Community SupportsDirect Support Workforce Development

Background

The Boggs Center has focused on training and supports for the direct support workforce in New Jersey since it was formed in 1983. A variety of training and education programs are coordinated in collaboration with the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities and other networks. Technical assistance is provided to consumers with a wide range of disabilities, their family members, and the direct support professionals who provide the support.

Examples of the programs provided by the Center include the Pre-Service Training Curriculum for direct support professionals in community settings (since the 1980's), person centered planning training for agencies (early 1990's to present), community building training and technical assistance to support agencies in the development of community supports for people they serve, and customized trainings for direct support in a variety of areas, e.g. Medicaid managed care, community building, families, grief, and support.

The Boggs Center has worked with community colleges since 2000 to develop certificate programs for direct support professionals. The Boggs Center has also coordinated the Developmental Disabilities Lecture Series since 1984, a Series which brings national experts to New Jersey to present on the state of the art of service delivery.

In April 2002, The Boggs Center partnered with the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities, the New Jersey Association of Community Providers, and the Alliance for the Betterment of Citizens with Disabilities to convene a New Jersey Workforce Development Summit. The summit addressed the barriers in retaining and recruiting a cadre of high-quality direct support professionals in the state. Follow-up meetings to this summit gave birth to the New Jersey Direct Support Professional Workforce Development Coalition (NJDSPWDC).

The 2002 Summit and NJDSPWDC recommended a separate summit for direct support professionals themselves to identify barriers and potential solutions for retaining and recruiting a highly qualified cadre of direct support professionals. In September 2003, The Boggs Center convened a New Jersey Direct Support Professional Summit to address these issues.