Louisiana DSP Workforce Development Initiative

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Louisiana DSP Workforce Development Initiative

• Sharon Delvisco
• LSUHSC-HDC Adolescent and Adult Services
  Development Program
• Michelle Vicks
• Louisiana DSP Framework Development Team
• Philip G. Wilson, Ph.D.
• LSUHSC-HDC Adolescent and Adult Services
  Development Program
• ADD Commissioners Forum
• Improving the Quality of Life Meeting the
  Challenges through Innovation Thursday, February
  20, 2003 1045 am to 1200 pm

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LA The state we are in

• DSP wages rank last in the nation
• Few DSP covered by health insurance
• Basic training for DSP
• Includes medical, safety and legal issues
• Does NOT include person centered focus,
  individualized supports, and building community
  connections
• No career ladder for DSP
• Annual 40 hour training licensing requirement
  often not relevant
• Training does not result in pay changes or job
  responsibility changes

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Facts about Wages

• LSUHSC-HDC surveyed 60 community based service
  providers, employing 4237 DSPs (2001)
• 75 of providers reported significant turnover
  within two weeks of hire date
• Average entry level wage was 5.56 per hour
• 42 of agencies surveyed reported highest wage
  paid to DSP as 7.00
• 7 of DSP purchased health insurance benefits if
  offered from employer
• More than ½ of the DSP work more than one job

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Other Factors Contributing to High Turnover Rates

• Workforce not clearly defined
• Workforce not empowered, united, or positively
  perceived
• Lack of quality training opportunities
• Lack of career ladders

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Workforce not Clearly Defined

• Different funding streams with numerous job
  titles used by community based service providers
  and funding entities
• Can not study workforce issues
• Turnover rates, job satisfaction, stability of
  workforce, health insurance coverage,
  competency/training, geographic availability of
  DSP

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Defining the Work Force

• A direct support professional
• Supports people to lead self directed lives,
  contribute to their communities, and encourages
  attitudes and behaviors that enhance community
  inclusion
• Supports may be provided at home, work, school,
  church, and other community places

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Workforce not Empowered

• Not represented as a stakeholder group in
  policy-making
• Low self-esteem poor moral
• Dont recognize selves as a professional group

• Workforce not united or positively perceived

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Impact of High Turnover

• Providers
• Additional recruitment and training costs
• Changes providing daily support into providing
  triage support
• Lack of quality services

• Family/Consumer
• Stranger anxiety
• Trust
• Relationship building
• Knowing how to support the individual
• Reliability dependability
• Lives disrupted

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Workforce Development Initiatives 1999 - 2000

• LSUHSC-HDC establishes DSP Coalition
• LA Partnership for Excellence
• Delgado and HDC receive HRSA grant to develop and
  implement DSP college curriculum to improve lives
  of people with disabilities
• HDC conducts focus groups statewide to gather
  info from consumers, family members, DSP,
  providers, etc. about what DSP need to know

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ACT 1147 LA Disability Services and Supports
System 2001

• Legislation forming the Disability Services and
  Supports System (DSSS) Consumer Task Force
• DSSS submits Real Choices Systems Change proposal
  to Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services
  (CMS) including Workforce Development Component
• Response to Federal Olmstead requirements
• Charged with implementation of reforms to the
  long-term care system
• 17 organizations represented in membership

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DSSS Workforce Development Committee
Recommendations

• 1st Year Recommendations
• Establish Workforce Database
• Establish Competency Based DSP Curriculum
• Train the workforce using the competency based
  curriculum
• Recommend a career ladder framework
• Conduct outreach and training to raise
  consumer/family awareness of proposed DSP
  credentialing system
• Enhance the self determination, knowledge, and
  responsibilities related to DSP
• Host a Statewide DSP Summit

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Workforce Development Initiatives 2001

• LSUHSC-HDC in collaboration with Delgado
  Community College (DCC) publishes statewide DSP
  newsletter
• DSP Coalition surveys community based providers
  about DSP wages and benefits
• Governors proclamation declares first Louisiana
  DSP Day of Appreciation
• LA PCMR Next Generation Leadership Group
• AAMR DSP Special Interest Group recognizes
  Regional Representatives
• LSUHSC-HDC solicits feedback from employers of
  DSP curriculum completers

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Workforce Development Initiatives 2001

• LA DSP Coalition establishes www.la-dsp.org
  website
• 7 graduates from DSP DCC Letter of Completion
  Program
• DSSS Consumer Task Force establishes staffing
  committee for Workforce Development
• DSP wages increased for developmental centers
  (only)
• DSP Framework Development Team established

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Workforce Development Initiatives 2002

• Governors proclamation declares 2nd Louisiana
  DSP Day of Appreciation
• 32 Delgado Graduates May 2002
• 21 students register for DCC TCA
• Delgado Community College (DCC) establishes two
  year degree with concentration in DSP

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Workforce Development Initiatives 2002

• Delgado established Tech Competency
  Area DSP Diploma
• State Representative Diane
  Winstons bill is ratified which
  authorizes study into issues faced by DSP
• LA NADSP Survey of DSP
• Draft Position Paper developed The Crisis in
  Care for People with Disabilities A System at
  the Breaking Point

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NADSP LA Chapter Survey 2002

• Over 600 responses
• Gender
• 83 female 17 male
• Wages
• 42 earn less than 6.00 per hour
• 79 earn less than 7.00 per hour
• Average wage is 5.56 per hour
• Subsidies
• 21 receive food stamps, some providers reported
  as high as 40
• 20 receive housing subsidy
• Results compiled by LSUHSC-HDC

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NADSP LA Chapter Survey 2002 (continued)

• Hours Working
• 83 have another job
• 60 work more than 20 hours at second job
• Average number of hours worked is 2535 per week
  at second job
• 40 have two full time jobs
• 28 of DSP report having a family member with a
  disability
• Results compiled by LSUHSC-HDC

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DSSS Workforce Development Committee
Recommendations

• 2nd Year Recommendations
• Establish Workforce Database
• Implement Competency Based DSP Training
• Recruit, train and support regional training
  teams (i.e.,consisting of family/consumer, DSP,
  professionals)
• Recruit, train and support regional portfolio
  review teams (i.e.,consisting of
  family/consumer, DSP, professionals)
• Recommend a career ladder framework
• Conduct outreach and training to raise
  consumer/family awareness of proposed DSP career
  ladder system
• Develop strategies to increase DSP pay and
  benefits based on establishing a mechanism tying
  DSP pay to demonstrated performance of valued
  competencies (i.e., via portfolio)
• Develop and implement training for supervisors of
  DSP and Case Managers

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Workforce Development Initiatives 2003

• DSP Introductory Training Curriculum
• Draft distributed for review
• Competency Based Curriculum
• 10 modules- each with required portfolio entries
  demonstrating competency in modules content
• Seek sponsor for legislation proposing that
  pay/benefit enhancements for DSP be tied to
  portfolio demonstrations of valued competencies
  (Tier I)
• and that additional post-secondary training
  (e.g., Community College Technical Competency
  Area Diploma) be considered as one means for
  establishing an additional pay increase (Tier II)

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Workforce Development Initiatives 2003

• Governors proclamation declaring 3rd Louisiana
  DSP Day of Appreciation
• Sponsorship (Louisiana Rep. Winston) of DSP
  living wage legislation
• Additional DSP training initiatives
• Office for Citizens with Developmental
  Disabilities regional training
• Partnership for Excellence
• AAMR DSP Special Interest Group
• National Alliance of DSP LA Chapter

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Workforce Development Initiatives 2003 (continued)

• CMS Real Choices project (Act 1147) Workforce
  Development component
• Establish interagency agreement with Bureau of
  Community Supports and Services (BCSS- Medicaid
  Waiver Division) and the Louisiana Arc to
  field-test the competency based curriculum in
  selected regions of the state
• Establish regional training portfolio review
  teams
• Implement, evaluate, refine and replicate the
  training model
• Seek adoption of training model tied to
  pay/benefit increases for DSP

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The Future for Workforce Development Initiatives

• Create infrastructure to support
  Self-determination
• By ensuring consumers of LTC system are able to
  make informed choices regarding the competence
  and professionalism of workers they choose to
  hire
• Create Career Ladder to attract high quality
  workers to the profession and retain them by
  providing opportunities for advancement
• Seek parity in pay/benefits between community
  based DSP and institutional DSP
• Tie pay increases to demonstration of competence

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The Future for Workforce Development Initiatives
(continued)

• Adoption of statewide DSP Code of Ethics
• Ongoing identification of stakeholder valued
  topics and development of additional continuing
  education opportunities for DSP
• Additional stakeholder training markets (e.g.,
  Case Managers, Administrators)

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Other Strategies for Improving Recruitment and
Retention

• Non-traditional benefit packages
• Child care assistance
• Low interest home loans
• Rent subsidies
• Transportation
• Low interest car loans
• Tuition Support
• Tuition reimbursement, low interest loans,
  grants, forgivable loans

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References

• DSP in LA Facts about Wages, LSU Health
  Sciences Center Human Development Center, 2001
• Louisiana Works Labor Market Information, LA
  Department of Labor, 2002
• State of the Working America, Economic Policy
  Institute, 2001
• Summary and Recommendations, LA State PCMR Direct
  Support Professional Interest Group, 2001
• Working Hard, Earning Less, Volume 1 Series 2,
  National Priorities Project, 1998
• William Mercer Study, 2001