Strengthening the Direct Service Workforce in Rural Areas

Due to geographic isolation, fewer available services, transportation limitations, demographic trends reducing the supply of informal caregivers and less ability to recruit an adequate supply of direct service workers, many rural areas struggle with providing quality home-based supports. This issue brief contains a summary of the challenges of the direct service workforce in rural areas and strategies that rural stakeholders can use to provide high-quality long-term care services and supports.
(PDF)
November 6, 2009

Work Where You Live: A Case Study of the Annapolis Housing Authority

This case study describes how the Annapolis Housing Authority overcame challenges in recruiting personal care assistants to provide needed services to tenants with disabilities in their own homes.
(PDF)
April 15, 2009

Promising Practices in Marketing, Recruitment and Selection

This report by the University of Minnesota identifies promising practices in direct service worker marketing, recruitment, and selection used by the CMS Direct Service Workforce Demonstration grantees. These grants were awarded in 2003 and 2004.
(PDF)
November 30, 2006

Strengthening the Direct Service Workforce in Rural Areas

This powerpoint presentation was given as part of the March 18, 2009 webinar on strengthening the direct service workforce in rural areas.
(Powerpoint)
March 18, 2010

Webinar Archive of Strengthening the Direct Service Workforce in Rural Areas

This is a recording of the March 18, 2010 webinar on strengthening the direct service workforce in rural areas.
(External Link)
March 18, 2010

Recorded Webinar on Nurse Delegation

On Wednesday, February 17, 2010, the DSW Resource Center hosted a webinar about nurse delegation and HCBS. Susan Reinhard, RN, PhD, of AARP and a national expert on nurse delegation, moderated the webinar and provided an overview of nurse delegation. Bill Ditto, New Jersey Department of Human Services, discussed a nurse delegation pilot program in NJ. Connie Kalanek, PhD, RN, of the North Dakota Board of Nursing discussed changes in ND to support nurse delegation; Linda Wurtz of ND AARP also participated on the call. Discussion topics included: * How nurse delegation can support Money Follows the Person initiatives, * How it works in practice, * Overcoming barriers in laws and nurse practice acts, and * Getting buy-in from nurses
(External Link) Caption: Windows Media Video
February 17, 2010

Presentation on the National Evaluation of the Demonstration to Improve the Direct Service Workforce
These slides were presented by Sarah Hunter from the RAND Corporation and Laura Steighner from the American Institutes for Research presented during the November 16, 2009 webinar the evaluation of the 10 Direct Service Workforce Demonstration grants.
(Powerpoint)
November 16, 2009

National Evaluation of the Demonstration to Improve the Recruitment and Retention of the Direct Service Community Workforce
This report from the RAND Corporation, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, and the American Institutes for Research, presents the findings from the national evaluation of the 10 demonstration grants awarded by CMS in 2003 and 2004 to better understand how to improve recruitment and retention of the direct service workforce.
(External Link)
November 6, 2009

Older Workers: A Solution to the LTC Workforce Crisis

This presentation by Robyn I. Stone, DrPH was given at the 2009 National Home and Community Based Services Conference in Denver, CO.
(Powerpoint)
September 22, 2009

Resource Guide - Working with WIBs and Workforce Development Systems

This resource guide, developed for Texas, provides a bibliography of online papers and other online resources on working with workforce development systems, plus sample questions for workforce development discussion at a stakeholder forum.
(Word)
(PDF)
December 11, 2008

"Find, choose, and keep" workshop handouts

Handouts for the New York workshop on finding, choosing, and keeping direct support professionals.

(PDF)
December 11, 2008

North Carolina Direct Support Professional Work Group Report

This report includes research on evidence-based strategies and interventions to improve DSP retention and competence, as well as an overview of the DSP issues faced by the state of North Carolina. The report also includes a review of North Carolina’s efforts to address these issues through a statewide collaborative charged with identifying and implementing effective DSP workforce strategies.
(PDF)
November 1, 2008

Delaware’s Workforce in 2008

This presentation at Delaware’s October 2008 direct service workforce symposium provides an overview of long-term care workforce trends, in the state of Delaware and nationally.
(PDF)
September 30, 2008

Best Practices for Strengthening the HCBS Direct Service Workforce

This presentation at Delaware’s October 2008 direct service workforce symposium describes examples of strategies and programs that states and providers have used to improve workforce recruitment and retention.
(PDF)
September 30, 2008

Generational Differences in the Workplace

This white paper, produced by UMN in August 2008, describes differences and similarities among four generations of American workers, and what the implications are for employers.
(Word)
(PDF)
July 31, 2008

DSP Focus Group June 2008

PowerPoint summary of results of DSP focus groups on why DSPs stay and what they need/want, presented at New York State Association of Community and Residential Agencies (NYSACRA) conference.
(Powerpoint)
(PDF)
May 31, 2008

Embracing an Immigrant Workforce

This presentation about targeted recruitment initiatives was given by Wendy Sokol of Soreo In Home Support Services, LLC at the 2008 Symposium on Strengthening the HCBS Workforce.
(Powerpoint)
May 9, 2008

Raising Awareness: Broad Recruitment Initiatives in Pennsylvania

This presentation about broad recruitment initiatives was given by Scott Sheely of the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board at the 2008 Symposium on Strengthening the HCBS Workforce.
(Powerpoint)
May 8, 2008

Raising Awareness: Broad Recruitment Initiatives in Rhode Island

This presentation about broad recruitment initiatives was given by Paul Choquette of the Rhode Island Department of Human Services at the 2008 Symposium on Strengthening the HCBS Workforce.
(Powerpoint)
May 8, 2008

A DSP's view: Recruitment

This presentation about broad recruitment initiatives was given by Tim O'Brien of the Illinois Direct Support Professionals (IDSP) at the 2008 Symposium on Strengthening the HCBS Workforce.
(Powerpoint)
May 8, 2008

Proven Selection and Supervision Strategies

This presentation about proven selection and supervision strategies was given by Sheryl Larson of UMN at the 2008 Symposium on Strengthening the HCBS Workforce.
(Powerpoint)
May 8, 2008

Selected Readings on Staff Recruitment, Retention and Training

This handout contains selected readings on staff recruitment, retention, and training and was given as part of Sheryl Larson's presentation on proven selection and supervision strategies at the 2008 Symposium on Strengthening the HCBS Workforce.
(Word)
May 8, 2008

Workforce Problems and Strategies to Overcome Them

A chart of workforce challenges and strategies, based on the book "Staff recruitment, retention and training strategies for community human services organizations."
(Word)
(PDF)
April 11, 2008

Strategies for a Stable Workforce

Slides from a presentation by Carol Rodat at the Direct Support Worker Recruitment and Retention Stakeholder Forum sponsored by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services.
(Powerpoint)
(PDF)
April 11, 2008

Baseline Organizational Assessment Form

A form to help organizations assess how they are doing before a workforce intervention.
(Word)
(PDF)
April 11, 2008

Site Plan Questionnaire

Questions for organizations about their workforce intervention plans.
(Word)
(PDF)
April 11, 2008

Developmental Disability Council Activities in Workforce Development

Developed for South Carolina, this document summarizes the workforce development activities that have been funded by DD Councils across the nation.
(Word)
(PDF)
April 11, 2008

Selecting and Implementing Interventions

Part 1 of a presentation by Sheryl Larson for South Carolina, this describes the steps involved in selecting and implementing interventions to improve DSW recruitment and retention.
(Powerpoint)
(PDF)
April 11, 2008

Recruiting and Retaining the Next Generation of Human Service Workers

This presentation by the University of Minnesota Research & Training Center on Community Living describes a range of recruitment and retention strategies and interventions. Part II of the presentation describes a range of recruitment and retention strategies and interventions.
(Powerpoint) Caption: Part I
(Powerpoint) Caption: Part II
(PDF) Caption: Part I
(PDF) Caption: Part II
April 11, 2008

In the Spotlight Intervention Plan Questionnaire

This "in the spotlight," featured in the book Recruitment, Retention, & Training Strategies for Community Human Services Organizations (S.A. Larson and A.S. Hewitt), shares a hypothetical plan for a service organization to develop and implement an intervention to reduce turnover among new hires.
(Word)
(PDF)
April 11, 2008

Louisiana Resource Guide

Developed for LA by PHI in October 2006, this memo includes information about improving wages, improving benefits, creating worker registries, and improving backup services for home and community-based services.
(Word)
(PDF)
September 30, 2006

PHI Resource Guide on Recruitment and Retention

Chart of resources on recruitment and retention, where to find them, and descriptions.
(Word)
(PDF)
February 6, 2006