FEATURED JOB OPENING: Teaching Parent(s) - Lynchburg, VA

Position Summary

The Teaching Parent (TP) couple, working as a treatment team, plays a key role in helping children in group care learn and heal from previous trauma, and are trained/supported as such.  TPs are trained to effectively apply Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) and attachment strategies in the group home setting to ensure each youth’s service plan and desired service outcomes are realized within the context and values of the Teaching Family model and a Christian family setting.  The TP is additionally responsible for the safety, learning, supervision and discipline of the children consistent with the trauma-informed and attachment-sensitive philosophy of the organization.

Essential Functions

• Professionally apply the Teaching Family model of care along with trauma-informed care (TBRI) and attachment sensitive practices to the care of 6-8 children and youth in their assigned cottage

• Consistently demonstrate flexibility, collaboration, team-centered thinking and actions (“hungry, humble, smart”) and a game-on attitude

• Play a key role with each child and the treatment team in defining each child’s goals and service plans, and ensure each assigned resident’s physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs are met

• Administer medications to residents per physician orders

• Assist with casework duties pertaining to the child and their family

• Complete all documentation required re: the residents’ behavior as well as their physical, relational and emotional health

• Assess the ongoing needs of the cottage to ensure it is a safe and comfortable for the care of children, completing basic maintenance and landscaping tasks to maintain the aesthetics and safety of the cottage

• Effectively teach each child social/relational and life skills pertaining to their service plans

• Prepare nutritious meals and snacks for residents

• Act as liaison and support between the child and his family

• Schedule and attend medical/dental/counseling appointments for the cottage residents

• Provide non-denominational religious training for the residents

• Manage cottage budget

• Complete required certifications and recertify per standards

• Actively participate in team and agency meetings and decision making

• Grow residents’ learning and development by taking them to the many natural, historical and cultural sites in central Virginia as well as trips outside the commonwealth

• Assist and encourage residents with identifying and growing their areas of strength

• Pursue training and reading to improve performance as a professional houseparent  

• Participate actively in the daily oversight of educational needs in coordination with teachers and other school staff and with coaching provided by the PHFS Educational Coordinator.

Reasonable Accommodations Statement:  To accomplish this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation, each essential function satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

Non-Essential Functions:

Competency Statements

• Accountability - Ability to accept responsibility and account for his/her actions.  

• Active Listening - Ability to actively attend to, convey, and understand the comments and questions of others.  

• Adaptability - Ability to adapt to change in the workplace.  

• Applied Learning - Ability to participate in needed learning activities in a way that makes the most of the learning experience.  

• Assertiveness - Ability to act in a self-confident manner to facilitate completion of a work assignment or to defend a position or idea.  

• Coaching and Development - Ability to provide guidance and feedback to help others strengthen specific knowledge/skill areas.  

• Communication, Oral and written - Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken and written word.  

• Conflict Resolution - Ability to deal with others in an antagonistic situation.  

• Decision Making - Ability to make critical decisions while following company procedures.  

• Diversity Oriented - Ability to work effectively with people regardless of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or job type.  

• Empathetic - Ability to appreciate and be sensitive to the feelings of others.  

• Enthusiastic - Ability to bring energy to the performance of a task.  

• Friendly - Ability to exhibit a cheerful demeanor toward others.  

• Goal Oriented - Ability to focus on a goal and obtain a predetermined result.  

• Initiative - Ability to make decisions or take actions to solve a problem or reach a goal.  

• Interpersonal - Ability to get along well with a variety of personalities and individuals.  

• Leadership - Ability to influence others to perform their jobs effectively and to be responsible for making decisions.  

• Motivation - Ability to inspire oneself and others to reach a goal and/or perform to the best of their ability.  

• Organized - Possessing the trait of being organized or following a systematic method of performing a task.  

• Patience - Ability to act calmly under stress and strain, and of not being hasty or impetuous.  

• Persistence - Ability to complete tasks or continue in a course of action in spite of opposition or discouragement.  

• Problem Solving - Ability to find a solution for or to deal proactively with work-related problems.  

• Relationship Building - Ability to effectively build relationships with customers and co-workers.  

• Reliability - The trait of being dependable and trustworthy.  

• Resilient - Ability to recover from, or adjust to, misfortune or setbacks.  

• Safety Awareness - Ability to identify and correct conditions that affect employee safety.  

• Self Confident - The trait of being comfortable in making decisions for oneself.  

• Tenacious - Ability to hold steadfast and complete a goal.  

DELIVERABLES:

• Assist BGH team with achieving TFA accreditation by 6/1/2020

• Support skill development in children/youth assigned to the cottage in achieving their target goals and averaging a stay in care of 12 months or less

• Ensure high customer service ratings by both children and their families through effective engagement of both

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS:

• Team-centered thinking and actions -- see “Ideal Team Player”

• Demonstrated flexibility -- willingness to change and tackle new challenges

• Can effectively learn and apply TBRI and TFA model elements in cottage

• Can deeply love and invest in kids, but still maintain healthy boundaries

• Relationally engaging and warm (knows how to express delight in others)

• Spiritually-minded -- a solid personal faith and effective in their ways of sharing that

SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Knowledge of:

  • Teaching Family model

  • Trauma-informed care, self trauma triggers,  TBRI, attachment strategies

  • Poverty and the impacts this has on children/families

  • Self-awareness of one’s own adult attachment style and trauma triggers

  • Appropriate use of computer applications

  • Basic life skills – relationship building, meal preparation, and so forth

• Skills:

  • Effective teamwork and collaboration

  • Parenting skills to oversee and manage residents’ care

  • Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills

  • Effective problem solving skills

  • Basic mathematical and reading skills

  • Conflict-resolution skills

  • General home maintenance and landscaping skills

• Ability to:

  • Work individually or with one’s spouse to care for 6-8 residents

  • Relationally engage children and youth,

  • Multitask, meet deadlines and respond appropriately to residents’ needs

  • Be coachable and humble

  • Transport residents to activities and events

  • Provide mentoring and coaching of residents

  • Safely administer medication to residents as needed

  • Complete required certifications and maintain recertification standards

Education:

• High school diploma/GED – Required

• Associates or undergraduate degree in human services - Preferred

Experience:

• 1 year of related experience - strongly preferred

Computer Skills:

• Use of Google and MSFT applications critical and ability to learn systems including QuickMar, Extended Reach and DonorPerfect

Certification & Licenses:

• Expectation of achieving a Certified Teaching Parent credential within one year of work

Other Requirements:

• Languages: Must be able to effectively communicate both orally and by written word in the English language

• Office or other equipment: Normal use and understanding of basic office equipment including the computer and its related software, copiers, and fax machines

• Must have valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record

• Must have a functioning cell phone

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:  

N (Not Applicable) Activity is not applicable to this position.

O (Occasionally) Position requires this activity up to 33% of the time (0 - 2.5+ hrs/day)

F (Frequently) - Position requires this activity from 33% - 66% of the time (2.5 - 5.5+ hrs/day)

C (Constantly) - Position requires this activity more than 66% of the time (5.5+ hrs/day)

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Stand:  F Walk: F Sit:  F

Manually Manipulate  F Reach Outward   F Reach Above Shoulder  

Climb O Crawl O Squat or Kneel  F

Bend O Grasp O Speak  F

Other Physical Requirements

Vision -- required for day-to-day activities to ensure safety of clients, and for driving purposes

Sense of Sound -- required to effectively listen to clientele and hear what is happening on other

cottage floors

Sense of Smell -- required to note any safety concern such as a gas leak

Sense of Taste -- not required

Sense of Touch -- required for safety purposes

Ability to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Required when completing maintenance or landscaping tasks

Sense of Balance  - Required to ambulate/hike, complete maintenance and landscaping tasks around the cottage

WORK ENVIRONMENT:  Cottage living and work environment that includes both indoors and outdoors work assignments.  It is further expected that Teaching Parents take children to local community locations for learning purposes such as state parks, museums, concerts, athletic games, etc.