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Career Path for Direct Support Professionals in New Jersey

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NJ Direct Support Professional Workforce Development Coalition

Mission: To promote the recruitment and retention

of a professional workforce to enhance the quality of direct supports for people with disabilities and their

families

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NJ Direct Support Professional Workforce Development Coalition

Organization Representation• Alliance for the Betterment of Citizens with

Disabilities• The Arc of New Jersey• Consortium for Workforce and Economic

Development/Community Colleges of New Jersey• Division of Developmental Disabilities, New Jersey

Department of Human Services• Division of Disability Services, New Jersey

Department of Human Services• The Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental

Disabilities• New Jersey Association of Community Providers• New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities• New Jersey Direct Support Professional Association

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Career Path – Guiding Principles

The goal of having a career path for direct support professionals (DSP) is to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, families, and direct support professionals.

We believe that Direct Support Professionals are valued professionals and should have a career path that…Is consistent statewideIs flexible and accessibleIs competency-basedIs supported by creative management that respects the voice of DSPs Leads to salary increases as credentials are obtainedIs applicable to DSPs working in developmental centers, agencies and providing self-directed supportsInvolves key stakeholdersProvides portable credentialingIs Doable – little development time neededIs Affordable

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CREATIVERECRUITMENTfor agencies and people self-

directing their supports

Use of…• Workforce Investment Boards (WIB)• One-Stop Centers• Vocational-Technical Schools (Vo-tech)• Community Colleges• High Schools• Rewarding Work Resources, Inc.

(www.rewardingwork.org)• Referral from current staff

…to recruit reliable and qualified staff.

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Mandatory training that must be completed within 120 days of employment

MandatoryPre-Service

Training(5 Modules)

Training courses include:

• Overview of DD• Medication• Preventing Abuse &

Neglect• First Aid• CPR

These trainings are provided by NJ’s Trainers Network.

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Provided to DSPs through a collaboration between community colleges, the Consortium for Workforce & Economic Development, and agencies

LiteracyTraining

Courses include:• Computers• Basic Math• English as a Second

Language (ESL)• Communication

Existing curricula could be used. New curricula could also be developed in order to be applicable to the work of Direct Support Professional.

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College of Direct Support Learning Modules incorporated with on-the-

job mentoring

Salary increase and title change (DSP I, DSP II) upon successful completion of each level.

Career PathLevels 1 & 2

Level 1 Courses Include:• Direct Support Professionalism• Safety at Home and in the

Community• Documentation• Community Inclusion• Individual Rights and Choices• Elective 1 (either Teaching People

w/DD or Cultural Competence)• Elective 2 (Course not taken in

Elective 1 or a disability specific course)

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Career Path

Levels 1 & 2

Level 2 Courses Include:• Employment Supports: Exploring Individual Preferences

and Opportunities for Job Attainment• Person-Centered Planning• Supporting Healthy Lives• You’ve got a Friend: Supporting Family Connections,

Friends, Love and the Pursuit of Happiness• Positive Behavior Support• Elective 1 (either Teaching People w/DD or Cultural

Competence or Disability Specific)• Elective 2 (Disability Specific Course)

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Career Path

Level 3

Level III (Specialization) *Amount of required training and mentoring TBD

Upcoming CDS Courses (may also be electives in I & II): Civil Rights and Advocacy Aging and Disability Accommodation of Physical Disability Personal Care and Self-Care Household and Domestic Skills Functional Assessment Working with Disabilities Teams and Team Building Communication Supports

Other Training Options: DD Lecture Series Topics Supported Employment Direct Support Management (I, II, & III) Person-Centered Thinking (PCT) Essential Lifestyle Planning (ELP) Positive Behavior Support (PBS) Other Seminar Courses or College Credit

Courses

• Salary increase and title changes continue (DSP III) with successful completion of level 3.

• Mentoring continues with a mentor with similar specialization expertise.

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• All DSPs participating in the career path will complete on-the-job mentoring

• All DSPs must successfully display competencies on-the-job

• Mentors and Supervisors will be trained to successfully support and evaluate participating DSPs

• Participant and Mentor Membership to the NJDSPA will be encouraged

Agency Based

Mentoring

Supervisory Skills

Training

MentorTraining

Career Path

Levels 1 & 2

Career Path

Level 3

NJ DSPA Members

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Role of Direct Support Professionals

• Know that the good skills acquired are used to help to improve the lives of the people you support

• Follow the National DSP Code of Ethics

• Complete required coursework and mentoring

• Collaborate with mentor to enhance learning and skills

• Display competency by using learning on-the-job

• Show continued professionalism by becoming a member of the NJ DSP Association

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Role of Mentors• Mentors will be experienced DSPs that are seen as

knowledgeable leaders.

• Mentors will have knowledge in the topics presented in the College of Direct Support and display this knowledge on-the-job.

• Mentors will provide support to participating DSPs in order to actively use what they’ve learned through courses on-the-job.

• Assist DSPs in documenting completed coursework, hours of mentoring and demonstrated on-the-job competencies

• Will not formally evaluate progress in order to maintain an effective mentor/mentee relationship.

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Role of Supervisors• Have knowledge of the information in the

courses participating DSPs are taking.

• Will work together with participating DSPs and their mentors to discuss progress.

• Will formally evaluate competencies displayed by participating DSPs.

• Make recommendations for completion of each level.

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• Increased Skills• Salary Increases and title change at each Level• Portable State & National Certification• Longer relationships between DSPs and the people they

support (skilled and consistent staff = better life)

• Reduced spending on recruitment and training of new staff• Credits toward College Certificate &/or Degree (TBD)

… lead to retention

RETENTION

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Supports and Resources

• Contract with NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities supports Management Training and coordination of Workforce Development Coalition

• CMS Technical Assistance Grant provides TA for Career Path, Mentoring, Funding Strategies

• 2007 DD Council Grant supports pilot of Career Path for 9 agencies (1000 people served.) Two agencies buying the College on their own.

• Community College Network supporting through development of Literacy Training Courses.

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UCE (Boggs Center) Roles

• Sponsor speakers, summits, and conferences related to workforce development.

• Dissemination of national materials and resources• Coordination of NJ Trainers Network which provides Pre-

Service Training• Development and coordination of coalition, including

research on vacancies, turnover, and associated costs.• Application for funding on behalf of the Workforce

Development Coalition• Coordinate the career path pilot• Management training: centralized and on-demand• Training & TA to particular agencies, including

management

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Management Training Efforts

Trainers: Dan Baker, Ph.D. & Anthony Camuso

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History of creating the management training series

• Prior to 2004, The Boggs Center had a small number of individual sessions on topics in management for front-line supervisors.

• In 2004, The Boggs Center piloted a three-part series on management training using materials created in Oregon in which attendees were asked to give further input on training needs in management.

• In FY 2006, 23 training sessions occurred with over 600 attendees.

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Survival Skills for Managers in Community Supports

• Managers in community supports often have the toughest, most stressful jobs in our field. But it doesn’t need to be so hard! This interactive, one-day training will present a toolkit for managers to help them survive, and even thrive. We will talk about building teams, communicating with staff, teaching employees to do their jobs, coaching staff, and the number one survival skill, turning potential conflict into meaningful, instructional discussions. This training is a must-have for new managers, and a chance to seasoned managers to hone their skills and learn some new perspectives.

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Survival Skills Learning Objectives1. List at least five methods of staff recruitment.2. Identify the five types of interview questions and provide an

example for each one.3. Describe the purpose of a Realistic Job Preview.4. Name at least five types of Protected Classes.5. State at least five characteristics of a workplace environment that

is conducive to high performing employees. 6. List and contrast the three methods of employee feedback.7. Explain the five principles of direct instruction and demonstrate

its application using a work task example. 8. Identify and describe at least three factors that should be

considered when teaching employees new skills. 9. Summarize the two types of Performance Review Measures and

provide an example of each one. 10. Define and provide at least two examples Evaluator Error.

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Leadership Skills for Managers in Community Supports

• This workshop will focus on developing leadership skills for managers. This workshop will begin with a discussion of the use of skills presented in the Survival Skills workshop, and then will add content on coaching employees, acting as a mentor for high performing employees, advanced conflict resolution, and strategies to improve teamwork.

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Leadership Skills Learning Objectives

1. Name and describe at least three theories of leadership.2. Identify at least five traits that differentiate a manager from a

leader.3. Summarize situational leadership style and define its four

distinct leadership roles.4. Discuss and demonstrate the four parts of active listening. 5. Define the five types of conflict resolution styles.6. Demonstrate the ability to effectively evaluate a workplace

conflict for selection of the most appropriate conflict resolution style.

7. Name at least five conflict de-escalation strategies.8. List at least five characteristics of a productive, cohesive

workplace team.

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Personal Skills for Managers

• In this workshop, we will consider many of the personal skills that are required to be a great manager and leader. Even when one has good management and leadership skills, there can be some pretty significant challenges. Managing in stressful and there is always too much to do. We find ourselves needing to communicate difficult things to difficult people. In this session, we will look at stress management, time management, communication, intergenerational issues, and negotiation.

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Manager 3 Learning Objectives1. Name the four workplace generations and provide at least three

descriptive characteristics of each one.2. State the most common generational communication pattern

differences and discuss the most appropriate feedback style for each.

3. Define Workplace Cultural Competency and explain its implications.

4. Distinguish the difference between visible and hidden cultural traits.

5. Describe Principle Based Negotiation and explain its use as an effective workplace problem solving strategy.

6. Discuss at least five time management strategies.7. Illustrate how to use a Prioritization Matrix to effectively

manage work tasks and responsibilities. 8. List at least three short term and three long term signs of stress.9. Name and describe at least five types of stress management

techniques.

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What are we learning?

1. The need for management training is essentially insatiable. 2. Management efforts alone will not solve workforce

problems, but can help to a significant degree.3. Efforts to improve management must be matched by

organization-wide efforts to improve workforce.4. Many managers who come to our training sessions, do not

have “the right stuff” to be managers, and are often quite open about it.

5. Articulating the management training into other initiatives regarding workforce development is necessary.

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For more information:

Career Path Pilot and NJ Workforce Development Coalition:

• Bill Gaventa, email: bill.gaventa@umdnj.edu• Colleen McLaughlin:

colleen.mclaughlin@umdnj.edu • Carol Britton: carol.britton@umdnj.edu

732-235-9300

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For more information:

Management Training

• Dan Baker: dan.baker@umdnj.edu

• Anthony Camuso: anthony.camuso@umdnj.edu

• 732-235-9300