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About the Position

We are hiring an Assistant Behavior Intervention Specialist (ABIS) in Suffolk County!

In addition to carrying out all direct care functions of a Direct Support Professional (DSP) the ABIS provides clinical support relating to habilitative, behavioral and psychiatric needs of persons supported by the team under the direction and supervision of the Behavior Intervention Specialist (BIS) through educating other direct care staff and program leadership on habilitative and Behavior Support Plans, supporting clinical assessments and interventions, ensuring consistent and effective data collection and providing direct feedback.

Provides leadership to the team on shift, directing and assisting direct care staff in the absence of a Program Supervisor and/or Assistant Supervisor.

YAI's Mission

Ready to join our 4,000+ employees in a career at YAI? 

Working at YAI means effecting real change in people's lives. It means going home at the end of the day knowing you have helped someone accomplish a goal. If you want a career supporting others, creatively finding solutions to life's challenges, and building a more inclusive community, YAI is the place for you!  

Join us in our mission to create opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live, love, work, and learn in their communities. Learn more at yai.org/careers. 

Program

Residential Services

Location

Suffolk County (Long Island)

Schedule (Full time)

Sunday through Thursday evenings, or:

Tuesday through Saturday evenings

Some flexibility may be required

Key/Essential Functions & Responsibilities

All Assistant Behavior Intervention Specialists (ABIS) perform the following tasks:

Performs all duties of a Direct Support Professional (DSP 1 – 3) as indicated in job descriptions, in addition to ABIS duties on a regular basis and/or as requested to ensure the overall supervision, protection and care of individuals in program, assisting in maximizing their strengths, interests and abilities while upholding their personal rights and facilitating activities that provide social capital and connections to the community.

Leads the identification, facilitation and scheduling of community inclusion activities for assigned program based on feedback from and needs of persons supported, coordinating resources, securing necessary funds and ensuring that activities are completed and appropriately documented.

Supports provision of appropriate, therapeutically documented levels of supervision to ensure and protect the health, safety and well-being of individuals at all times by ensuring updates and changes to levels of supervision for persons we support are regularly communicated to all staff and appropriately documented; may run shift meetings, assigning duties, completing shift sheet and making recommendations to ensure staff are qualified and able to maintain current prescribed levels of supervision.

Understands and uses specialized clinical knowledge of person-specific needs and signs or symptoms of ailments/syndromes including mental health/medical conditions to provide effective supports to individuals, identify and escalate concerns to leadership and inform activities, training or specialized education or augmented trainings for staff.

Stays up to date with current issues, diagnoses, needs and levels of supervision for the persons supported in assigned program under the supervision of BIS.

Works with BIS to identify habilitative, behavioral and psychiatric needs of the persons supported and to ensure all programming and activities relating to clinical interventions are implemented consistently, in accordance with individualized plans.

Provides guidance to program staff, setting the appropriate tone and ensuring that the standards of care are followed by modeling excellent counseling skills and interactions with persons supported and through use of person-centered philosophy and tools.

Implements Behavior Support Plans, demonstrating understanding of behavior as communication and employing person-centered thinking to support positive interactions and prevent further escalation.

Trains direct care staff individually, on the floor and/or in groups using the EMOE training system to support effective implementation of habilitative and behavioral programming by program staff through regular observations, direct feedback, communicating clinical rationales and ensuring appropriate data collection techniques.

Serves as lead trainer for weekend staff and supports new staff in developing and demonstrating the OPWDD Core Competencies.

Participates in the development of treatment plans including individualized habilitative plans, collaborating with BIS to write services, goals, outcomes and/or supports in accordance with the agency philosophy, as determined by assessments of individual needs and learning capabilities.

Assists BIS with gathering and collecting data required to conduct formal and informal behavioral and habilitative assessments (written questionnaires, standardized tests, rating scales, baseline data, etc.) by conducting observations and/or soliciting information from other direct support staff, circles of support or other sources, as applicable.

Monitors collection of data used to assess progress toward habilitative and behavioral goals, ensuring that new data sheets are accessible to staff at the beginning of each month and that staff are consistently and accurately collecting and documenting data in accordance with established systems by reviewing documentation, retraining staff and following up as needed; may assist with design of data collection systems for habilitative goals.

Completes and maintains all required paperwork and documentation for persons supported in appropriate format(s) and file(s) in accordance with applicable requirements including compiling, totaling and summarizing data, writing monthlies describing overall progress and completing person centered materials; reviews and ensures all psychiatric/therapy anecdotals are complete and appropriate and assists other program staff with documentation or compiling information or data, as needed or directed.

Attends and actively participates in team meetings as a member of the interdisciplinary team (IDT), consulting with IDT to ensure streamlined and top-quality care and providing feedback or ideas to improve supports and/or program operations and updates or changes relating to data management, assessments or programming requirements.

Regularly participates in life plan and other meetings for persons supported and in regional assistant or other clinical team meetings providing information, contributing to agendas and completing tasks or activities resulting from meetings as directed by leadership team (training, assessments, reviews, etc.).

Serves as lead on weekend and evening shifts or when otherwise requested, monitoring day-to-day program operations and providing support to staff in the absence of Program Supervisor, Assistant Supervisor and/or BIS. 

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