The Residential Support Specialist provides person-centered services and support in residential settings for individuals with behavioral health needs. They coordinate care by identifying gaps related to social determinants of health and connecting clients to appropriate resources to maintain successful behavioral health recovery post residential treatment. They empower clients to build skills and achieve the highest possible level of independence.
Duties & Responsibilities Provide person-centered support and services within a residential setting. Conduct tour of the facility and make introductions. Review rules and regulations, issue linens, assign bedrooms, and complete administrative paperwork for admitting/discharging clients.
Adhere to Weapons and Contraband protocols by completing thorough personal property checks during admission, discharges, and upon client’s returning from the community. Serve as a role model to clients, help them to solve problems, and provide other support to clients as needed. Ensure clients are always following the rules of the program and adhering to the program schedule with regard to groups, care team sessions and breaks.
Facilitate groups and provide supportive counseling. Initiate treatment and advocate for clients within their network of care by connecting new clients with a Peer Mentor, assisting with supervision of AA/NA meetings, social activities, and behavioral health skills groups. Collaborate with the care team on individualized care plans in collaboration with the care team, clients and their families as appropriate.
Teach clients adult daily living skills to assist them in their behavioral health recovery and independence. Ensure clients are present at designated times to take prescribed medications. Conduct and/or observe toxicology testing and breathalyzer testing for same identified gender clients as instructed by management and document as appropriate.
Coordinate meal service, which may include preparation and serving of meals. Assign daily housekeeping assignments and assisting clients in performing housekeeping tasks. Ensure a safe, clean, and healthy living environment, prioritizing HIPAA and best practice.
Adhere to Infection Control protocols. Assist with housekeeping tasks in staff areas to maintain cleanliness of office areas. Report any facility-related deficiencies to supervisor.
Complete work requests as necessary. Utilize Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) de-escalation skills to prevent and de-escalate crisis situations and ensure safety of all clients and staff. Initiate incident reports by the end of the shift when a reportable incident occurs.
Assist in conducting monthly/quarterly fire drills, along with other emergency drills/scenarios and send in required reports. Monitor client whereabouts during fire drills or other emergencies. Transport clients safely to appointments with appropriate community partners as needed.
Drive carefully and abide by all traffic rules, ensuring that seat belts are worn by all traveling in Center owned and/or personal owned vehicles. Complete necessary interagency forms as needed and follow‑up to ensure continuity of care. Collaborate with care team for client-related issues, ensuring thorough and timely communication.
Work collectively to ensure all state and federal regulations are followed. Maintain accurate, detailed, and timely records of all client interactions and services provided, including clinical documentation as required. Document all client encounters in EPIC in the format of a Quick Note or a Group Note.
Complete daily activity logs to report happenings on each shift. Ensure compliance with agency policies, ethical standards, and regulatory requirements. Follow required office procedures in a cooperative manner.
Foster cooperative relationships with program and TPC staff, clients, and community partners. Attend required trainings and staff meetings. Serve on committees and participate in agency initiatives as assigned.
Perform other duties as assigned to support client goals and program needs. Roads to Recovery only: Monitor client self-administration of medications using 6 Rights of Medication Supervision, check vital signs and conduct controlled medication counts for all controlled medications per policy. Ensure medication supervision of self-administration procedures are always followed.
Requirements High School or GED Required; advanced education preferred. Experience working with the substance use population is strongly preferred. Must have valid driver's license, registration, current inspection and insured automobile.
Awareness of the general trends in confronting problems of substance use. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to clients. Must complete medication protocol training in alignment with TPC’s policies and practices, understand and adhere to medication disposal policy, and basic safety precautions of handling medications in a residential setting.
Must have basic, foundational computer skills/experience with the ability to complete reports, emails, and write correspondence. Ability to document within electronic medical records. Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out simple one or two-step instructions.
Ability to always maintain professional composure. Capable of working independently and as part of a team. Ability to travel within the community with reliable transportation.
Able to work flexible hours, including evenings, weekends, holidays and during inclement weather, as well as cover the program when unforeseen circumstances arise to ensure 24-hour coverage. Bilingual preferred. For positions designated as bilingual (Bil), proficiency in the required language is mandatory, and the language assessment must be passed no later than 30 days of starting the role.
Roads to Recovery only: Must be able to obtain residential medication supervision training competency within 3 months of hire.
Care New England Health System (CNE) and its member institutions, Butler Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital, Kent Hospital, VNA of Care New England, Integra, The Providence Center, and Care New England Medical Group, is a trusted, integrated health care organization that fuels the latest advances in medical research, attracts the nation’s top specialty-trained doctors, hones renowned services and innovative programs, and engages in the important discussions people need to have about their health and end-of-life wishes.
Care New England is helping to transform the future of health care, providing a leading voice in the ongoing effort to ensure the health of the individuals and communities we serve. EEO Statements Americans with Disability Act Statement : External and internal applicants, as well as position incumbents who become disabled must be able to perform the essential job-specific functions either unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation, to be determined by the organization on a case-by-case basis.
EEOC Statement : Care New England is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status Ethics Statement : Employee conducts himself/herself consistent with the ethical standards of the organization including, but not limited to hospital policy, mission, vision, and values.