Wrap Advocate

Under limited supervision, a Wrap Advocate provides therapeutic interventions and treatment services for emotionally disturbed children who are clients of a South Carolina State agency. Services may include behavioral intervention, independent living skills training, transportation, and/or tutoring. All intervention services must be therapeutic in nature and must relate to the client’s treatment goals.

Required Duties:
1) Engage in treatment support activities consistent with the goals of the client's Total Service/Treatment Plan.
2) Provide appropriately detailed written reports or other documentation as to the activities engaged in and the client's behavior, including observation, evaluation and reporting on specific behavioral traits to document the client's progress or regression in achievement of any treatment objectives.
3) Attend and/or provide input to the client's Treatment Team meetings.

Description of Services
Depending on the Service and/or Treatment Plan and the needs of the specific child with whom a worker is matched, any of the services described below may be carried out. Each service is one of several modalities utilized to rehabilitate and to promote the development of a repertoire of life skills which will allow the child to optimize his/her functioning consistent with his/her gains in other therapeutic and educational areas. The child's case manager will work with the workers on activities s/he will be expected to carry out as a part of the service. The services are as follows:

BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION is defined as regularly scheduled interventions designed to optimize a child's emotional and behavioral functioning in his/her natural environment through the application of clinically planned techniques that promote the development of healthy coping skills, adaptive patterns of interacting with others, and appropriate responses to environmental stimuli. Behavioral shaping and redirection are essential components of the service. A primary focus is to assist the child in restructuring his/her milieu so that more positive treatment outcomes can be realized. The service provides a child the opportunity to alter existing behaviors, acquire new behaviors, and function more effectively within his/her environment, accomplished through a one-on-one relationship (face-to-face) contact between a child and the Behavioral Interventionist as they participate in a variety of structured therapeutic activities. Behavioral Intervention may be employed to analyze the dysfunctional behavior and design specific techniques to reduce or eliminate undesired behaviors. Specific strategies may be used to change, control, or manage dysfunctional behavior.

INDEPENDENT LIVING (NON-RESIDENTIAL) SERVICES are individualized instruction and supportive services provided in the community for youth who are transitioning into independent living. Services are divided into two categories as follows:
• Basic Living Skills: Development and restoration of basic skills necessary to Independently function in the community, including food planning and preparation, maintenance of living environment, community awareness, and mobility skills.
• Social Skills: Development or redevelopment of skills necessary to enable and maintain independent living in the community, including communication and socialization skills and techniques.

TRANSPORTATION is defined as a service to a child in need of transportation in order to participate in needed programs or activities. It includes transportation coordination, the training of the child in the use of public transportation, and assistance with carpooling and planning. Generally, transportation will be provided in one of the following categories. General transportation is transportation provided as a service to a group of clients, i.e., bus transportation for before and after school or to a group activity. Specific transportation above the normal requirements is transportation that is provided to an individual client to allow him/her to benefit from other specialized services provided by an agency, i.e., transportation of client and/or family to therapy sessions.

TUTORING is defined as instruction which is supplemental to a child's regular school program and which is delivered for the purpose of assisting the child to reach his/her academic potential through remediating deficits, building basic skills, and/or increasing academic achievement levels.
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
• Ability to establish rapport with clients.
• Ability to communicate effectively with clients as well as professional staff.
• Ability to express ideas clearly, both orally and in writing.
• Some knowledge of the principles and practices of human behavior.
• Some knowledge of the techniques of interpersonal relations.
• Some positions may require advanced interviewing, assessment and/or counseling skills.