Supervision

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Supervision

and
Support
A presentation of the Paraprofessional Healthcare
Institute
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Support and Supervision

• Improve quality of consumer/ worker
  relationship
• Enhance worker retention
• Enhance service quality

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Types of support for Direct Care Workers

• Emotional Supports
• Practical Supports

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Good Outcomes
What can effective supervision do?
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Effective supervision can

• Build communication skills between worker and
  consumer
• Enhance consumer/worker relationship
• Reinforce training and direction
• Orient new employee to the job
• Build employees problem-solving skills
• Help consumers/ agency providers assist
  Personal Assistance Workers manage multiple
  job demands

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Effective supervision can

• Model acceptable behaviors
• Reduce conflict with clients and family
• Prevent dismissals and resignations
• Help employees balance work and family demands
• Assist workers and consumers in managing
  cultural differences

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Current DynamicsAgency supervisors and consumer
employers often lack experience and/or training
in supervision.
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Frontline supervisors in agencies

• Have intensive scheduling and administrative
  demands
• Come from clerical or direct care jobs
• Do not receive on-the-job training in
  supervision
• Can be critical or demeaning towards direct
  care workers
• Lack skills to guide workers in
  problem- solving on the job

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Consumer Employers

• Are rarely trained in supervision
• May be trained in hiring, firing and managing
  fiduciary issues
• Are often self-taught in overseeing their
  employee

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How can supervision be different?
A Coaching Model

• Balances support and accountability
• Provides direction and limits without
  criticism
• Establishes acceptable behavior
• Guides employee in problem solving
• Builds on employees intrinsic motivation for
  the job
• Diffuses Stress

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Resources
Existing resources on supervision that PHI has
learned from stakeholders

• Locally developed through the ILC for consumer
  employers (Focuses on management and fiduciary
  responsibilites)
• Wide variability in services and sophistication
  in agencies
• Not well-coordinated or distributed
• Focus on management and fiduciary
  responsibilities

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Teaching Supervision
How can we teach consumers and agency supervisors
how to supervise?

• PHI is identifing existing resources through
  stakeholder interviews across the US
• PHI is developing supervisory curriculum for
  teaching diverse audiences

• Within agencies
• In consumer homes
• Through ILCs
• Using web broadcasting

Curriculum will be disseminated to all Systems
Change Grantees
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Practical Supports Assist employees in becoming
successful at work
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Why do Direct Care Workers need financial and
tangible supports?

• Insufficient pay
• Fewer resources to manage family stresses

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Personal Assistance Workers are

• Among the working poor
• Single heads of households
• Lack of medical insurance
• More likely to rely on public support programs
• Medicaid
• Food Stamps
• Transportation Assistance

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Types of practical supports

• Child care
• Transportation assistance
• Affordable housing
• Food Stamps
• Paid health care and other paid benefits
• ESL or GED courses

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Employer Role

• In linking the employee to supports in the
  community
• Employer is not a social worker
• Employer can link to resources in the
  community
• Government agencies can play an important role
  in linking workers to private/public supports in
  the community and state

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For additional information please contact
Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute 349 East
149th Street, Suite 401 Bronx, NY 10451 Email
info_at_paraprofessional.org Or National
Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce Phone
[phone] Info_at_directcareclearinghouse.org ww
w.directcareclearinghouse.org