Job Title: Integrated Classroom Skill Builder

Job Code: ICSKBLDR

Department: Cherokee Central Schools

Division: Behavioral Health

Salary Level: Non-Exempt 4

Reports to: CCS Team Lead

Last Revised: February 2022

Primary Function

The Integrated Classroom is a structured program that builds on strengths and addresses the identified problems associated with the complex conditions of each individual child and their supports. Integrated Classroom provides mental health and/or substance abuse interventions in the context of a treatment milieu in a school setting. The Integrated Classroom services must involve the child’s family or primary caregivers to achieve positive sustained outcomes. The Integrated Classroom services will function as part of the CIHA integrated child behavioral health system. This service should be focused on achieving functional gains, behavior developmentally appropriate, culturally relevant and sensitive, trauma informed, child and family centered and focus on reintegrating the individual back into the school or transitioning into employment. These interventions are designed to reduce symptoms, improve behavioral functioning, increase the individual’s ability to cope with and relate to others, promote recovery, and enhance the child’s capacity to function in an educational setting, or to be maintained in community based services. It is available for children 5 to 17 years of age (up to age 20 with approval). The Integrated Classroom must address the age, behavior, and developmental functioning of each child to ensure safety, health and appropriate treatment interventions within the program milieu.

Job Duties

• Attend and help coordinate relevant IEP, team meetings, school staff meetings
• Attend clinical interagency trainings.
• Release confidential information to designated entities listed on the signed ‘Release of confidential information form.’
• Provide basic case management for clients. Refer clients to necessary services, supports, and resources
• Participate in Critical Incident response within reasonable timeframe of incident.
• Attend relevant community meetings to promote positive relationships with community members
• Complete accurate documentation in a timely manner (progress notes/assessments within 24 hours and signed off within 3 days)
• Display effective written and oral communication in an organized and professional fashion.
• Maintain good working relationship with supervisors, team members, students, and their families.
• Attend staff meetings.
• Offer provider choice when referring to another service/resource
• Return phone calls/emails in timely fashion (community stakeholders, clients, agency departments.)
• Implement behavioral system within Integrated Classroom operation.
• Provide interventions that support symptom reduction and/or sustain systems stability at the lowest possible levels, increase ability to cope, relate to others, support sustain recovery, enhanced capacity to function in an inclusive setting or to be maintained in community based services.
• Provide interventions that focus on achieving developmentally appropriate functional gains, culturally relevant, sensitive, child, family centered, and focus on reintegrating individual back into school or transitioning into employment.
• Provide therapeutic intensive services that are designed to reduce symptoms and improve functional skills. Functional skills shall include but are not limited to functioning in a mainstream setting, maintaining residence with a family or community based ongoing institutional setting (foster home, therapeutic home, etc.), and maintaining appropriate role functioning in community settings.
• Provide interventions that address the following challenges experienced by the child and/or their support system:
  1. Behavioral challenges that have been previously or are currently are being displayed. Developing skills for replacement behaviors, which can be practiced, applied and monitored within the educational environment. 
  2. Symptom management
  3. Social / Relational skills
  4. Emotional regulation skills
  5. Adaptive skill training
  6. Communication skills
  7. Problem solving skills
  8. Development of appropriate support systems for the child and their family or caregivers
  9. Psychiatric symptom management 
  10. Relapse prevention
  11. Disease management strategies
  12. Development of trauma informed educational settings
• Provide culturally sensitive treatment
• Communicate professionally and consistently with school social workers, guidance counselors, and relevant teachers to show your involvement and interest in the school’s needs
• The provider must follow a clearly identified clinical model(s) or evidence-based treatment(s) consistent with best practice. The selected model(s) must be specified and described in the provider’s program description. The clinical model(s) or Evidence-Based. Practices (EBPs) should be expected to produce positive outcomes for this population

Education/Experience

• Must be at least 18 years of age, be able to read, write, understand and follow directions.
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Must not have any substantiated findings of abuse or neglect listed on the North Carolina Health Care Personnel Registry.
• Must disclose any criminal conviction.
• One must meet the NC criteria of an associate or paraprofessional

Job Knowledge

• Principles in child development
• Understanding of educational and mental health interagency protocols
• Knowledge of community resources and linkage to needed resources
• Skills in relating to high-risk and behaviorally disordered children and adolescence
• Ability to intervene in a crisis situation
• Understanding and respect of multi-cultural issues among clients and school personnel.
• Ability to work independently as well as a team player
• Knowledge ability to implement clinically proven effective interventions
• Knowledge of person-centered planning
• Knowledge of the principles of ‘One System of Care’ methodology in treatment plans
• Ability to manage large case load of clients with varying degrees of clinical needs
• Ability to provide accurate and timely documentation and other forms of paperwork in an organized fashion.
• Knowledge of Cherokee culture and community strongly preferred

Complexity of Duties

This position is responsible for assisting in maximizing the available resources to develop and maintain behavioral health services for EBCI children and families that best meets the constantly changing needs of the community. Must have the ability to interpret policy, laws and regulations in order to make decisions when a precedent is not available. Duties require the application of judgment and problem solving skills in order to be effective. Judgment often involves decisions that may have life or death results. At times may be dealing with individuals who are highly agitated, emotional, or out of touch with reality.

Supervision Received

Works under the administrative guidance of the Integrated Classroom Supervisor. Receives primary clinical guidance from the Integrated Classroom Supervisor and the assigned therapist. 

Responsibility for Accuracy

Failure to provide adequate services, activities or documentation could result in poor client outcomes, delays in patient treatment, and negative patient and community relations. Accuracy of data is critical for client care and use of resources. Employee is responsible for the adherence to policy and procedure. Inappropriate actions or inaccuracies in judgment could result in improper diagnosis and treatment, serious liability for the tribe, or serious health risks to patients.

Contacts with Others

Interacts frequently with coworkers, school staff, clients, families and other health professionals for the purpose of exchanging information, obtaining, or providing assistance. Tact, courtesy, and professional conduct are required to maintain positive working relationships. Utmost sensitivity and confidentiality is required when dealing with patients and families.

Confidential Data

The provision of behavioral health care requires that the incumbent maintain strict appropriate confidentiality regarding all patient information. The employee will have access to patient records and highly confidential information and must function with utmost integrity to safe guard this information. The employee complies with EBCI policy on confidentiality of patient records, Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority Confidentiality policy and HIPAA requirements. Violations of confidentiality regulations may result in disciplinary action and other action as allowed by federal regulations.

Mental/Visual/Physical

Job duties can be mentally and emotionally stressful at times given the complexity of the duties, management and supervision of staff and the clinical areas being addressed with the people being served. Close mental concentration and attention to detail are required. Physical activities require the ability to be mobile, sit, reach, bend, and be in front of groups and deliver training for extended periods of time. Some physical exertion and stamina is required. Must have visual acuity, manual dexterity, and the ability to speak and hear. Must be able to lift 30 lbs.

• Kneeling: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.
• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.
• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Walking: Moving about on feet to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires the substantial use of the upper extremities and back muscles.
• Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than the whole hand or arm as in handling.
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, clearly, or quickly.
• Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make fine discriminations in sound.
• Repetitive Motions: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands and/or fingers.

Environment

The employee works primarily in a school setting but may be required to work at other offices and client homes. The work environment involves moderate risks of exposure to infectious disease, radiation, electrical hazards, and irritant chemical and explosive gases. Employee must strictly adhere to OSHA guidelines and protocol for maintaining sterile conditions.

Some travel is required. Infrequent overnight travel may be required for meetings or to attend training.

Customer Service

Consistently demonstrates superior customer service skills to patients/customers by demonstrating characteristics that align with CIHA’s guiding principles and core values. Ensure excellent customer service is provided to all patients/customers by seeking out opportunities to be of service.