Job Coach PRN

Who We Are:

At Challenge Unlimited, our vision is to become a national leader in providing employment services to people with disabilities that empower them to reach their full potential. We intentionally provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities which will assist them to live, work, and participate in the community.

Challenge Unlimited is driven by its core values: community, helpfulness, abilities, leadership, learning, ethics, innovation, growth, and effective outcomes. It is these values that have powered Challenge Unlimited to its success and has helped over 600 disabled individuals find meaningful work across all of our locations.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Community Employment, the Job Coach facilitates vocational training services which provide people who have different abilities opportunities to work with integrated teams and receive work support as needed—achieving the highest level of independence possible.

Responsible for providing 1-1 vocational employment support, job skills training, orientation, and ongoing support for clients with disabilities seeking community employment. Maintain accurate records, provide professional communication with managers, clients, and employers. Encourage effective outcomes and accountability. Help the Employment Services Team maintain quality services and meet outcomes in both Illinois and Missouri. Maintain up to date understanding of the expectations for each program and techniques that will provide best practices and quality outcomes. Gain working understanding of services and outcome requirements for paid contract services.
Build an effective company culture that embodies our company values to achieve goals and objectives. Provides services resulting in client placement that meets client interests and desired employment and the individual service plan and funding source goals of placements.

• Pay Rate: $19.00
• Shift: On call as needed
• Location: Travel to St. Clair County, Madison County, or St. Louis

Key Responsibilities:

1. Client Relations: Promote a culture of person-centered services that advances the Company’s mission to provide quality care and services in a community-based setting to individuals with disabilities. Ensure a high rate of client satisfaction. Communicate regularly and effectively with clients regarding progress toward goals and program success. Review client files and determine their individual needs. Demonstrate our Company values to achieve optimum performance levels and achieve goals and objectives. Review client files and determine their individual needs. Demonstrate our Company values to achieve optimum performance levels and achieve goals and objectives.
2. Client Employment, Training: Train and support SEP clients when starting a new job to learn about safety, policies, procedures, and communication with co-workers, customers, and supervisors as job duties require. Complete orientation and learn about job tasks expected of employees and ensure quality and satisfaction with employer. Accompany, train, and provide 1:1 support to clients at community integrated worksites; provide performance feedback and re-direction as needed. Provide verbal cues and support services for each client. Create job coaching plan – based on job duties, assist with the identification of effective job accommodations for clients as needed, provide feedback, re-direction, verbal cues, modeling support. Problem solves to create accommodations or other ways to address performance issues; task analysis, check lists, implement proper fading/re-entry techniques to ensure client success. Communicate with Supervisor(s) for feedback, concerns, additional job tasks, etc. Support consumers to develop and maintain relationships with co-workers and supervisors. Assist with task analysis as needed and implement proper fading/re-entry techniques to ensure consumer success. Conduct 1-2 assessments based on client's employment goals and interests – determine, if necessary, skills are present for job positions and job readiness. Maintains contact with ES Case Manager assigned to the consumer to report progress and difficulties.
3. Community Integration: Assist ES Case Manager with locating community resources to help them obtain and maintain community employment, learn to self-advocate and how work affects entitlement programs.
4. Documentation: Provide and maintain accurate records of observations and services provided to track progress for clients’ permanent records and for billing using the company’s electronic recordkeeping system. Complete and submit chrono daily notes into electronic case file documenting support services and client progress for funding agency, including summary of each coaching implementation. Chronological notes are to be recorded by Friday of each week. Complete required forms from DRS/MO-VR, secure signatures. Provide progress updates of client services to the assigned ES Staff including urgent client issues immediately.

Position Qualifications:

• Education: High School diploma or G.E.D.
• Experience: Prefer 1+ years’ experience working with people with developmental disabilities (DD) and/or mental illness (MI). Experience assisting individuals with career development preferred.
• Certifications/Licenses: CPR, 1st Aid, Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) training provided by the company must be successfully completed within the first 4 months to be certified and annually thereafter for CPR, 1st Aid and CPI to maintain the position.
• Background Checks:
  • Must pass criminal background check.
  • Must pass various State and Federal registry checks.
  • Must pass DCFS Abuse and Neglect Tracking System check
  • Must pass driving history check and Company policy criteria, maintain valid driver’s license and be 21 or older to drive on Company business.

Physical Demands:

• Sitting: Occasionally sitting in the normal course of office-sedentary type work.
• Standing: Frequently standing, walking, bending, squatting, reaching, and twisting in the normal course of office-sedentary type work and for training workers.
• Hearing, Speaking: Frequently listening to and speaking with managers, staff, and clients to communicate about requests, training needs and other concerns.
• Seeing: Continually visually alert to monitor, to read and write or type documents, observe client interactions, and communicate with all.
• Handling: Frequently using hands in handling products, writing, typing, and general office work.
• Movement: Kneeling is required to perform CPR practice sessions; complete skills testing and use as required. Occasionally bending, reaching, and twisting; occasionally climbing stairs and/or ladders squatting; occasionally pushing/ pulling a rolling pallet jack loaded with product
• Lifting: May need to lift or carry up to 50 lbs. to assist a client to their feet from a lying or sitting position, to help with walking or for the Client to change positions.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.