Direct Support Professional

This position is responsible for ensuring that all primary responsibilities are delivered in compliance with the company’s policies and procedures, County Boards of Developmental Disabilities & Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) guidelines and other regulatory bodies. As a Beacon Employee, you are expected to be aligned with the goals, mission and corporate philosophies of the organization, and to perform in accordance with Beacon’s Mission and our “I CARE” core values – Integrity, Compassion, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence.

• Understands and follows the National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) code of ethics.
• Maintains their first allegiance to the people they support by demonstrating respect and supporting problem solving skills.
• Promotes daily thinking and problem-solving skills of the person served, using active listening and coaching skills to reduce their dependency on staff and increase their self-esteem.
• Understands and promotes the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights; teaching and modeling rights to people supported.
• Encourages growth and recognizes autonomy while being attentive and energetic in always reducing the risk of harm by providing all necessary supports indicated in the person-centered plan.
• Has solid knowledge and understanding of person-centered planning and service delivery.
• Assists in the development (up to and including attending person-centered planning meetings), implementation and on-going evaluation of active treatment plans that are based on the person’s preferences, needs and interests.
• Maintains close communication with the Home Manager, Program Specialist and nurse to ensure applicable behavior support strategies are implemented appropriately and with the utmost respect for the person supported.
• Helps people supported to develop/maintain positive interpersonal relationships with their peers, with others in their families and with people in the community.
• Follows all safety and risk guidelines for people supported.
• Actively participates at staff meetings by communicating observations concerning progress and reaction to various therapy programs.
• Completes accurate service and support documentation within required timeframes, based on the implementation of the habilitation plan.
• Practices safe and sound crisis prevention and intervention strategies by promoting and teaching the use of preventative strategies, therapeutic activities and recreation, and early intervention techniques;
• Provides assistance with navigating the community up to and including providing transportation to individuals when necessary.
• Recognizes abuse, neglect, mistreatment, and exploitation (ANME) and as a mandated reporter, reports unusual and major unusual incidents following the MUI and ANME policies.
• Provides ongoing communication within and across departments to ensure proper service delivery is provided.
• Administers prescribed medications and treatments; teaches, observes, reports concerns and progress in self-administration of medication; assists the individuals in achieving more independence in administration of medications
• Coordinates with the nurse, health practitioners and the pharmacy to ensure that adequate supplies of medications are readily available.
• Provides the necessary level of support, as indicated in the person-centered plan, while empowering and advocating for the individual before, during and after medical appointments.
• Proactively ensures the home is a comfortable home environment that is clean, neat and kept in an orderly condition by teaching, assisting and performing cleaning/housekeeping duties.
• Teaches and reinforces all safety procedures to people supported, including regular environmental safety inspections.
• Understands and can execute specific fire/emergency preparedness plans for the location in which he/she is assigned.
• Assists Home Manager and Program Specialists with various assignments including the purchase of food, supplies, and medications; tracking expenditures, routine maintenance, repairs and other operational duties.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Responsibilities of All Employees

• Communicates in a clear and concise manner.
• Proactively helps others, within and across departments.
• Recognizes accomplishments and shares successes.
• Demonstrates respect and professionalism when interacting with others.
• Goes out of their way to include people supported in their community and have positive relationships with neighbors.
• Problem solves when concerns arise.
• Is flexible and adapts to change.
• Prioritizes and completes the most important tasks first.
• Anticipates possible problems and takes action to prevent them.
• Does not gossip, rather finds positive ways to communicate and share concerns with others.
• Completes responsibilities in a timely and high-quality manner.
• Is honest and proactive when mistakes happen.
• Does what they say they will do.
• Documentation information in a clear, concise, and legible manner.
• Proactively attains the information needed to be the best.
• Recognizes when lacking a necessary skill and seeks advice and/or assistance.
• Shows interest through listening and demonstrating empathy.
• Smiles, says hello, and introduces self to people supported and their circle of support.
• Asks people supported and their circle of support if they have additional needs or questions.
• Acknowledges requests and communicates a timeline for response and/or resolution.
• Maintains a positive and professional relationship with people supported and their circle of support, employees and other community and business contacts.
• Maintains confidentiality of all issues and subject matters and observes individuals’ rights.
• Completes mandatory initial and annual training prior to the expiration date to maintain skills.
• Participates in required meetings.
• Follows safety regulations at all times and addresses safety issues that may arise.
• Completes other duties as assigned.

• Must have a valid Ohio driver's license with 5 points or less
• Must have criminal record that qualifies you for developmental disability employment, based on the Ohio Revised Code
• High school diploma or GED required.
• At least one year working in the developmental disabilities field (preferred)

• Use of a tablet or laptop for documentation and timekeeping.

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