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"Preparing for the Supervisor's Job in Human Service" Is Latest CDS Course To Be Rolled Out
There's a new course on the block. "Preparing for the Supervisor's Job in Human Services" is now part of the curriculum of the College of Direct Support. This new course is housed within the College of Frontline Supervision and Management (CFSM).
This course is authored by Susan O'Nell, Program Coordinator for the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota, and Terrence Risbey, Intern - Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota.
This course is now available for Administrators to modularize and assign to learners.
This course is an introduction to the role of a frontline supervisor (FLS). It is for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) or others who might be considering the position. It also includes a review of the skills useful to new and longer term FLS and managers. The lessons include a description of the role of frontline supervisors. The FLS role is compared and contrasted to the role of the DSPs.
The course also includes basic information on the four foundational skills critical to supervision. It outlines both the rewards and the challenges of being a frontline supervisor and asks learners to assess their readiness for a supervisory position. This course can assist people who want to make a good decision about whether or not to pursue a supervisory position. However, it also provides valuable training so often missing for frontline supervisors.
The following lessons are included in this course:
Lesson #1: Supervisors and Their Roles
Lesson #2: Professional Relationship Building
Lesson #3: Understanding Leadership
Lesson #4: Communication in a Supervisory Role
Lesson #5: Supervising Diverse Work Teams
"We would like to give a special thanks to Howard Miller for sharing the concept of ‘Super-DSPs' and ‘Super-visors' that we used in this course," said Amy Hewitt, Senior Research Associate at the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota who was the Course Editor.
The Editorial Board Members who completed course content reviews are Sarah Emrick, Deputy Executive Director, Creative Community Living, Winfield, NY; Mary Imbornone, M.Ed,.National Director of Training, Devereux, Villanova, PA; Tom McCluskey, Staff Development Coordinator at New Horizons Resources, Inc., Poughkeepsie, NY; Tracy Melte, Assistant Director of Adult Services, Miami County-Lakemary Center, Inc., Paola, KS; Gary Merklein, Staff Training Coordinator, DSNWK; Hays, KS; and Regis Obijiski, Executive Director of New Horizons Resources, Inc., Poughkeepsie, NY.
The Media Development and Content Programming for this course was done by the
CDS Media Development and Programming Team: Tom Carpenter, Director, Media Development, MC Strategies, Knoxville, TN; Jordan Berkow, Multimedia Manager, E-Learning Development, MC Strategies, Atlanta, GA; Clayton Kremple, Content Developer, E-Learning Development, MC Strategies, Atlanta; Kristin Dean, Media Coordinator, Information Technology Professional, Flash Interactions, Graphics, Narration, Voice Clips, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota;
Kevin Finnegan, Senior Programmer, MC Strategies, Atlanta; Donna Hawk, Programmer, MC Strategies, Atlanta; Jerry Smith, Photography, Video, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota.
We hope you enjoy this new course.
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Around the Table: CDS, MC Strategies
Host Roundtable Discussions for Admins
MC Strategies and the College of Direct Support (CDS) are conducting monthly roundtable WebEx discussions for all CDS administrators around the country. The discussions are not limited to the administrators. Others within your organization are invited to attend who may have an interest. Following is the date and time of the next scheduled discussion. Please contact your client services representative for more information:
The next session will be on Friday, Oct. 24 at 3pm EST, and the topic will be "Event Manager – Feature Review and Discussion."
The November roundtable is scheduled for Nov. 21, 2008 at 3pm EST, and will focus on "Enhancement Review and What's Coming for 2009."
All administrators will receive email notifications about the roundtables with the call-in number for the conference along with the pass code. If you need additional information, contact either Donna Kosak or Annie Woodruff at 1.877.353.2767
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Michaela Bishop Joins CDS
National Advisory Board
Michaela Bishop
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Michaela Bishop, the Training Director for the state of Oklahoma's Developmental Disabilities Services Division, has joined the College of Direct Support's (CDS) National Advisory Board.
Ms. Bishop has worked with people with developmental disabilities since 1983.
She has a Master's degree in Psychology from Oklahoma State University and has worked as a psychological assistant and quality assurance reviewer as well as providing compliance monitoring and technical assistance to public and private facilities in Oklahoma.
Between 1994 and 2002, Ms. Bishop was a part-time reviewer for the Council on Quality and Leadership based in Towson, Md., working on special projects in Kentucky and Tennessee.
"We welcome Michaela and her talents to our National Advisory Board. She brings to the board a unique skill set along with her perspective as a state training director," Bill Tapp, National Director of the CDS, said. "Oklahoma uses the CDS statewide and Michaela understands the ins and outs of CDS and how it impacts her state. She brings a lot to the table for us."
The NAB members provide a global perspective on the direct care workforce in America. Representatives from major national organizations provide CDS input and guidance in the development of upcoming CDS curriculum and workforce development tools. The board's next meeting will be in Atlanta in November. Michaela and her family live in Norman, OK.
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Disability Professionals in Zambia Visited
By CDS; Show Great Interest in Curriculum
Pictured here, left to right, are Grace Banda, Elizabeth Lightfoot, and Nama Liamunga. Nama is a member of the Zambia team and she is a principal at a school that has a special education component. Grace works for the Lusaka Ministry of Education and is in charge of oversight and development of special education services; and Elizabeth is a member of the UMN team and professor in the School of Social Work currently on a Fulbright assignment in neighboring Namibia. |
The College of Direct Support has found its way to Zambia in Southern Africa, and there is great interest in using CDS to train disability professionals and family members there.
Several CDS team members recently returned from a two-week trip to Zambia. This was the third step in an exchange program with Zambia regarding services to people with disabilities and their families.
In January 2008, Dr. Amy Hewitt of the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration, went to Zambia to assist in identifying a team that would come to the University of Minnesota for a Disability Leadership Training program. In April, nine individuals from Zambia attended a two-week training program in Minneapolis. This program was developed in partnership with the University of Minnesota, Arc Greater Twin Cities, Opportunity Partners and Fraser. "The Zambian team experienced a total immersion into disability services and practices in the United States," Hewitt said. "And many also got to experience snow for the first time in their lives."
Along with Hewitt on the recent August-September follow-up trip were University of Minnesota CDS team members Kristin Dean, Lori Sedlezky, and Elizabeth Lightfoot. Lightfoot is in Nambia, a neighboring country, on a Fulbright assignment. They were joined by Beth Fondell from Arc Greater Twin Cities. This trip was designed to further the sharing and exchange of information between the Zambian and U.S. teams. "U.S. team members got to see and learn about the service provided to children and adults with disabilities in Zambia. We connected with many of the programs in which the Zambian team members work, including: Cheshire Homes in Livingstone and Baulini and Hidden Voices in Lusaka," Hewitt explained.
The team also met with new entities as well, including ZAFOD, which is a national disability rights organization, and Inclusion International, which is promoting self-advocacy in southern African countries. Activities included two full days of training with families, policy makers and special educators about how networking and collaboration can influence services and policy. Additionally, the team met with a group of 75 family members and their children with disabilities during an impromptu meeting at a local parish in the Chawama compound. This meeting, Hewitt said, illustrated the power of the church in inviting people to come together and talk about disability issues and it also illustrated the tremendous needs that families and their children with disabilities have. Meetings were also held with the two special education training programs in the country (University of Zambia and Zamise) and with the Ministry of Education in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. These education programs graduate about 175-200 special education teachers each year.
The CDS team and the Zambians have no trouble communicating since English is the official language used in Zambia.
"The CDS has made a difference in Zambia. Several Zambian team members have been completing courses such as Positive Behavior Support, Teaching Skills and Functional Assessment and these courses have been valuable in sharing new information that is being shared and used with staff in the various programs," Hewitt said. One Zambian learner indicated that she had never thought about how challenging behavior could be linked to lack of communication skills - she has been teaching the teachers at her school the new information and skills she is learning through the College of Direct Support.
Another learner told the CDS team: "As soon as I finish supper in the evening, I go work on the CDS. I get so absorbed in it, I lose all track of time. The next thing I know it's nearly midnight."
Interest in the CDS was expressed by the Lusaka Ministry of Education, the University of Zambia and Zamise (Zambia Institute for Special Education). University of Minnesota staff will continue their work in Zambia and will be working to make "a world of difference" through the implementation of the College of Direct Support in as many programs and systems as possible, Hewitt said, adding that "it is wonderful to know that the CDS is both a valuable resource to programs and services in the United States but also in a country like Zambia where so little information is available." |
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CDS-Therap Conference Filling Up, Attracting
People From Around the Country for Training
The first-ever joint training conference bringing together the technologies of the College of Direct Support (CDS) and Therap is attracting people from throughout the country. But, some slots remain open and it's not too late to sign up.
The conference – "Side-by-Side Technology: Therap, CDS Training Conference I" – will be in Overland Park, Kansas, on October 28-30 at the Ramada Inn Overland Park near Kansas City.
You can learn more about the conference and register for the event by clicking on www.therapservices.net and click on the "Conferences" link. And if you have questions, you may call 203.596.7553. Registration for three-day conference is $225.
The conference will feature multiple interactive sessions and workshops focusing on the services provided by Therap and on the curriculum and the Learning Management System offered by CDS. There will be specific sessions for advanced users of both systems, for system administrators and for those who have not used CDS or Therap.
"This will offer one and all an up-close experience with our distinct and respective technologies as both companies work to offer state-of-the-art supports to our clients and prospective clients," said Bill Tapp, National Director of CDS. "Our focus is on education and Therap's focus is on documentation. What we both do is instrumental in improving the lives of those people served and supported by our clients."
Therap Services, LLC, is based in Waterbury, CT. It offers an easy and efficient alternative to the immense amount of paperwork that is done manually by the care providers. Within a few years Therap has extended its services to satisfied users in over 30 states in the United States, as well as Bangladesh and Nepal.
CDS's online learning management system and curriculum is used to develop, educate and build careers for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). CDS is currently being used in 32 states, Canada and Australia and has approximately 90,000 learners online at any one time of the day. CDS is a collaborative work of the University of Minnesota and Elsevier/MC Strategies. CDS is headquartered in Knoxville, TN, and its curriculum is developed by the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration.
You can learn more about CDS by visiting its website at www.collegeofdirectsupport.com or by calling our toll free number, 1-877-353-2767.
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UCP Miami Residential & NYSACRA
Honored With Moving Mountains Awards
The winners of the Moving Mountains are, left to right, Joe Macbeth, NYSACRA'S Assistant Executive Director; Tom McAlvanah, President of NYSACRA's Board of Directors; Ann Hardiman, NYSACRA Executive Director; Camille Tapper of UCP South Florida; and DSP Sean Delaney of NYSACRA. |
Miami Cerebral Palsy Residential Services Inc. and the New York State Association of Community and Residential Agencies (NYSACRA) were honored with the prestigious 2008 Moving Mountains Awards at the recent Reinventing Quality Conference in Baltimore, MD.
The awards are presented by the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota and the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) to honor organizations and agencies that have demonstrated best practices in direct support workforce development.
Miami Cerebral Palsy was recognized for its commitment to the professional development of a multi-cultural workforce, using the College of Direct Support (CDS) to obtain NADSP credentials. As of May 2008, 75 DSPs had achieved NADSP credentials at the DSP-R level. Also, all of the supervisory staff has completed the interactive learning modules in the College of Frontline Supervision and Management.
The focus on training and education has resulted in the agency's turnover rate of 24.5% in 2006-2007 compared to 48% the previous year. In 2008 they have had only two staff vacancies.
Earlier this year UCP Miami Residential was ranked 94th in Training Magazine's Top 125 training companies world wide.
For more information about UCP Miami, contact Martin Morin, Executive Director, at morin@ucpsouthflorida.org or by phone at 305.599.0899, Ext. 228.
NYSACRA's award honors its excellence in supporting DSP professionalism through statewide initiatives to improve wages, benefits, educational and training opportunities, retention, performance and career ladders. NYSACRA is a coalition of 200 residential provider organizations that employ 65,000 DSPs to support more than 55,000 people with developmental disabilities in New York.
- Among NYSACRA's initiatives are: Development of a Direct Support Workforce Guide in 2006 that was revised earlier this year that describes DSP job requirements, recruitment and retention challenges, and wage and benefit challenges. It was distributed to one-stop centers, state legislators and other state organizations.
- Sponsorship of an annual legislative rally on DSP issues and publishes and disseminates a weekly DSP profile to legislators from January to April each year.
- Piloted CDS with 70 DSPs in rural communities and in 2008 the state funded the expansion of CDS to additional sites for training.
- Worked with member agencies to incorporate the Community Support Skills Standards in ongoing training programs.
- Sponsored DSP conferences for the past 25 years. Now, 1,000 DSPs attend five regional conferences each year.
- Secured funding from the state OMRDD to offer 850 NADSP memberships in 2008.
NYSACRA is based in Albany, NY. For more information, contact Joe Macbeth, Assistant Executive Director, at joem@nysacra.org or by phone at 518.449.7551.
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State Faces Crisis in Direct Support Services
Editor's Note: S. Barton Cutter, a self advocate with cerebral palsy and a contractor for the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities, wrote the following article for the Raleigh News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. We reprint the column with permission from the author and from the Raleigh News & Observer. Cutter writes about the state crisis in direct support services and his observations and opinions pretty well sum up the workforce crisis facing the nation.
By S. Barton Cutter
S. Barton Cutter |
Direct support professionals carry many different job titles, but help people with varying needs, ranging from providing basic physical assistance to opening avenues for people with disabilities to engage in community activities. Whether known as personal care assistants, support services technicians or another designation, their work is integral to the lives of many people with disabilities, and often is undervalued, except by those directly served.
In my work as a contractor for the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities, I regularly see the necessity for well-trained, reliable direct support professionals on a regular basis. As one with Cerebral Palsy, I also rely on direct support workers in my own life. Tom, my current support person, assists me with showering, dressing, and eating so that I can earn a living, support my family and participate in my community. He is, in many ways, my lifeline to the world.
Despite this fact, many people view Tom's line of work as menial, leading to a depreciation of this workforce's value. This has led to growing concern in the field of Direct Support. An estimated 50 percent of direct support professionals leave their jobs each year. Low pay – $8.68 an hour on average – a lack of benefits, high burnout rates, and limited training and minimal opportunity for career growth make remaining in the field untenable.
The statistics on the need in North Carolina and the nation are staggering. Three listed occupations, nursing aides, orderlies and attendants and home care aides, are expected to create nearly 40,000 job openings in the next decade. Alone, the demand for services by individuals with developmental disabilities is projected to increase by 37 percent by 2020. That is just one of the alarming needs reported in the Direct Support Professional Work Group Report published last November by Amy Hewitt, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota.
To combat this situation, it is vital that a portion of the money allotted to the N.C. Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse be spent on improvements to the direct support workforce.
Gov. Mike Easley cited the need for "continued development of appropriate community services to support the full continuum of care necessary to serve our citizens" when he asked for a budget increase of $86.5 million.
Even while trimming the requested increase to $21.3 million, the House and Senate signaled their support for the goal.
This acknowledgement of the need for greater support comes at a critical time for people in the developmental disabilities community, but the boost in resources will be effective only if that money is well spent.
Though much of the increase will be used to address mental health and substance abuse needs, many hope this will prove to be an important first step in the development of a stable, adequate support work force for people with disabilities.
Tom, who has been working with me for less than a month, is my third support person in two years. While at first glance this may appear above average, the average drops drastically when one realizes there may be a one- to two-month gap in services while searching for a replacement.
The Council is moving ahead with a series of initiatives to find innovative solutions to lead the way in addressing the direct support workforce crisis. Last year, the NCCDD and other divisions of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services invited a team from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Studies to evaluate the current conditions of the frontline workforce in North Carolina.
An NCCDD-funded project of the N.C. Providers Council also introduced state stakeholders to the College of Direct Support, an online, competency-based curriculum that gives service providers a means of increasing the competency, stability and professionalism of their frontline staff. The college has already started to gain footing in North Carolina, as some providers have moved to implement the curriculum agency-wide after seeing improvements in the performance and retention of direct support staff.
As a person who understands the need for qualified direct support professionals from both personal and professional standpoints, I commend the governor and the General Assembly for recognizing the growing need for a quality workforce of direct support professionals.
(S. Barton Cutter lives in Raleigh and can be reached at barton.cutter@gmail.com)
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The CDS Blog: Try It, You'll Like It!
We'd like to remind you that the College of Direct Support's CDS Blog is up and running and drawing commentary from around the country. So, get in on the cyber conversations at http://collegeofdirectsupport.blogspot.com/
It is a place where you can discuss and debate issues in the field of Direct Support Professionalism, current disability issues of the day, and any other topic of interest to the direct support community. If there are issues you would like to see addressed, please don't hesitate to e-mail them to Kristin Dean.
You can subscribe to the CDS blog at the website so that you can receive a notice whenever the blog has been updated.
Also available there are our new CDS Podcasts. You can access the podcasts at the website listed for the blog and make suggestions for topics or features to Kristin Dean.
New podcasts are posted monthly and will include first-hand accounts of being a person with a disability, working as a DSP, being a family member supporting a person with a disability, as well as other relevant topics of interest. Podcasts can be downloaded from iTunes and played on your iPod or iPhone as well as viewed on the web. To do this click on this link: iTunes downloads.
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You can subscribe to the blog so that you can receive a notice whenever the blog has been updated. |
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Tom King is the editor of Connections@CDS and he welcomes your comments on the newsletter as well as suggestions you have for articles and content.
You can email him at tking@collegeofdirectsupport.com or call him (toll free) at 1.877.353.2767.
Mission Statement: The College of Direct Support is a learning gateway for
contemporary best practices for Direct Support Professionals. By incorporating
web-based learning, backed by nationally recognized curricula, the CDS is
designed to promote a profession of direct support.
111 Center Park Drive, Suite 175 | Knoxville, TN 37922
tel :: 877-353-2767 (toll-free) | fax :: 865-531-4708
www.collegeofdirectsupport.com
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