Home Community Liaison(Day School Pittsburgh)

Pressley Ridge Career • Pittsburgh, PA

27d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Home Community Liaison (HCL) is responsible for identifying areas of need within a student’s ecology and arranging to remedy those needs to ensure the generalization and maintenance of positive program effects beyond the program environment. This position will also include working with students/ families to ensure effective development and instruction of community-based lessons outlined in the individual educational plans and behavioral plans of students.

Requirements

• Requires a bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, counseling, education, or another childcare field.
• Requires proficiency in American Sign Language (ASL) within two (2) years of employment for the School for the Deaf.
• Requires a valid state driver’s license, safe driving record, and current auto insurance.
• None
• State Police
• FBI
• Child Abuse Clearances
• Mandated Reporter-Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse training certificate and/or statement
• Must meet TCI requirements for any interventions.

Responsibilities

• Work with families to assess areas of need.
• Present progress on identified needs during interdisciplinary reviews.
• Implement the services required in conjunction with the overall educational/behavioral program of the student.
• Arrange for each student’s parents/guardians to visit the school, at least, two times per year.
• Participate in interdisciplinary reviews at which students who are nearing readiness for discharge are identified.
• Design/implement interventions in the school or community setting.
• Serve as a contributing member responsible for the educational/behavioral development of students.
• Deliver and instruct community-based lessons for students and families that directly relate to IEP goals and as well as family goals.
• Gather appropriate instructional materials.
• Develop and implement an array of appropriate experiences in the community.
• Actively implement components of all Re-ED values in the school, home, and community settings.
• Identify and integrate experiential activities.
• Demonstrates a proficient level of cultural sensitivity.
• Facilitate parent participation in community outings throughout the school year.
• Plans and holds 1 out of 4 school-wide family activities (one per nine-week period) per program year.
• Contact community organizations to increase opportunities for the students.
• Work with school districts and transportation providers to ensure that appropriate and safe transportation services are available.
• Participate in all regularly scheduled in-service programs at the school.
• Inform all other service providers involved with the students of the discharge plans and coordinate the various services they will be providing.
• Actively encourage each student’s parents/guardians to attend at least one family event during the school year.
• Meet with the student’s family in their home or community within the first month of school to review school rules and policies (handbook), and to discuss home and community issues that may bear directly on the student’s educational/behavioral program.
• Maintain, weekly telephone contact and a minimum of one (1) face-to-face contact every month with each student’s parents/guardians.
• Complete community-based activity summary and share with the special education teacher.
• Respond to requests for assistance received from the student, parents, or other agency personnel involved with the student.
• Maintain ongoing communication with the referring school district including scheduling and facilitating meetings.
• Maintain communication (within the limits of confidentiality) with representatives from all the community agencies (e.g., Children and Youth Services, Juvenile Court, and Mental Health) involved with the student including scheduling and facilitating meetings.
• Maintain, at a minimum, four (4) to five (5) phone contacts per family over the summer break.
• Maintain, at a minimum, one (1) face-to-face contact per family over the summer break.
• Provide in-service/training programs to other programs with the approval of the Program/Education Director.
• Communicate with identified students and their families regarding discharge planning and encourage their active participation.
• Utilize technology through electronic documentation, electronic communication, and use of the internet to supplement programming and communication.
• Maintain written records as required.
• Gather data, as needed, and assist in the preparation of data and/or summarizing information.
• Assures that all discharge-related documentation is completed in a timely fashion.
• Meet with the coordinator during supervision to discuss family/student progress.
• Assist in monitoring the attendance of each assigned student daily.
• Develop and implement truancy elimination plans as needed.
• Meet regularly with each student to discuss and monitor his/her current educational and behavioral current goals, and interests.
• Follow program designated procedures for all physical contact with students during physical restraints, students search, and so on.
• Assist other staff as needed in physical interventions to protect students and staff from injury.
• Supervise students’ arrival and departure to school via buses and cabs according to a designated schedule.
• Detect and remediate with Program/Education Director approval, if necessary, any potentially dangerous environmental condition (such as broken glass).
• Follow program designated procedures for student illness and injury, including arranging necessary care informing appropriate person of the situation and documenting the injury/illness and actions taken accordingly.
• Maintain safe driving procedures when transporting students.
• Periodically attend local, state, or national conferences and workshops with approval from the Program/Education Director.
• Receive supervision.
• Receive supervision from and actively communicate with supervisor on an ongoing basis throughout the week by phone, email, written message and when possible, in person regarding program matters.

Benefits

• Medical coverage available with a Health Savings Account (HSA) with employer match
• Prescription coverage
• Dental and vision plans
• Patient advocate and Medicare specialists available at no cost
• Dependent Care Flexible Savings Account
• Wellness incentive (up to $250)
• 403b with up to 9% employer give/match
• Free life insurance and AD&D
• Paid sick time (up to 15 days)
• Paid holidays including a birthday holiday
• Tuition reimbursement (if applicable)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level