Direct Care Professional- 2nd Shift
Skill Builder. Purpose Finder. Life Changer.
Join the Heartspring family and help children learn, grow and find independence! If you have a passion for working with children and young adults, and if you consider kindness and compassion two of your top strengths, becoming a Direct Care Professional at Heartspring will be the most rewarding career journey of your life.
The life-changing role of a Direct Care Professional:
Direct Care Professionals change lives! They teach, nurture, and work closely with children and young adults with special needs to help them care for themselves and find independence in their lives. The role of the Direct Care Professional is to help students in areas such as communication, self-help, social skills, and daily living skills. Daily living skills activities include:
- Personal hygiene and grooming
- Eating and meal preparation
- Housekeeping
- Leisure time and recreation
- The ideal candidate is a team player with a true sense of grit, humility, and a compassionate, caring attitude towards others.
We welcome all levels of experience, including (but not limited to) past jobs such as direct support provider, care attendant, home health aide, CNA, and/or educator. Direct care experience working with individuals with special needs is a plus. If you do not have direct care experience, don’t worry – we provide an excellent training program.
Job Description:
Primary Functions:
- Compassion above all else!
- A desire and passion to work with children and young adults with special needs.
- Effective teamwork skills
- Provide a safe, clean, and nurturing environment that meets and/or exceeds all requirements set forth by Heartspring.
- Provide a structured environment for students by following the schedule of activities that promotes the student’s learning opportunities and their independent living skills.
- Implement and document the students’ training programs as prescribed in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or informal training programs in the home setting.
- Implement, document, and provide input into the Student Support Plan (SSP), as outlined by the psychology department.
- Implement and document student-specific training in specialized areas, as prescribed by the students’ teams (i.e., Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech Therapy).
- Escort students to off-campus events, including special outings, field trips, and healthcare appointments.
- Perform and assist with non-violent behavior management system for crisis intervention as needed.
- Adhere to all procedures and techniques as outlined in the Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Training (NCI) training.
- Communicate effectively with students, parents, team members, supervisors, and all persons involved in the students’ programs.
- Document and/or report any health concerns, whether ongoing (i.e. diabetes, seizures) or emergent (i.e., lacerations, bruises).
- Document and report any instances of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or other unusual incidents or events, as per Heartspring and Department of Child & Family Services guidelines.
Secondary Functions:
- Assist in training and welcoming new Home Paraeducators into the Group Homes.
- Provide specific verbal praise for students throughout the day.
- Prepare and serve meals for students as needed, based on dietary restrictions and programming needs.
- Provide for the safety and protection of the students in the event of an emergency (fire, tornado, severe weather, etc.), whether on campus or out in the community.
- Label and maintain students’ clothing and personal belongings and notifying the supervisor of any needs in a timely manner.
- Complete tasks as assigned by supervisor.
- Complete other duties, as assigned.
Education, Training and Licensure Requirements:
- A GED or high school diploma
- Must be 18 years of age or older.
- Must successfully complete all required orientation and training conducted by Heartspring staff.
- Must maintain S&PA certification (annual).
- Must maintain CPR certification.
Physical and Environment Requirements:
- COVID-19 vaccine required, exceptions for medical or religious exemptions will be reviewed per request.
- Able to perform significant, prolonged, and frequent amounts of walking, standing, sitting, stooping, squatting, bending, twisting, reaching, and kneeling.
- Regular lifting of up to 10 pounds.
- Occasional lifting of up to 30 pounds.
- Occasional exposure to infectious disease, parasites, bodily fluids, and blood-borne pathogens.
- Exposure to physical contact from students, including slapping, hitting, punching, kicking, head-butting, and biting.
- Occasional exposure to all weather conditions, including heat, cold, wind, rain, and snow/ice.
- Mandatory use of Heartspring-standard personal protective equipment.
- May require use of personal protective equipment, including gloves, helmets, arm guards, and leg guards.
Schedule:
Rotating Weeks: 3:30PM-12:00AM with some variance
Benefits:
Heartspring offers a generous benefits package including three weeks of paid vacation, sick leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, short term disability insurance and retirement plans. Heartspring also offers opportunities to grow within and advance your careers through on-the-job training, internal promotion preferences, and the Heartspring scholarship program to help you go back to school.Heartspring is a drug-free campus. Heartspring is an EEO employer.