Supported Employment Specialist

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Supported Employment Specialist (SES) is responsible for providing career planning services; coordinating supported employment services to persons with disabilities; recommending, monitoring and evaluating the employment/vocational component of Personal Support Plans (PSPs); coordinating all services for private pay clients and performing program support.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITES:

• Coordinate with Case Managers to acquire funding into the (Pre-) Vocational or Supported Living categories for current Supported Living clients if funding is not currently present.
• Participates in initial visit with consumer to establish trusting, collaborative relationships directed toward the goal of competitive employment in community job settings.
• Coordinate with other provider agencies in the employment process. This includes assisting consumers in obtaining information about their benefits (e.g., SSI, Medicaid, etc.) and how they will be affected by employment for clients to make good decisions about employment opportunities. Help consumers access benefits counseling and other services when making changes in work hours and pay.
• Provide pre-vocational services to train individuals who are not expected to join the general work force in the immediate future (within a year). This includes support and training in self-help skills, motor and physical development, communication skills, functional academics, community life skills, work skills, and leisure skills. These training areas are not primarily directed at teaching specific job skills but at underlying habilitation goals.
• Provide Career Planning Services for individuals with disabilities who are transitioning out of High School into adult services (this service is not limited to those with intellectual or developmental disabilities). This includes developing and implementing experiential opportunities for appropriate exploration, assessment and discovery of career options to enter the general workforce; providing assistance with resume creation, interviewing skills, and workplace etiquette training; conducting assessments of individuals skills, abilities and interests including assessment of technology based skills; and providing training and support for skills relating to the acquisition of employment including communication, functional academics, and motor and physical skills development.
• Evaluate consumer skills, aptitudes, and limitations to determine the appropriate employment support services, which may include customized employment, home based self-employment or employment in an integrated work setting. Identify opportunities for consumers to work for pay in regular employment, integrate with non-disabled persons who are not paid caregivers for the individual, and receive long-term support services to retain the employment.
• Conduct job development and job search activities directed toward positions that are individualized to the interests and uniqueness of the consumers on the caseload following the principles and procedures of supported employment. This includes placement activities e.g., gathering information, employee assessments and job placement processes; job market analysis/job development activities including identifying and locating potential jobs; and job match/screening activities to establish job requirements and to match jobs to potential employees.
• Conduct weekly employer contacts to learn about local businesses and employer needs, to talk about specific consumers who are looking for work, and/or to talk about employer services offered by the Supported Employment program.
• Coordinate and provide job placement and training to develop the skills necessary to succeed in the paid job that the individual is hired to do and to meet the objectives of the PSP. Training occurs within the actual job environment and addresses naturally occurring demands and contingencies.
• Conduct ongoing service assessment, support, and coordination to monitor the status of the job environment and the employee, and to provide intervention as needed to maintain job placement. This includes coordinating issues such as transportation of the consumer/employee and any equipment to and from the job site. Review support services no less than once quarterly, more frequently as needed or requested by the individual to ensure services and supports are facilitating successful employment outcomes consistent with the individuals goals.
• Provide asset development and career advancement planning and support to provide guidance for employees in advanced situations where employee is mastering the job skills and can move forward toward promotion to new job duties and independence from job coach supports.
• Provide education and support to employers as agreed upon with consumers, which may include negotiating job accommodations and follow-along contacts with the employer. With the consumers permission, provide education and support to family members about work and gather input about skills, interests, strengths of the client and ideas for support.
• Provide outreach services as necessary to clients when they appear to disengage from the service. Use a variety of methods to provide outreach.
• Collect and provide information for the development of the employment component of Personal Support Plans (Career Plan) and progress reports by completing assessment and information gathering with the consumer and/or employers. This includes documenting information regarding the individuals vocational strengths, abilities and needs, and the support and services needed to address the individuals vocational priorities.
• Assess consumer vocational functioning on an ongoing basis utilizing background information and work experiences. Complete employment profiles for each consumer with information from the client, team members, and with permission, family members or past employers. Update employment profiles with each new job experience.
• Develop potential employment-related PSP actions for team consideration. Develop vocational plan with the consumer, Case Worker, other treatment team providers and update it quarterly. Follow PSP policy regarding timelines and disseminate required information including providing summaries to the Case Manager prior to PSP meeting.
• Participate in PSP meetings to implement plans with the team and communicate individually with team members between meetings in order to coordinate and integrate vocational services with other PSP services and supports. Make suggestions to help the team think about employment for people who havent yet been referred to supported employment services.
• Through regular visits and contacts with the consumer, employers, and support providers, implement assigned responsibilities of the PSP including assigned outcomes and actions; and providing employment-focused instruction as identified in the PSP outcomes and actions.
• Safeguard and maintain individual records to keep consumer files complete, confidential, and in order. This includes filing consumer documents in secure areas; adhering to the recommended organization of components of individual files; and obtaining and documenting Releases of Information agreements prior to sharing private consumer information with others (e.g., employers).
• Attending in-services, conferences, workshops, and required agency meetings as appropriate.
• Coordinate as necessary with other Family Outreach staff providing Supported Living/Employment Services.
• Follow the Incident Reporting policy.

ADDITIONAL DUTIES:

• Perform a variety of other professional and administrative work as assigned by the supervisor.
• May participate in Family Outreach public relations activities including giving presentations and distributing information to foster cooperation with and support of Supported Employment Programs and to maintain outside agency contacts. Provides information about Family Outreach services at community events related to supported employment issues including developing materials, poster boards, PowerPoint presentations, and other materials for visual display.
• Supervise Assist and guide Direct Support Providers by providing instructions and training, resolving problems, providing performance feedback, and documenting meetings and contacts with job coach. Manage job coach time for assigned individuals by developing schedules for coverage, reviewing time sheets and mileage sheets for accuracy, and ensuring services fit within individuals budgets. Ensure job coaches adhere to established definitions of services and support.
• Assist with coordinating special projects and events.
• Attending training as required.
• Providing backup and coverage for other Family Outreach staff.
• Other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of social services; developmental disability intervention; adult education and learning methods; community resources.
• Knowledge of State and Federal policies, legislation, rules and regulations as it relates to developmental disabilities.
• Technical writing; recordkeeping methods and techniques; and Family Outreach service needs and operations.
• Operation of general office equipment including computers and typical business software applications.
• Ability to relate effectively with children, families, community members, and staff of diverse backgrounds.
• Complete work assignments without continual direction.
• Pay close attention to detail and ability to organize and prioritize work.
• Complete basic arithmetic computations and perform tasks such as balancing a checkbook and recording expenditures.
• Follow verbal and written instructions.
• Research and assess consumer needs.
• Design informational and educational materials, methods and learning activities.
• Conduct training sessions.
• Ability to build relations and collaborate with other community agencies.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school graduation or GED.
• One (1) year experience in employment, service provision, developmental disabilities, or a related field.

• Valid Montana drivers license or ability to obtain one within one month of hire.
• Access to a reliable vehicle.
• Successfully complete a background and criminal history check and have an acceptable driving record.

PERFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Combination of education and experience equivalent to a bachelors degree in sociology, psychology, business, or a related field.
• Three (3) years related experience including service coordination or supported employment experience.

INDEPENDENCE OF ACTION:

This position exercises a high level of independent responsibility in performing job tasks and is responsible for using initiative and judgment to determine how to proceed with assignments and to determine the methods best suited to each task. The position is supervised by the Supported Employment Coordinator, who provides direction on operational issues and is available to provide technical assistance with problems that involve other organizations. Work is performed according to Policies and Procedures established by the Family Outreach Board of Directors and the State of Montana.

CONFIDENTIALITY:

The position requires handling non-public confidential information. The person in this position acknowledges the confidential nature of non-public information regarding Family Outreach employees and clients. Consistent with applicable policy and guidelines, this position will respect and safeguard the privacy and confidential nature of information in accordance with Montana state law, without limiting the general nature of this commitment. The person in the position hereby acknowledges and understands that in this context, confidential information is considered all non-public information that can be personally associated with an individual and will not disseminate any such information.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Work is performed in a normal office environment and in client homes and sites of community employment. The position may involve overtime and weekend work during peak workloads. The position involves physical demands associated with travel by auto, working on a computer, communicating over the phone and in person, and light lifting and filing.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Family Outreach, Inc. may make reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is on a regular basis required to walk, talk, bend, stoop, lift, carry, push, pull, climb or balance, sit or stand for extended periods, reach with hands and arms, use hands to manipulate or feel, and to hear sounds. The employee is occasionally required to work with people who are experiencing a personal crisis, and work under sometimes stressful conditions. Essential functions involve physical demands associated with travel by auto; working on a computer; communicating over the phone and in person; ensuring consumer safety necessitating lifting more than 25 pounds, exerting a minimum of 50 pounds of force, and applying consumer holds when needed; and completion of service notes.