Frontline Initiative Teamwork

Happy 2001 from the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals. We are thrilled that this new issue of Frontline Initiative is finally out the door and assure you that the next important issue on ethics will soon follow.

It seems unbelievable that the NADSP has been in existence now for over 3 years. This group of committed organizations and individuals has worked feverishly to bring heightened attention to the critical issues of direct support. We are thrilled with the opportunity to learn from one another and develop strategies to address workforce issues.

What’s the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) recently been up to? A lot! Here’s a brief update —

• Training and supporting new editorial staff for the Frontline Initiative newsletter.
• Welcoming new state alliances in New Mexico.
• Supporting potential state coalitions to form alliances and become members of the NADSP.
• Sharing best practices in direct support workforce development.
• Identifying and sharing information about policy and legislative initiatives designed to support issues of importance to the NADSP.
• Conducting validation workshops for the draft of the national Code of Ethics for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs).
• Presenting information about direct support recruitment, retention and training challenges at several state and national conferences.
• Planning for our winter meeting to be held in conjunction with the ANCOR meeting in Phoenix, AZ on February 24, 2001.

The new year promises to be an exciting one for addressing issues related to the direct support workforce. The reauthorization of the federal Developmental Disabilities Act for the first time includes programs that specifically target direct support issues; the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disability Services held a two day summit on direct support workforce issues and many directors left this conference charged to go back to their sates and make a difference; and, the first ever national Code of Ethics for Direct Support Professionals will be finalized and broadly disseminated. 

We look forward to another good year and will do our best to share information, ideas, and inspiration through future issues of FI.