In 2009, the Division of Developmental Disabilities will rollout the statewide tracking system for agency personnel, as required by CMS, which will be administered through the College of Direct Support (CDS).In November of 2008, ABCD's HR and QA&T Senior Staff Forums met with Training and Consultation Specialists from the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center to discuss the rollout and any technical assistance issues and questions. Boggs Center staff also announced that going forward, information for agencies on the statewide rollout would be provided regularly in the new Career Path Quarterly newsletter, which would be made available in late 2008.Below is the introduction excerpt from the first edition of the newsletter with information for agencies on the rollout. For more information, and to view the entire newsletter if you have not received a copy, visit the Workforce Development pages on the Boggs Center website by clicking here.
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New Jersey, like many other states, is facing a workforce crisis.By 2016, the demand for direct support workers in home andcommunity based settings will outstrip supply by 30% (PHI, 2007).Low wages and high demand on workers leave agencies with highturnover rates and challenges to providing quality supports. TheNJ Direct Support Professional Workforce Development Coalitiondeveloped the NJ Career Path for DSPs to increase their skillsand enable them to earn more money through the completionof coursework provided by The College of Direct Support (CDS),mentoring, and the development of a portfolio documenting jobcompetency. The NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities fundeda pilot of the Career Path project for two years.
In 2009, The NJ Division of Developmental Disabilitieswill subscribe to the College of Direct Support, making the Career Path available to all DSPs who work with people and agencies who receive HCBS waiver funding. Agencies will be able to make the courses in both Level I and II of the Career Path available to all DSPs. In addition, they will be able to use the CDS to assign courses of their choosing to their staff. Participation in the Career Path is voluntary, and the amount of salary increase given is determined by the agency. Participation is highly recommended to reduce staff attrition, increase morale, and recognize the professionalization of DSPs. There will be no fee for agencies to access the CDS. In addition to the Career Path, the CDS will be used to keep track of pre-service training so using the CDS will be mandatory—see below.
All agencies will need to identify a CDS Administrator (or collaborate with another agency)—see How to Choose Your CDS Admin on pg. 7.Technical support will be provided by the CDS System Administrator and training will be provided by The Boggs Center. All agencies will submit a list of current staff to DDD for bulk upload into the CDS, have a representative attend a training on CDS Administration, and enter new hires into the CDS. Agencies will be given access to the CDS through the regional rollout process taking place in 2009. Informational sessions on the statewide rollout of the CDS will be held at all of the membership associations and are available by request.
ABCD Participated in the 2008 National Symposium on Strengthening the HCBS Direct Service Workforce
The DSW Resource Center, with the support of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor, hosted a National Symposium on Strengthening the HCBS Direct Service Workforce on May 8-9, 2008 in Baltimore, MD. This event provided a forum for showcasing best practices in home- and community-based direct service workforce development, highlight Federal and state workforce intiaitives, and dissemination of research findings. A primary theme of the event was the importance of addressing workforce issues across age and disability consumer populations.
