Group Home Direct Care Staff

GAP Ministries•Oro Valley, AZ

10d•$16 - $18•Onsite

About The Position

Family Support/Direct Care personnel provide a safe, Christ-centered temporary home for children in care. They are part of a larger Christ-centered management team with high expectations for biblical character and values including: honesty, integrity, respect for all peoples, high levels of trust and regard for teammates, and intolerance of gossip, offense, and backbiting. The ideal family support staff will create and model for children in care and for co-workers, the fruit of the Spirit. Live out and support the mission and core values of GAP Ministries in your daily work, reflecting compassion, purpose, and service to others. Serve as a positive example of our culture by practicing servant leadership, communicating with care, showing respect, taking responsibility, acting with integrity, working as a team, and maintaining a hopeful, encouraging attitude. Honor GAP Ministries’ Code of Conduct and Ethics and faithfully protect the privacy and confidentiality of those we serve in accordance with HIPAA guidelines.

Requirements

Be physically fit and emotionally mature to perform job duties. An adult who has warmth and ability to understand, enjoy and be comfortable with active, often aggressive, and disorganized children in an intimate, group living situation.
Have personal attitudes, conduct and standards representing those qualities and values, which children can respect and emulate. Including maintaining high standards of honesty, integrity, and impartiality, free from personal considerations, or favoritism.
Proficient in the use of a personal computer and corresponding programs; preferably experience with Microsoft Office Suite, Gmail and Google Calendar or similar web-based and computer programs.
Be courteous, considerate, and prompt in interactions with a variety of persons, including children in care, coworkers, members of the boards, service provides and DCS, the public, volunteers, and parents of the children, including instilling confidence in and inspiring others, acting with integrity, building trusted relationships, following through on commitments.
Have the required skills and knowledge for the task at hand or being willing to self-teach it or seek training to learn.
Able to work well with ever changing priorities and or situations. Have the ability to stay calm in tense situations, utilize common sense and logic, and use sound, professional and ethical judgment.
Successfully pass FBI fingerprint clearance check and procure a Fingerprint Clearance Card.
Successful clearance of criminal background check(s), Central Registry in Arizona and any state(s) lived in within 5 years of hire in accordance of Title 21.
Be free of medical, physical, or mental health conditions that would interfere with the safe care and supervision of a child in care and agree to annual documentation of such while working or residing in GAP’s SPLASH home(s).
Successfully complete staff training courses in: Crisis Intervention and De-Escalation (CPI), Behavior Management, Conflict Resolution, TBRI, and Administration of Medications. Attend on-going training sessions during employment to ensure to meet state annual training requirements.
Be certified in adult and pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and First Aid; as well as CPI certified and be willing and available to keep certifications current.
Must be 22 years old.
Have at least a high school diploma or equivalency degree, and one year experience in providing direct care to children; or one-year post-high school education in a program leading to a degree in the field of child welfare, or human services, or other related field of study.
Two references as follows: Current or most recent employment through reference checks; and at least one reference from persons not related to yourself by blood or marriage, who can attest to your character, knowledge, and skill.
Successfully pass pre-employment and random drug screenings. This is a safety-sensitive position and GAP Ministries is an alcohol and drug-free (including marijuana) workplace and requires random drug screening to all employees to ensure enforcement of this policy.
Must have a valid driver license in effect for at least 5 years, meet the insurability requirements of GAP Ministries and driving requirements of DCS regulatory contract and scope of work, and provide a 60-month safe driving record (MVR) from Department of Motor Vehicles.
Have verification of legal eligibility to work in the United States.
Have a safe, reliable vehicle that has adequate heating and cooling, insured at DCS mandated levels, and may be used to transport children in the event the agency vehicle is unavailable. (Auto insurance meeting DCS minimum coverage requirements: Injury per person: $100,000, Injury per accident: $300,000, and Property damage: $25,000.)
Utilize own or company vehicle, including 15 passenger van, for transporting children, shopping, etc. (Mileage is reimbursed by agency when using personal vehicle).
Have manual dexterity; auditory and visual skills and be able to perform various physical tasks, including but not limited to the following: Lifting of up to 50 lbs., Have the physical strength to separate two or more fighting children., Lift and/or carry a sleeping/sleepy child alone (i.e. eight year old girl needing restroom help in the middle of the night.), Lift and/or carry bags/boxes of groceries, house wares, and furniture with and without assistance., Kneel, bend, stoop and lift freely and without risk of injury as needed to keep unit clean, interact with children, etc., Cooking meals, cleaning rooms, etc. May require standing for extensive periods of time., Ability to navigate residences which may not be ADA accessible.
Human Resource package completed.
Able to obtain medical release/permission to fulfill all physical tasks should any health issue develop or emerge during employment.

Nice To Haves

preferably experience with Microsoft Office Suite, Gmail and Google Calendar or similar web-based and computer programs.

Responsibilities

Provide direct care for the children in care by creating a safe, nurturing environment while teaching basic life skills and implementing positive behavior plans and behavior modifying techniques following GAP’s Behavior Management Plan, Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) strategies, and state regulatory requirements.
Successfully use TBRI strategies and techniques to redirect child behavior. Maintain calm yet playful demeanor when interacting with children in care. Build trust with children and co-workers.
Implement the daily schedule for the children, engage in activities of the group or with individual children within the group, as their needs require, often implementing these tasks without other support staff. Assist children with homework, providing appropriate workspace and guidance to complete tasks.
Follow outlined policies and directives for dealing with children and duties, as well as GAP Ministries’ employee policies and procedures. Immediately correct problems to ensure the safety of children in care.
Transport children to appointments when needed.
Ensure records are maintained in compliance with federal/state/local regulations. Complete all paperwork in a prompt and careful manner, keeping records confidential. This includes but is not limited to the following: Accurate and truthful NSLP counts, Repair Requests, Reimbursements, ExtendedReach documentation, Rx logs, OTC, Accurate and real-time timecard, Time off requests, Misc. including: report cards, etc.
Attend all staff meetings and training sessions, or make arrangements with SPLASH Manager, to review video of missed meeting or training.
Assist the SPLASH Manager to ensure that the home and yard are maintained in a safe and clean manner.
Be accessible to representatives of DCS, and other governmental agencies, as necessary. “Accessible” means readily available to answer questions and address problems or emergencies that arise, either personally or through a chain of command.
Prepare meals, following posted menu and follow sanitary guidelines.
Represent GAP/SPLASH to the public in a positive, responsible manner. Conduct yourself in a manner that will not bring discredit or embarrassment upon GAP Ministries or DCS.
Personally grow in leadership and spiritual life to exemplify the characteristics of a cultural champion, including conducting yourself professionally and ethically.
Comply with federal and state laws and rules, GAP Ministries policies, procedures, and directives.
Follow agency chain of command in a responsible and supportive manner. Be able to accept constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Agree to flexible hours and rotation of homes. Primary purpose is to provide coverage as needed. Flexibility and reliability are critical in facilitating appropriate relationship with all staff; reliability includes checking schedule/calendar multiple times a day.
Provide input on, at least, annual reviews for self, manager, and peers and receive and implement constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement.
Perform other appropriate tasks as assigned or requested by management.
Supervise children with chores and homework.
Work with SPLASH Manager to meet expectations for each SPLASH house.
Give requests to SPLASH Manager for supplies and clothing needs.
Follow all parts of job description for position.