Dear Friends and Colleagues:
Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) are key to OPWDD’s workforce, and it is critical that we recognize the professional work they do, as well as support them with the skills needed to accomplish our mission of helping people with developmental disabilities live richer lives.
In 2011, OPWDD created the New York State Developmental Disabilities Talent Development Consortium, a diverse group representing our stakeholders, including people with developmental disabilities, families, nonprofit providers, employee labor unions, academia, and national workforce experts. One of the primary goals of the consortium was to develop and implement a comprehensive set of core competencies for direct support professionals across the state, and a talent development plan to master those competencies.
I am pleased to announce that the New York State direct support professional competencies are now fully developed and are in the implementation stage. They focus on seven main goal areas: putting people first; building and maintaining positive relationships; demonstrating professionalism; supporting good health; supporting safety; having a home; and being active and productive in society.
The core competencies are not a training program; they represent the day-to-day valuable work that DSPs perform when serving individuals with developmental disabilities. Coupled with the recently adopted National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals’ Code of Ethics, the standardized DSP competencies will help set standards for quality supports and services; provide guidance for DSPs; promote professionalism; standardize DSP skills; improve service provision; and save training costs.
There are numerous tools available in the new core competencies section of our website to help DSPs and agencies learn about and implement the new competencies. Corresponding information about the newly adopted national code of ethics for direct support professionals is also available online. Additional questions may be directed to Facebook page is a great place for individuals, family members, employees, advocates, and other stakeholders to exchange thoughts and ideas. Please feel free to join the conversation.