Frontline Initiative Trauma-Informed Care

Did you know NADSP offers trainings and technical assistance?

Let NADSP train your managers, supervisors and training staff in the art of engaging adult learning seminars to advance the knowledge, skills and values of your direct support professionals (DSPs).

Competency + ethics = Outcomes: Creating a culture of direct support competency

This one-day training includes the following sessions —

CMS Community Rule and informed decision making: The emerging roles and expectations of the direct support workforce

This opening session offers a chance to reflect on the evolving role and expectations of DSPs. Many of these changes are driven by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and its Federal Home- and CommunityBased Services Community Rule. This is a radical departure from which we are accustomed and will ultimately create an emphasis on ‘personal autonomy’, greater access to ‘integrated settings’ and helping people to make ‘informed choices’. The focus of this session addresses one important piece of the CMS Rule; how do we support people with disabilities to make informed decisions? What are the DSP’s role in this process? What are the workforce demographics and projections to fulfill these? Do they possess the tools, resources and skills to uphold this responsibility?

The NADSP Code of Ethics encounter

NADSP faculty will share real examples culled from decades of practicing in the field of intellectual disabilities in a role play, unlike any other. In learning about ethical responsibilities, we will act out some real dilemmas and ethical decisions that confront DSPs on the job every day. Using NADSP’s Code of Ethics, participants will consider ways that ethical practices can be incorporated into daily practice. The beliefs and attitudes that are associated with being an effective human service professional are critical to understanding this code — it is not the handbook of the profession, but rather a roadmap to assist us in staying the course of securing freedom, justice, and equality for all.

The great DSP competency connection

The cornerstone of every profession is a standardized set of competencies with which all practitioners carry out their craft. The NADSP assisted the state of New York in creating a standardized set of Core Competencies for DSPs. Since that time, we have provided dozens of training sessions across the state as provider organizations begin to understand and roll-out the competency set. This session will introduce the national Direct Support Professional Competencies in an engaging, thoughtprovoking and fun manner. The audience will break into small groups and discuss the competencies...and then the fun and learning begins.

DSPs and informed decision making

A facilitated discussion that investigates how DSPs can use the ethical practices, professional skills and adept reasoning to assist people in making informed decisions and meeting the new CMS definition of “Community”. This session will begin a deeper discussion by asking three questions that will identify ways that the spirit of the NADSP’s Code of Ethics and Competencies will be incorporated in assessing Risk and balancing Safety. Part of the discussion will focus on how the organization can create a culture of competence with skilled, ethical and empowered DSPs that will lead the way to quality.