Supported Living Team Member

Position Title: Supported Living Team Member

Report to: Manager, Supported Living overall and to Team/Home Leads when working in a specific home.

Last Update: September 2021

Purpose and Scope of the Position

Inclusion NWT is a non-profit organization providing services to individuals with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities and their families, assisting them in living meaningful lives in supportive communities.

All aspects of a person’s home life outside of education and employment fall within Supported Living. Every effort is made to provide support that reflects the specific needs of each individual and to continuously re-evaluate that support to ensure it is appropriate for each client.

The services allow individuals to live in their own home (rather than the family home) with the supports needed to live a good life. A key component of this work is to assist clients in their physical, social, recreational, emotional and life skills development in their own home.

The Supported Living Team Member ensures the well-being of clients in all aspects of daily living. The work includes:

• Providing care and assistance to adults in care with the home and play parts of live/work/play
• Planning, developing, implementing and evaluating how individualized support are provided for clients

The Supported Living Team Member ensures the consistent application of a philosophy that supports the independence of each client by not doing for them but doing with them. Each client is encouraged to participate in all facets of daily life to the extent that they are able.

The Supported Living Team Member works collaboratively with other Inclusion NWT staff to provide the best fit of services and consistency for client service.

Key Responsibilities

1. Direct Service

The Supported Living Team Member is responsible for delivering supports in all aspects of daily living for Supported Living clients in the home including but not limited to:

• offering specific client-centred support including but not limited to
• Assisting and teaching clients daily life skills and/or behaviour management techniques
• Assisting and teaching clients personal hygiene and grooming i.e. bathing, oral hygiene, and toileting. Depending on client, may assist with hygiene, grooming, dispensing and administering medication
• Assisting and teaching clients basic cooking, meal planning and preparation. Assisting clients with the preparation of meals, snacks, etc. with safe food handling and preparation, safety, and health standards
• Assisting clients as needed in attending appointments, work placements and other activities
• Ensuring that all requirements are met to provide safe transportation including identifying vehicle issues
• Providing support and feedback to clients
• Acting as a positive role model for clients
• Encouraging and facilitating the participation of individuals in a range of activities and programs, within and outside the home
• Monitoring clients’ well-being and working as directed by the Team Lead to address issues
• Assisting clients with therapeutic and rehabilitation activities following instructions from specialists
• Assisting clients in housekeeping in their home: eg. wash walls; scrub, clean and vacuum floors; dust furniture; clean mirrors and windows
• Providing life skills training to clients
• Ensuring safety and health of residents
• Assisting residents with various activities without compromising independence

• Through supported decision making, helping clients in Supported Living develop increased ability to increase their level of independence in areas such as
• Household management
• Communication of needs and wishes with others
• Healthy relationships
• Identifying social, economic, physical, recreational and educational services and activities in the community that will meet clients’ needs
• Providing suggestions and ensuring that supports to the client are modified as their needs change
• Recognizing potential emergency or crisis situations; ensuring the situation is dealt with in a way that ensures no harm comes to the client, staff and/or the public; and advising on-call immediately
• Supporting clients in a non-judgmental manner
• Performing other duties in support of the clients as assigned by the Manager and/or Team/Home Lead

• Documentation and Communication

The Supported Living Team Member assists with ensuring documentation is in place and communication takes place to support the clients including:

• Providing verbal updates on clients during hand-off at the end of each shift to the next staff.
• Reviewing clients activities in the log, communication and client notes at the start of each shift
• Completing incident reports as required and notifying on call staff of incident
• Completing Medical Appointment forms when needed
• Ensuring documentation of all medication given on Medication Administration forms as required
• Ensuring the Manager and Team Lead is aware of challenges and concerns related to the staff or clients, and assisting the Manager and Team Lead in identifying potential problems or areas of challenge for clients
• Completing and updating log, communication and client notes
• Providing spending documentation as requested by the Team Lead
• Participating in meetings (regular and special) related to specific clients, a home or Supporting Living as required
• Informing on call staff of emergencies or anything that requires immediate attention

3. Other Duties as Assigned

The Supported Living Team Member will be required to carry out other duties related to Supported Living or Inclusion NWT, as assigned by Management.

Values, Skills and Abilities

The Supported Living Team Member requires experience, knowledge and skills ideally achieved through a diploma in a relevant field combined with at least one year of relevant experience. Background in serving people with disabilities is an asset. Equivalencies will be considered.

The position requires an understanding of Inclusion NWT’s mission and an ability to communicate and advocate an inspired vision of inclusion in all parts of an individual’s life.

The Supported Living Team Member should have the following:

Ability to support adults with disabilities to live safely and with dignity in homes of their own

Ability to work collaboratively with team members

Ability to support delivery of service

Good organization and time management skills

Good verbal and non-verbal communication skills (clear, understandable)

Ability to adapt to change and problem solving

Ability to deal with crisis in a calm and confident manner

Ability to engage in physical activity, indoors and out

Ability to lift 23 kg

The following certifications are required or preferred:

Valid class 5 driver’s license (required)

Successful criminal records check (required)

First Aid/CPR certification (required)

Non-violent Crisis Intervention Certification (preferred)

The above job description describes the general nature and level of work performed by this position and is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and activities required of the position.

Inclusion NWT encourages all staff to participate fully in the work setting and to embrace the vision of inclusion. This includes supporting clients as needed, assisting with yard and building maintenance (including snow shoveling), pitching in to help with special events and a number of other activities not specifically related to the job title.

Job Type: Casual

Salary: From $26.40 per hour

Schedule:

• 12 hour shift
• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Evening shift
• Holidays
• Monday to Friday
• Night shift
• Weekend availability

Supplemental pay types:

• Overtime pay

COVID-19 considerations:
Sanitizing services and high touch areas. Masks required when illness symptoms

Licence/Certification:

• Class 5 Licence (required)
• CPR and First Aid (preferred)
• Criminal Record check (preferred)

Work Location: One location