Under the general direction of a program area team director, is responsible for managing a designated living area 24 hour, seven days a week basis. Supervises all attendant counselors assigned to the living area. Ensures attendant counselors train, assist, care for, and participate with Residential Habilitation Center clients being served on or off campus, following the clients to locations where training and activities occur. Administers and ensures implementation of each client’s individualized plan, objectives, and services as assigned. Ensures clients live in a safe, clean, and reinforcing environment. Additionally, positions function within existing policies, procedures, and directs those programs assigned by the interdisciplinary team are developed, implemented, and/or maintained by subordinate staff.

Within a Developmental Disabilities Administration State Operated Community Residential program, under the general direction of a program administrator or program manager, positions are responsible for managing participant homes on a 24 hour, seven days a week basis.

Participates in the hiring, training, coaching, corrective action, and evaluation process of direct reports;

Ensures attendant counselors provide the daily direct support to promote habilitation, health, safety, protection, and quality of life to clients in their homes and in the community. Develops, implements, and monitors Individual instruction support plan; Develops, implements, monitor, collects and analyzes data for client goal. Ensures client homes are safe and clean. Ensures Washington Administrative Codes, the Residential Services Guidelines, policies and procedures, and program expectations are followed.

Participates in personnel investigations and coordination with Director seeks appropriate action. Responds to staff and client grievances promptly and timely;

Maintains scheduled activities of the living area, including personnel duty assignments and coordinates individual and group activities of the clients; responsible for maintaining the living unit, client’s staff, and unit records, etc., to meet all ICF/IID, NF, Federal, State and local laws and regulations;

Ensures attendant counselors provide the daily direct support to promote and maintain health, safety and cleanliness of the clients’ homes, ensuring proper documentation occurs; identifies, corrects, manages the work performance of subordinate staff to ensure appropriate WACs, the Residential Service guidelines, state and federal regulations, policies, procedures, program expectations and client plans are followed;

Supervises staff’s training of clients in daily living skills, services and supports, as well as facilitates the implementation of specialized treatment and services;

Ensures that attendant counselors function as members of the interdisciplinary team in the provision of the clients individualized plan, this includes: developing, writing, implementing, monitoring, assessing, revising, modifying, implementation and adhering to planned formal and informal programs. Programs include activities of daily living, educational, vocational, therapeutic, or behavioral under the direction of an appropriate interdisciplinary team member;

Supervises and ensures attendant counselors participate with day training, recreation, psychology, and other personnel in training clients;

Uses identified training techniques designed to teach the clients specified parts of their individual plan; ensures that staff are trained in and use the proper techniques in implementing habilitation, skill acquisition, and behavioral programs; establishes and maintains effective work methods; prioritizes work for staff; ensures that all relevant ICF/IID and NF certification standards are met on the living unit or provision of client services;

Ensures clients are provided support, instruction and assisted in their own self-care including bathing, dressing, grooming; and household skills including meal preparation, laundry, financial management as specified in their individualized plan;

Coordinates and oversees client’s health and medical care; ensures clients receive the care and specialized treatment services including prescribed exercises, administration of specialized equipment, modified diets, medication management and nurse delegated task;

Reviews and responds to staff's observations and documentations, and any reports of changes in client's general physical or mental condition or unusual behavior; takes appropriate action to provide client safety, security and protection from abuse and neglect;

Completes auditing functions of health, safety, ICF/IID, NF and certification compliance;

Observes and evaluates work performance of Attendant Counselors; works other shifts including weekends on a routine basis to ensure uniform services and performances; provides clear direction to subordinate staff;

Responsible for assuring that the residential living unit or clients’ home is maintained in an organized clean and safe condition and provides a positive reinforcing environment; Communicates directly and/or ensures subordinate staff communicates appropriately with client's relatives/guardians on information on policies and procedures;

Performs other related work as required.

Knowledge of: basic principles of supervision; principles and techniques related behavior support and skill acquisition.

Ability to: work within an interdisciplinary team environment, prioritize, problem solve, remain flexible and adapt different to stakeholders points of view; actively participate and contribute as a team member in the development of the clients’ plan, develop goals, ensure implementation, role model exemplary standards of support and display call, respect and empathy; demonstrate necessary expressive and receptive communication skills including but not limited to a proficiency in reading, writing, and verbal discourse, as established by agency policy and procedures, state statute and federal standards; conduct training and develop schedules, skills to use electronic health records for client care as well as maintain staff required training records to meet required federal regulations.

There may be instances where individual positions must have additional licenses or certification. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the appropriate licenses/certifications are obtained for each position.

In a State Operated Community Residential program minimal staff is required to obtain and maintain the nursing assistant registered, be able to perform tasks under nurse delegation, complete and clear fingerprint-based background check, successfully complete seventy-five hours of Long Term Care Worker training, and twelve hours of annual continuing education units required for LTCWs.

High school graduation or GED and four years of experience working with people with developmental disabilities.

OR

High school graduation or GED and four years of experience as an Attendant Counselor 1, equivalent or higher-level state class

OR

Meets professional qualifications for Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional (QIDP) (see addendum) and one year of experience working directly with persons with intellectual disabilities.

Addendum

The requirements for a Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional (QIDP) as is included in the Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 42, Subpart D, Section 483.430, are as follows:

1. A doctor of medicine or osteopathy;
2. A registered nurse;
3. An individual who holds at least a Bachelor's degree in any of the following:
• Occupational Therapy,
• Physical Therapy,
• Psychology,
• Social Work,
• Speech,
• Audiology,
• Recreation and related fields, or
• The Human Services (as defined at 438.430 (b) (5) (x)), includes but is not limited to: sociology, special education, rehabilitation counseling, and psychology.

A degree in Social Work must be from an educational program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Attendant Counselor 4A
Revised February 1, 1969 Revises minimum qualifications
Revised July 1, 1981 (approved March 12, 1981) Revises definition and minimum qualifications, adds distinguishing characteristics
Revised October 1, 1982 (approved July 14, 1982) Revises minimum qualifications, deletes distinguishing characteristics, an title change (formerly Attendant Counselor 4A) Revised May 28, 1986 Revises definition
Revised January 11, 1990 (effective April 1, 1990) Revises definition
Revised February 8, 1990 (effective July 1, 1990) Revises definition, minimum qualifications, general revision, and title change (formerly Attendant Counselor 4) Revised July 13, 1990 (emergency basis June 14, 1990) Revises minimum qualifications
New class code: (formerly 56840) effective July 1, 2007 Attendant Counselor 4B
New class (approved March 12, 1981) Effective July 1, 1981 Revised November 13, 1981 Revises distinguishing characteristics Revised (approved July 14, 1982) October 1, 1982 Abolishment
Revised definition, typical work, desirable qualifications; Adopted June 30,2017; Effective July 1, 2017.
Base range salary adjustment adopted 6/22/2023, effective 7/1/2023.
Revised definition, adopted 6/22/2023, effective 7/1/2023.
Revised typical work, knowledge and abilities, legal requirement, and desirable qualifications as of 6/22/2023.