Home Community Liaison (Day School Pgh/PHP) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at Pressley Ridge

Title: Home Community Liaison (Day School Pgh/PHP)
Job Category: Education
Requisition Number: HOMEC004275
Job Type: Full-Time
Pittsburgh, PA, 15214, United States

Description

Pressley Ridge Benefits

The well-being of our employees and their families is important to us. At Pressley Ridge, we strive to provide the most competitive and comprehensive employee benefit programs that are affordable and help you and your family achieve and maintain your best possible health.

• 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)

Position Summary

The Home Community Liaison (HCL) is responsible for identifying areas of need within a student’s ecology and coordinating linkages to assure positive program effects beyond the program environment. They will also support in the classroom, as needed.

Essential Responsibilities

1. Clinical and Support
   1. Meet with the student’s family in their home or community within the first month of school to complete beginning of the year paperwork and work with families to assess areas of need.
   2. Work with school districts and transportation providers to ensure that appropriate and safe transportation services are available.
   3. Collaborate with the Special Education Teacher in the implementation and review of the Individualized Education Plans (IEP) for each student.
   4. Collaborates with the classroom team to support students in all content areas as well as areas specified in IEP through individual, group and experiential interactions.
   5. Develop, implement and review Student Support Plans (SSP) in collaboration with the classroom team.
   6. Develop and implement a classroom/behavioral management system in collaboration with the classroom team.
   7. Implement school wide policies, procedures and interventions.
   8. Meet regularly with each student to facilitate and support the completion of academic/behavioral health programming.
   9. Demonstrates a proficient level of cultural sensitivity.
2. Community Engagement

   1. Actively encourage each student’s parents/guardians to attend at least one family event during the school year.

   2. Facilitate parent participation in community outings throughout the school year.

   3. Have a minimum of one face to face contact every month with each student’s parents/guardians.

   4. Contact community organizations to increase opportunities for students.

   5. Be responsible for 1 out of 4 school-wide family activities (one per nine-week period) per year.

   6. Support individualized community-based activities for each student.

3. Communication
   1. Maintain, at a minimum, four to five phone contacts per family over the summer break.
   2. Maintain, at a minimum, one face-to-face contact per family over the summer break.
   3. Contact families when students are absent from program.
   4. Maintain weekly telephone contact with each student’s parent/guardian.
   5. Arrange for each student’s parents/guardians to visit the school, at least, two times per year.
   6. Maintain ongoing communication with the referring school district including scheduling and facilitating meetings.
   7. Maintain communication (within the limits of confidentiality) with representatives from all the community agencies (e.g., Children and Youth Services, Juvenile Court, and Mental.
   8. Communicate with identified students and their families regarding discharge planning and encourage their active participation.
      Inform all other service providers involved with the students of the discharge plans and coordinate the various services they will be providing.
   9. Works collaboratively with the therapist to ensure continuity of care upon discharge from the PHP.
4. Documentation
   1. Complete beginning of the year paperwork by end of September.
   2. Complete phone contact logs weekly (Evolv & IEPWriter).
   3. Complete HCL Events weekly.
   4. Complete Community-Based activity summaries weekly.
   5. Complete IEP invitations for meetings and complete IEP minutes at meetings.
   6. Obtain signatures for PHP documentation within regulatory timelines.
   7. Follow designated program policy regarding the documentation of critical incidents.
   8. Complete designated assessment forms as required.
   9. Assist in monitoring the attendance of each assigned student daily.
   10. Develop and implement truancy elimination plans as needed.
   11. Assure that all discharge related documentation (SIS, MyEvolv, etc.) is completed within the identified timeframe.
5. Leadership
   1. Meet with the coordinator during supervision to discuss family/student progress.
   2. Assist in monitoring the attendance of each assigned student daily.
   3. Develop and implement truancy elimination plans as needed.
   4. Meet regularly with each student to discuss and monitor his/her current educational and behavioral current goals, and interests.
6. Risk Management and Safety
   1. Directly always supervise students.
   2. Follow program-designated procedures for all physical contact with students.
   3. Follow program-designated procedures for student illness and injury, including arranging necessary medical care - - (with approval of Coordinator or Program/Education Director) - - informing appropriate persons of the situation, and documenting the injury/illness and actions taken.
   4. Assist other staff, as needed, in interventions (TCI, Ukeru) to protect students and staff from injury.
   5. Detect and remediate, with approval of Coordinator, if necessary, any potentially dangerous environmental conditions.
   6. When transporting students, maintain safe driving procedures.
7. Professional Development
   1. Participate in all regularly scheduled in-service programs.
   2. With the approval of the Program/Education Director, periodically serve on program committees.
   3. With the approval of the Program/Education Director, periodically attend local, state, or national conferences and workshops.
8. Supervision
   1. Receive supervision.
      1. 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.

Qualifications

1. Education/Credentials/License:
   1. Requires a bachelor’s degree in a recognized clinical discipline including social work, psychology, rehabilitation or activity therapies.
   2. Requires a valid state driver’s license, safe driving record, and current auto insurance.
2. Experience:
   1. Requires training and/or experience in mental health services prior to providing services. Requires successful completion of Pressley Ridge's internal training plan, based on prior experience, before being assigned to clients.
3. Clearances Required by Applicable Regulations:
   1. State Police
   2. FBI
   3. Child Abuse Clearances
   4. Mandated Reporter-Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse training certificate and/or statement

Working Conditions

1. Physical Demands:
   1. This position requires operating a keypad device 75% of the day and electronic/office equipment 75% of the day. Travel is required approximately 5 times per month and works in weather conditions about 25% of the day. Travel includes transporting students to and from school, school-based appointments, and/or field trips. Fingers, thumbs, hands, wrists, elbows, legs and feet are all routinely used throughout the day. The lower and upper torso is used 25% of the day. Employee must meet minimum requirements for hearing, speech, and vision. Walking is required 25% of the day. Standing occurs 25% of the day. Sitting happens 75% of the day. Reaching above the shoulder as well as bending and twisting are performed 25% of the day. This function routinely lifts 10 pounds, 4 times per day. The maximum lift is under 50 pounds, 1 time per day. Must meet TCI requirements for any interventions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
2. Mental Demands:
   1. Frequently performs the need to
   2. Occasionally handles the need for quick decisions, distractions that interfere, a diversity of problems, and performs multiple tasks.
3. Environmental Factors:
   1. Environmental demands require this position in schools and community.
4. Working Hours:
   1. Hours dependent on school schedule. Flexibility to meet student needs.
   2. Work a minimum of 10 days over the summer, with 5 of the days being on site for supervision and no more than a 2-week lapse between on-site workdays.
   3. Respond to crisis situations during traditional and non-traditional hours as needed.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
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