Life Sharing Program Specialist

The Arc's•Meadville, PA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Life Sharing Program Specialist is responsible for managing a caseload of diverse individuals, ensuring they have the opportunity to live their own Everyday Life. This role involves developing strong relationships with individuals, their families, and county representatives to facilitate communication. The specialist will utilize systems like the Health Risk Screening Tool (HRST) and stay updated on relevant regulations (6100 and 6500). Key responsibilities include attending team meetings, assisting with Individual Support Plans (ISPs) and SIS assessments, scheduling and attending medical appointments, and ensuring individuals are satisfied with their services. The role also focuses on advocating for individuals to maximize their independence, providing direct service when needed, identifying opportunities for personal growth, and offering emotional support during difficult times. The specialist will model and encourage healthy lifestyles, identify individual strengths, and collaborate with county Human Services departments. They will also inform Support Coordinators of any changes, summarize client progress, maintain confidentiality, and respond to emergencies. Additionally, the role involves supervising Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and working with Life Sharing Providers (LSPs), including educating them on individual needs, monitoring performance, providing feedback, conducting evaluations, and mentoring those facing difficulties. The specialist will coordinate programmatic aspects of Life Sharing sites, manage Room & Board costs, and maintain all individual and house files according to regulations. Office duties include replacing ISPs, organizing files, approving expenses, verifying timesheets, attending meetings, reporting incidents, submitting units for billing, and maintaining client files. The specialist must also verify data in Billiyo, respond to communications daily, and perform other assigned duties.

Requirements

A master’s degree or above from an accredited college or university and 1 year of work experience working directly with persons with an intellectual disability or autism
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and 2 years of work experience working directly with persons with an intellectual disability or autism
An associate’s degree or 60 credit hours from an accredited college or university and 4 years of work experience working directly with persons with an intellectual disability or autism
A high school diploma or general education development certificate and 6 years of work experience working directly with persons with an intellectual disability or autism
Ability to apply understanding and problem-solving skills to carry out detailed written or oral instructions.
Ability to deal with problems in a constantly changing environment.
Proficient with MS Office including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access
Excellent organizational skills
Ability to adapt to and use new programs adopted by the agency
Ability to communicate (verbally and written) professionally with individuals at all levels of the organization and external contacts
Problem-solver
Self-motivated
Dependable
Manage time efficiently
Self-starter
Ability to multi-task
Regular attendance required
Ability to maintain the integrity of highly confidential information

Nice To Haves

Flexible schedule
Occasional driving expected

Responsibilities

Manage a caseload of diverse individuals, providing opportunities for them to live their own Everyday Life.
Develop rapport with individuals’ families and county representatives to facilitate communication.
Enter and update information in the Health Risk Screening Tool (HRST) system.
Increase job knowledge by learning the 6100 and 6500 regulations.
Attend team meetings to provide input on individual progress and assist in updating Individual Support Plans and SIS assessments.
Schedule and attend doctor’s appointments with individuals as needed.
Ensure individuals are happy with their services on a quarterly basis at ISP meetings.
Reinforce that individuals’ outcomes are being met during program and that they are appropriate.
Advocate for individuals to maximize their independence in multiple capacities of their lives.
Provide direct service as needed to ensure quality of program.
Search for and provide opportunities for individuals to advance their lives.
Assist individuals as needed outside of program hours.
Provide emotional support to individuals through difficult life situations.
Model and encourage a healthy lifestyle for individuals during program hours.
Assist in identifying individuals’ strengths and how they can use them in the community.
Work closely with Crawford, Mercer, Venango and McKean County Human Services on all proceedings.
Inform Support Coordinators of any changes for the individuals as they arise.
Summarize individual client progress as required.
Ensure that all files and client interactions remain confidential.
Respond appropriately to emergencies involving the Life Sharing Program.
Supervise Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and work directly with Life Sharing Providers (LSPs).
Develop rapport with Direct Support Professionals and Life Sharing Providers.
Educate new and existing Direct Support Professionals and Life Sharing Providers on the specific needs of each individual on your caseload.
Monitor Direct Support Professionals to assess their work performance and facilitate positive change by providing verbal and written corrections when behavior goes against agency policy.
Mentor Direct Support Professionals and Life Sharing Providers having difficulties.
Provide critical, strength-based employee evaluations to assess DSP performance.
Coordinate all programmatic aspects of the Life Sharing Program sites.
Calculate and track Room & Board costs.
Maintain all individual files and house files to meet Chapter 6500 Regulations and requirements.
Monitor Life Sharing sites and ensure physical site regulations are in compliance.
Replace ISPs annually and update individuals’ records as changes are made.
Organize and store individuals’ files securely.
Approve monthly mileage and business expenses of Direct Support Professionals.
Verify employees’ timesheets daily and approve on a weekly basis.
Attend Office, Program Specialist, Life Sharing and DSP meetings and provide input on changes happening in the agency.
Report incidents to HCSIS in a timely manner and follow-up when appropriate.
Submit units for billing by Tuesday at 10am to the Program Manager.
Maintain client files for Chapter 61 and 65 Regulations for Provider Monitoring.
Meet required deadlines as outlined by Chapter 6500 Regulations.
Verify data in Billiyo and document edits daily.
Respond to emails and phone calls daily.
All other duties as assigned.