DSHS HCLA Adult Family Home Licensor - Long Term Care Surveyor

About the role

Home and Community Living Administration (HCLA), Residential Care Services, is seeking an Adult Family Home (AFH) Licensor to join their team and serve vulnerable adults in the King County area. This role involves conducting on-site full licensing inspections, complaint investigations, follow-up visits, and monitoring visits to ensure compliance with state regulations and quality standards of care.

Responsibilities

• Conduct full licensing inspections and complaint investigations for adult family homes, and complete required reports and data entry.
• Observe how staff care for residents and how the home runs day to day, sometimes over extended periods of time.
• Interview residents, staff, and others to understand how care is actually provided.
• Review resident records, staff files, and other documents to check that care matches what is required by law.
• Write clear, detailed, and legible reports that explain what you found during each follow-up or inspection.
• Review resident assessment and negotiated care plans to evaluate care and services provided against state health and safety rules.
• Recognize and analyze deficient practices and effectively communicate these to team members, other department staff, and the AFH staff.
• Conduct follow-up inspections and monitoring visits to ensure the home is in compliance with state regulations.
• Take part in hearings, internal dispute resolution, and other follow-up steps after an inspection/investigation, when needed.
• Use computers and other technology, including portable electronic devices, to complete reports and manage the programs this job requires.

Qualifications

• A master’s degree in social work, speech pathology, occupational or physical therapy, psychology, special education, nutrition, sociology, behavioral health, or allied field, AND two years of professional experience in planning, administering, licensing, monitoring, or delivering social or health service programs.
• Two additional years of qualifying experience will substitute for the master’s degree provided a bachelor’s degree in one of the above mentioned fields has been achieved.
• A bachelor’s degree AND two years of professional/practical experience working with people delivering social and health services or experiencing developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, and/or mental health challenges.
• Eight years of professional/practical experience working with people delivering social and health services and/or experiencing developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, and/or mental health challenges.

Additional Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Attention to detail: Notices small changes in a resident's care or environment that could point to a bigger problem.
• Communication: Explains findings clearly to home staff, residents, and coworkers, in writing and in person.
• Critical thinking: Reviews records, interviews, and observations to determine if a home is meeting state rules.
• Time management: Completes inspections, reports, and follow-up visits within required deadlines.
• Composure under pressure: Stays calm and professional in emotional or tense situations, such as investigating complaints about resident harm.
• Independent judgment: Makes sound decisions in the field, using state rules and regulations as a guide.
• Collaboration: Works with other surveyors, supervisors, and department staff to resolve difficult cases.
• Mentoring: Guides new staff through the inspection and reporting process.
• Promoting equity and cultural competence: Understands and respects the different backgrounds of residents and staff, and applies that understanding fairly and consistently in every inspection.

Who should apply?

Professionals that meet one of the following criteria:

• A master’s degree in social work, speech pathology, occupational or physical therapy, psychology, special education, nutrition, sociology, behavioral health, or allied field, AND two years of professional experience in planning, administering, licensing, monitoring or delivering social or health service programs.
• Two additional years of qualifying experience will substitute for the master’s degree provided a bachelor’s degree in one of the above mentioned fields has been achieved.
• A bachelor’s degree AND two years of professional/practical experience working with people delivering social and health services or experiencing developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, and/or mental health challenges.
• Eight years of professional/practical experience working with people delivering social and health services and/or experiencing developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, and/or mental health challenges.

Questions?

Email DSHS Recruiter, Georgina Pringle, at Georgina.Pringle@dshs.wa.gov and reference job number 05662.