Kansans Mobilizing for Direct Support Workforce Change
Independent Living Resource Center (large meeting room)
3033 W. 2nd St.
Wichita, KS
November 29, 2007
(Working Lunch – Catered by Two Brothers)

Attendees: Sandy Avalon- Sunflower Home Health, Deena Baker – Creative Community Living, Connie Deleon – Sunflower Home Health, Bonnie Duden – Kansas Apprenticeship Council, Julie Gusman – Arrowhead West, Craig Knutson – SACK, Judy Leiker – Starkey, Gary Merklein – DSNWK, Kathy Olson – KUCDD, Tracy Price – LakeMary Center, Kelly Smith – SACK, Kathy Stiffler – ISS, Kathy Walter – Arrowhead West

Members introduced themselves and presented examples of experiences with CDS.
Representing Sunflower Home Health, Sandy Avalon and Connie Deleon joined us. They will begin using CDS soon.

Announcement

Dolores Engel will retire January 3rd . A card expressing KMFC gratitude for her efforts in developing the apprenticeship program was circulated for signatures.

The new Platform for CDS will be up soon (December 13th). It looks similar but should be easier to navigate. More test questions will be available. Administrative rights may need to be reviewed by the state administrator, as additional access options have been added. No data should be lost in the transition. Notice of the move will be given several days prior to the change.

Craig noted that at a recent conference his browser was incompatible with CDS website. He asked if the new platform would be better? Kathy Olson said that there are no consistent problems with browsers. At times various pop-ups or security features need to be adjusted to allow access. If anyone has these problems, contact Kathy to resolve the issue.

An Impact Article by Kathy Olson and Kathy Stiffler will be out soon highlighting KMFC activities.

ISS will be a featured College of Direct Support Partner Profile on the national website. Kansas now will have two of twelve profiles on the site. Starkey, Inc is also featured. Way to go Kansas!!

Bonnie stressed that we should inform the Workforce Investment Boards about the CDS training and what is involved in training. This can assist in building a conduit between the workforce and employers. A KMFC representative who uses CDS should contact the local workforce director. There are five local areas: West of I-35, Topeka/Manhattan, Kansas City, Wichita, and SE Kansas. Bonnie can get names and numbers of contacts. Think in terms of workforce development when explaining the CDS. A documented career ladder that will provide a livable wage ($10.87/hr.) will be a connection to training dollars. Bonnie Duden and Kathy Stiffler will meet and discuss what it would take to create an industry-wide standard in the state.

Discussed publishing career options for DSPs. Three career ladders/ credentialing options will soon be in place in Kansas (if not more). ISS has individuals completing the Ad Astra Registered Apprenticeship Program. TARC will start enrolling individuals in the National Alliance for Direct Support Professional Credentialing program early in 2008. Lake Mary is developing a three-tier DSP structure for their organization. We will gather information on these programs and share with others in Kansas in a short document.

Turnover data was discussed. In the past KMFC has collected annual turnover data from members. The need for this data was considered.

• Some members are less active in the strategies originally implemented under the KMFC program,
• Recruitment and retention interventions vary.
• KMFC is a small sample that does not really reflect the state situation.
• The time frame does not match other required reporting frames and thus is difficult to gather.

After considerable discussion, it was determined that the most useful and interesting data might be retention data related to CDS use. Are the individuals who took CDS still employed? Does this differ from others in the agency? Kathy Olson will identify agencies and individuals who have completed CDS and Kathy Stiffler will assist in the analysis.

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Updates on activities

Kathy Stiffler completed her doctorate this fall. Dr. Stiffler thanked KMFC members for their assistance in gathering data for her research. Frontline supervisors appear to play a strong role in retention of DSPs. Dr. Stiffler shared her findings and will write a summary for our membership. We should consider if we can disseminate this summary with information about the College of Frontline Supervison and Management.

Three conference presentations were given this fall. Two were at InterHab (Carolyn Risley-Hill, Kathy Olson and other users, discussed credentialing. Kathy Olson provided an overview of CDS.) Kelly Smith and Kathy Olson presented the College of Direct Support and the SACK conference.) New users registered for CDS subsequent to the presentations. A gift basket was given away at InterHab. Travel coffee mugs were given away at SACK.

Regional Administrator meetings were held in Parsons, Wichita, Topeka, and Dodge City in September and October. Thirty-four attendees included both new and veteran users. These shops focused on implementation. Participants indicated that the meeting was helpful. KMFC will host additional meetings next spring. It was suggested that we focus on some of the advanced features of the College of Direct Support at these meetings.

Certificate of Completion- Two service providers have inquired about the possibility of getting certificates of completion for the CDS coursework. Individual certificates are available for each course now. As part of a local award ceremony, providers want to present a certificate of achievement. A challenge is to have the certificate identify the coursework that has been completed. Many organizations require a series of lessons, however the lessons vary by agency. A certificate would need to specify which coursework was completed, if it was to identified as a standard. Kathy Olson will explore the possibility of individualizing certificates for agencies that inquire about this option. It is great to recognize DSPs in any waypossible. Local certificates can be made available. The demand will probably be limited as the individual certificates are available on-line and the extensive records are sufficient for most users.

National Advisory Board – Kathy reported on the National Meeting November 12-14 in Minneapolis.
National use has increased dramatically. See website: www.collegeofdirectsupport.com

National brochures have been updated. See the website for the newest version.

Members were reminded that the information in the CDS Courses is copyrighted. Information directly from the lessons should not be printed. The national folks are working on a more detailed summary that should help organizations plan for use.

Evaluation briefs from the national website may also be valuable tools when encouraging CDS use.

New Courses expected in the next 6 months.

• Working with Families and Other Support Networks (CFS)
• Everyone Can Communicate
• Disability Intensive Mini-Courses
  • Autism
  • Brain Injury
  • Cerebral Palsy
• Preparing for the Supervisor’s Job in Human Services

NADSP certification has encountered a slight problem when individuals have not passed the background checks. Amy Hewitt shared that some DSP applicants did not pass background checks and thus could not be certified. It is awkward for the credentialing body, as the board deals with DSPs and does not tell the employers of the background problem. DSPs should be aware of the background check before completing all CDS requirements. The background check needs to be recent, but is not more stringent than the Kansas requirements.

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Annual Report

The annual report is nearing completion. It was suggested that an executive summary be prepared for promotional purposes. It should be a combination of testimonials and data.

The number of learners, lessons, and enrolled Kansas providers continues to grow.

Customize CDS for Kansans.

Discussed whether we want to customize modules for Kansans. It was decided that some customization of the Introduction to Developmental Disabilities module additions. Phone number to report abuse neglect could be included in the Maltreatment Course. Several members noted that we may not want to modify every course. Linking to other websites and providing information that chanbes frequently requires continuous monitoring to assure that links are active. Most of the modules are quite complete and do not need additional content. Gary, Kathy Walter, Tracy, and Judy agreed to review any customized content for accuracy and relevance.

Utilizing the Advanced Features of CDS

Providers should be encouraged to customize CDS for their organizations. Kathy Olson will provide assistance as needed. Providers should also be encouraged to use other advanced features of CDS as appropriate.

Promoting and implementing CDS

Kathy reported that Bridge Builders, a new limited license provider, recently began using CDS. The director indicated that she wished that she had been made aware of availability earlier. She found out about CDS through informal means. Kathy will ask Amy if there is a way to provide this information to limited license providers as they enter the system.

Kathy Olson is a member of the Life Span Institute Work Group on Autism Research and Training. She will share information about the CDS and especially the new Autism mini course with them.

Wichita Children’s Home expressed interest in CDS. Kathy will follow up and talk with Tracy LaLiberte regarding use of CDS by child welfare providers. Tracy is exploring this in other states.

Workforce Development in Kansas

Discussed upcoming legislative session. As issues are solidified our members will continue to support issues related to recruitment and retention of DSPs

Encourage discussion groups for supervisors regarding supporting DSPs/

Next Steps – KMFC 3-month work plan for CDS

• Kathy Olson and Kathy Stiffler – data collection regarding CDS effect on turnover.
• Contact Amy Swanson to consider/encourage use with appropriate foster care providers.
• Kathy Stiffler and Bonnie Duden to meet to discuss career lattices and ladders.
• Decide if we want a photo on the CDS website. It was suggested that a picture of a DSP and person supported would be nice.
• Schedule shareshops in the late spring.
• Survey administrators to determine training needs.
• Get information from Dan Hermreck regarding the TARC certification with NADSP.
• Kathy O- inquire if agencies are enrolling family members in CDS.
• Kathy Olson – see if agencies want to continue to use pretests or not.

Next Meeting: February 28th 10 am -3 pm

Individual Support Systems, Inc.
3615 SW 29th, Suite 201
Topeka, KS 66614

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