Recruiting, Selecting, and Retaining Direct Service Workers to Provide Self-Directed HCBS

Lesson Review

1. Listen

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African American woman holding a cut out heart and showing it to a caucasian woman.

2. Read

In this lesson, you learned about:

  • Strategies you can use when recruiting new DSWs
  • Tools to help you identify important skills, experience, and key characteristics that a DSW candidate needs to have to best support you

3. Scenario

Roberta is worried about hiring a new DSW.  In the past, she has had some challenges with DSWs who didn't follow her directions very well.  It's been frustrating for Roberta.  Roberta worries about losing DSWs if she is too up front about what she wants.  Roberta avoids conflict, but she doesn't always get the supports that she needs.  She'd like to change how she supervises her DSWs, but she isn't sure how to go about it.  If you were Roberta, what would you do?

What would you do?
An elderly Black woman. She is wearing glasses, a white t-shirt, and smiling.

Roberta talks with her daughter and her service coordinator about being uncomfortable telling her DSWs that she wants them to do something differently.  With their help, Roberta writes down what is most important to her when receiving supports.  She also lists the things that are less important.  Roberta wants her DSWs to be on time. This is very important to her.  It is less important to her if they check their phone occasionally while they are at work.  Roberta decides that she will focus on the things that are the most important to her and will tell the people that she interviews that being on time is very important to her.  It is something that she expects from everyone who works for her.