Direct Support Professional (Dspii) - Lead - Princeton South

Come join our life-changing team building hope, resilience, and well-being as a DSP Lead!

Responsible for the supervision and support of persons with developmental and/or mental disabilities in a group home setting and acts as an informal leader on the team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Promotes and assists in the development of a safe, wholesome, orderly, and therapeutic living environment for the residents.
• Provides and participates in recreational, educational, and social activities that meet resident's physical, intellectual, and social needs.
• Provides life skills training.
• Drives residents to activities in the organization's van as needed.
• Provides medication administration to program participants.
• Assists with menu planning, and grocery shopping.
• Assists with staff scheduling.
• Assists with everyday household needs.
• Observes, reports, and documents resident behaviors and actions.
• Effectively and professionally communicates with all members of the treatment team, program participant families, and other outside professionals.
• Participate and moderate program group meetings.
• Provide a healthy and appropriate model for residents to emulate.
• Assures proper medical care is provided as needed by residents.
• Assists with medical appointments.
• Assists with staff training.
• Respond appropriately, as prescribed by program, to crisis situations as they occur. Understand and apply principles, as determined by program, of behavior management.
• Know, understand, and follow program and organizational policies, rules and procedures
• Display proficiency working with staff and residents of different cultural and/or gender backgrounds.
• Assures program participant privacy is maintained by being knowledgeable and following HIPAA privacy and security regulations.
• Covering direct care shifts as needed for essential coverage which may result in possible overtime.
• Must be able to work regularly scheduled working hours, typically evenings and weekends.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education/Experience:

• High School diploma or GED with 3 or more full time years of related work experience (6,000 hours)
• Or any diploma related to Human Services with 2 or more full time years of related work experience (4,000 hours)
• Or an AA or BA related to Human Services with 1 or more full time years of related work experience (2,000 hours)
• Or a minimum of 6 months or more of exemplary performance as a VOA DSP

Other Requirements:

• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work with a diverse population of individuals by using tact, diplomacy, and flexibility.
• Utilize basic reasoning skills including analytical, creative problem solving, decision making, independent judgment, and negotiating/mediating.
• Basic medical care experience.
• Crisis intervention techniques.
• Valid driver’s license with a good driving record.
• At all times dress in a manner that is functional, clean, and appropriate.

The Services for Persons With Special Needs (SPSN) division is dedicated to promoting self-sufficiency, independence and active community engagement for individuals with developmental disabilities of any age. Support services may be provided in the consumer's home, in their local community, or in a residential setting.

Volunteers of America Minnesota and Wisconsin is a nonprofit health and human services organization that annually serves more than 25,000 children, adolescents and their families, older adults, students, persons with disabilities and special needs, and adults completing incarceration. Since 1896, we have helped people gain self-reliance, dignity and hope.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)