions, appointments, and other medical services/supports, including those for mental health, are completed each shift in accordance with their ISP and physician’s orders.
- Responds appropriately to emergencies as needed.
- Attends and supports consumers in participating in their activities as requested by the consumers. Assists consumers in seeking out activities that they may enjoy and/or need. At all times, encourages as much integration in the local community as desired by the consumer. Supports the consumer in appropriately engaging with community individuals when needed. Transports consumers to activities using company vehicle or, when unavailable, in personal vehicle (with mileage reimbursement). Accurately reports and timely submits mileage for billing and reimbursement.
- Accurately and timely updates required documentation and Time Tracker, ensuring deadlines are met.
- Completes assigned administrative tasks each shift.
- Maintains confidentiality.
- Other:
- Completes mandatory training as scheduled, including certification in first aid, CPR, medication administration, trauma-informed care, etc.
- Provides back-up to other Lead DSPs and/or DSPs as needed/available.
- May fill in for peer staff as available. May work in more than on assigned home(s) as requested by the Supportive Living Manager based on emergent needs.
- Performs essential duties/responsibilities of the position with/without reasonable accommodation.
- Maintains a professional image when representing Flat Rock in the community and to stakeholders.
- Other duties as assigned.
Requirements
Must be able to meet the following qualifications and any others required in the Ohio Revised Code for Provider Certification of Agency Providers, including:
- Has:
- A valid birth certificate.
- A valid social security card.
- A valid Ohio driver's license with an acceptable driving record, auto insurance, and motor vehicle. Mileage reimbursement is provided for all company-related travel outside of the daily commute from home to primary work location.
- A high school diploma or certificate of high school equivalence.
- At least two years of verifiable/documented full-time (or equivalent part-time amount) paid work experience in the field of intellectual/developmental disabilities with at least one year as a DSP. Personal, family experience may be substituted for one year of this requirement.
- Must be able to:
- Work positively and effectively with individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities, including those who may have high behavioral needs that may cause them to act aggressively or combatively.
- Read, write, and understand English at a level sufficient to comply with all requirements set forth in administrative rules governing the services provided by an agency provider.
- Successfully pass a background investigation in accordance with rule 5123-2-02 of the Ohio Administrative Code and consent to be enrolled by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities in the Ohio Attorney General’s retained applicant fingerprint database known as Rapback.
- Shall complete all training as required by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities’ (DODD).
- Must not have previously served as Administrator/CEO/Director of Operations for any agency provider within the last five years that had its provider certification revoked/not renewed.
Desired Candidate Attributes:
- A passion for serving individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and their families with enthusiasm, compassion, grace, mercy, dignity, and respect.
- A desire to be a part of and contribute to a Christ centered, faith-based culture.
- Ability to initiate and build positive relationships with stakeholders and communicate clearly in a positive, engaging manner.
- Diligent, dependable, well-organized and with great follow-through. Proven ability to be a self-starter and to work independently. Has a reputation for integrity, honesty, and credibility.
- Demonstrated ability to show compassion and to advocate appropriately and effectively for those with intellectual/developmental disabilities.
- Good judgement and solid independent decision making skills.
- Ability to work collaboratively with others. Willingness to work as a team and to regularly seek feedback from others to improve performance.
- Leads by example.
- An appropriate, professional image.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Suite, including Outlook, Word, and Excel as well as internet browsers is required. Experience with Sandata/Solana and Paylocity software would be helpful
- Perform all the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations