Adult Support Aid

Function:

Serves as a member of a multi-disciplinary treatment team providing 24-hour residential care to adults in the Residential SUD program. Working within a treatment milieu, the Adult Support Aid (ASA) manages the shift and facilitates the emotional, social, moral, and physical recovery of clients within his or her care. The ASA works as part of a team to maintain a safe and secure environment for all clients that promotes growth and recovery and aids the client throughout the course of all daily activities. The ASA reinforces competencies learned in the therapeutic setting so that clients may learn to function in a less structured environment.

Organizational duties & responsibilities:

1. The primary responsibility of all staff is to ensure the safety and well-being of all Ramey-Estep/Re-group (RE) clients.
2. Supports the mission, vision, and values of RE.  Facilitates and adheres to the agency’s code of ethics, policies, and procedures.
3. Supports all functions that attain and maintain accreditation and compliance with regulatory agencies.
4. Supports and facilitates positive interaction with clients and staff by exhibiting both in-office and in-public when carrying out job duties:  individual maturity, respect for others, a team-centered approach, maintenance of confidential information, and awareness and sensitivity to cultural and other differences in clients and staff.
5. Exhibits effective communication skills including proper use of agency communication systems.
6. Participates in appropriate professional development programs to attain and maintain competency.
7. Effectively manages financial and physical resources to achieve the mission of RE.
8. Reports incidents of abuse or potential abuse involving clients to the appropriate authorities and RE.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1. The ASA manages the shift and will handle issues as they arise in the ongoing daily treatment milieu through positive, informed decision-making. The ASA can use the RE Pillars of Success, Be Responsible, Be Respectful, Be Safe, and Show Care to guide decision-making and problem-solving.
2. Provide guidance and assistance to clients throughout all facets of the program.
3. Establish boundaries and respond to the client’s needs with fairness, objectivity, firmness, care, and concern.  Observe behavior and emotional climate within the group and with each individual client and respond appropriately.
4. Maintain certification in Safe Crisis Management (SCM), unless exemption is given by CEO or designee, and utilize these skills as needed to assure the safety of an individual client and the safety of the milieu, with the goal of minimizing the use of physical management, unless necessary.
5. Engage in recovery support, by assisting in implementing learned skills through therapeutic programming including relapse prevention, life skills, recreation, and psychoeducation.
6. Conduct assigned groups to include educational assistance, vocational assistance, life skills, etc.
7. Assure that each client is focused on treatment goals.
8. Follows daily and weekly shift responsibilities and other daily assignments as deemed necessary in maintaining a constant therapeutic living environment.
9. Communicate effectively with other treatment team staff and work within the plan designed by the treatment team.
10. Provide a professional attitude and present as a positive role model by maintaining appropriate dress, language, social skills, and hygiene. This includes not engaging in or supporting behaviors such as gossip, cursing in front of the clients, appearing unkempt, and/or developing friendships with clients. 
11. Keep accurate and timely records and writes thorough and objective reports.
12. Provide transportation for clients to appointments as needed or assigned. Drives agency vehicles in a safe and lawful manner.
13. Teach grooming, hygiene, housekeeping functions, care of the property, and family living skills, and help the client work through emotional and behavioral problems to facilitate the client’s movement towards recovery.
14. Maintain familiarity with all emergency procedures relative to hazards such as tornadoes, power outages, floods, and snowstorms.
15. Administer drug screens and provide support to drug screening companies when they are on location administering random screens.
16. Monitor visitations, including ensuring contraband is not brought into the program.
17. Comply with licensing standards, certification standards, employee handbook, client rights, and any other rules of conduct.
18. Perform other duties as assigned.

Working conditions/environment:

1. Shifts may vary depending on staffing needs. RE 24-hour/7 day a week/365 day a year facility; therefore, varied shift hours will be required.
2. Holidays and weekends are scheduled for all direct care staff.
3. Overtime may be required depending on staffing needs.
4. Meals are provided for staff when on campus.
5. Intense, unpredictable population with the possibility of verbal and physical aggression.
6. Fast-paced environment with the need for quick decisions to deal with any crisis that may arise.
7. Environment is both indoor and outdoor. The environment is at times loud and stressful.

minimum job requirements:

Education:

High School Diploma or GED required. 

Experience:

Experience working with SUD population preferred.

Experience in management, leadership, and/or supervision preferred.

Specific Skills and

requirements:

Must be at least 21 years old.

Some ASA positions may require a valid Driver’s License and insurability.

Technical requirements include proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and any other applications used by the organization or regulatory agencies.

Ability to understand and relate to the needs of clients from diverse backgrounds.

Ability to read, write and converse in English.

Successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen.

Successful completion of a background screening.

Successful completion of a TB skin test or proof of a negative chest x-ray or other documentation.

Specialized Licenses or training:

Successful completion of Excellent Foundations.

Complete crisis intervention training annually.

Complete at least 10 hours of alcohol and drug training annually.

Maintain 40 hours of annual training (including 16 hours of SCM).

Maintain 16 hours of Safe Crisis Management training, meeting all physical requirements unless given an exemption by CEO or designee.

Maintain CPR/1^st Aid training.

Physical Requirements:

The physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, sit, walk, talk, hear, reach with hands and arms, and use hands to finger, handle, and feel.  This employee is also regularly required to use a computer keyboard and mouse.  The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb stairs.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds or more.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and peripheral vision.

Supervisory REquirements:

N/A