Program Specialist

Job Title: Program Specialist

Reports to: Operations Director

Description:

Full Time Program Specialist who will be based out of Northern Cambria and travel to other counties as needed. The schedule for this position will primarily be Monday through Thursday (7am-5pm) with some flexibility required. There is also mandatory emergency on-call.

As performing the duties of Program Specialist, I understand that I will be responsible for carrying out the following Job Duties in which I can for up to 30 individuals. Job Duties include but are not limited to the following.

Principles:

· Be a primary advocate for individuals served by ensuring health, safety, and welfare always.

· Honor and respect individuals and their personal rights in all aspects of the individual's lives. Comply with Confidentiality Policy and all applicable HIPAA Regulations.

· Address, treat, and always interact with individuals in a dignified manner.

· Act as an appropriate role model and present an acceptable appearance and image when representing the agency.

· Exercise common sense and good judgment in all decision making and contact supervisory staff for direction when necessary and required.

· Promote a trusting relationship and remain professional when working with individuals/families.

· Facilitate and maintain relationships between the Administrative Entity, Supports Coordination Organization, day programs, and other support services.

· Avoid allowing personal beliefs and values to influence dealings with individuals receiving services.

Supervision:

· Direct supervision of Residential Staff- Provide leadership to Residential Supervisors and Direct Support Professional-Residential staff.

· Participate in orientation and ongoing training for Providers, Residential Managers and RSS-Residential staff.

· Ensure compliance of the 6400 regulations and QLS's policies and procedures.

· Address performance issues and ensure consistent application of disciplinary actions in conjunction with agency policies for staff.

· Coordinate temporary work assignments to alleviate staff shortages and assure consistency in providing services.

· Ensure attendance at required meetings and training.

· Notify and consult with Operations Director when additional support is needed.

Programmatic:

· Complete the responsibilities of the Program Specialist in compliance with 6400 Regulations.

· Participate in Individual Support Plan development and team meetings. Assist with developing strategies for helping individuals to achieve their outcomes. Be fully familiar with everyone's current plan and ensure staff are trained on it. Suggest revisions to the Individual Support Plan when appropriate or indicated and have documentation of all revisions.

· Coordination and Completion of Individual Annual Assessments and follow up addendums

· Coordinating the services provided to an individual with the supports coordinator

· Coordinating the training of direct service workers in the content of Health and Safety needs relevant to each individual

· Support individuals in carrying out daily living activities consistent with their level of functioning and current Individual Support Plan.

· Develop and write outcomes and ensure monitoring and proper documentation.

· Work with the team to ensure the individuals' finances are appropriately utilized to meet their needs.

· Monitor individuals' appointments and follow-up with the medical department.

· Maintain individuals' home and office files on the databases.

Overall Operations:

· Have complete knowledge of and ensure compliance of 6400 Regulations.

· Ensure individuals' overall appearance is always appropriate.

· Ensure homes are maintained in clean and sanitary conditions. Ensure home environments are based on the individuals' wants and needs.

· Ensure the completion and monthly submission of the House Inspection for Residential Homes.

· Report to the appropriate person any ongoing home maintenance issues to assure completion.

· Implement plans of correction as needed

Notification of Incidents:

· Have full knowledge of and comply with Incident Management and complete all trainings.

· Submit incidents to Enterprise Incident Management and Adult Protective Services within required timelines.

· Attend and participate with Incident Management meetings.

Other Duties:

· Provide on-call coverage with in the on-call rotation.

· Participate in committees as assigned.

· Attend and participate in required training, seminars, and/or conferences.

· Perform other duties as may be required or assigned.

Requirements:

· A program specialist shall have one of the following groups of qualifications:

· A master's degree or above from an accredited college or university and 1 year of work experience working directly with individuals with an intellectual disability or autism.

· A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and 2 years of work experience working directly with individuals with an intellectual disability or autism.

· An associate degree or 60 credit hours from an accredited college or university and 4 years of work experience working directly with individuals with an intellectual disability or autism.

DISCLAIMER

This job description is not intended to list all the duties to be performed by the employee. An employee who may have a disability is expected to perform all the essential functions of this job with or without reasonable accommodation, to the best of their ability. Essential functions are all those duties listed on this job description except for those considered as universal by the company. All job duties must be performed in accordance with established safety and health procedures. By signing below, I acknowledge that I have reviewed the 6400 Regulations 44(a) through 44(b)(19) and fully understand detailed description of each of the above listed responsibilities.