2018 New York State Workforce Credentialing

Description

Introduction: Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) are vital supports for people with IDD. Five competency-based credentialing programs, designed to teach the skills, knowledge, and attitudes characteristic of DSPs providing high-quality support, have been identified as a promising solution to 1) increase DSP tenure, 2) reward greater competency with a higher wage, and 3) provide professional recognition and a professional career path for skilled workers.

Methods: Methods included interviews with program coordinators to collect descriptive information about each credentialing program; a standardised instrument was used to collect quantitative data from organisations in order to compare credential program participants with non-participants; in-depth interviews with participants in each program and each organisation about their experiences with the credential program and its impact on their work.

Results: Results from the five locations showed increases in tenure and pay for credentialed DSPs and frontline supervisors.

Implications: New York can draw upon the successes of these programs as they seek to further its efforts to implement a statewide credential. Outcomes support the notion that when implemented over several years, funds that were previously used for hiring and training new employees may be reallocated to support professional development opportunities for the direct support workforce.

Suggested Citation

Details

Date

2019 

Type

Peer-Reviewed Article 

Edition

Volume 63, Number 7

Publisher

Wiley