Community Support Skill Standards

Direct support professionals are caught in a bind. Any one who has worked as a direct support professional, or who has relied on one, knows that the job is complex, engaging, and critically important to the quality of life for those who need assistance. On the other hand, people outside of this intimate circle are often quite unaware of the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and dedication it takes to be a true direct support professional. Even within the service industry circles, direct support professionals are often thought of has highly disposable. Too often the investment in DSPs is minimal, with training being inadequate and the focus on getting new workers in the door being more important than maintaining and developing competence and confidence in the staff who have already invested themselves in the job.

Part of the problem, is a the lack of cohesive understanding of what DSPs do and what they could do. When the requirements of the job are listed out it is clear that do this job well takes an almost overwhelming amount of responsibility, creativity, and wear-with-all, and yet over and over media portrayal of DSPs and wage issues come down to a lack of defined skills, attitudes, knowledge and credentials for the job. If “anyone” can do it, then why pay more the minimum wage? If “anyone” can do it then why invest in the developing skills of the long-term employee? If the job does not require skills and knowledge or any formal education then why should we invest in better wages, better training and higher expectations?

The Community Support Skill Standards (CSSS) were created as part of an effort to define the core skills at the heart of community support work. The CSSS were developed by pulling together DSPs from a variety of human service settings, consumers of services, trainers, agency administrators, educators, and others who are invested in quality services, and working with them to identify and define the skills that DSPs need in order to support people with disabilities in leading self-directed lives, contributing to their communities and encouraging the attitudes and behaviors that enhance inclusion in the community. The CSSS are not a set of minimal criteria that a person needs to start in direct support. They reflect the skills, knowledge and attitudes of an experienced worker who is recognized by peers and supervisors as skilled and competent.

The CDS courses have been developed in alignment with the CSSS. During the development of each course the CSSS are reviewed and those that are related to the course are infused into the lessons and objectives. Building the CDS courses on the foundation of the CSSS is important for a number of reasons. As a set of nationally created and validated skill standards, the CSSS provides a consistent, high-quality and recognizable base from which to build DSP competence. Attention to the CSSS means that a DSP in California who has taken CDS courses can communicate with an agency in Massachusetts and they can have a similar understanding of what skills and information the learner has been exposed to while taking CDS courses.

The CSSS competency statements and the related skill standards are listed here. There are 12 Competency areas ranging form Participant Empowerment to Documentation. Under each broad competency statement there are several skill standard statements which describe job function in the competency area.

For a more complete description of the Community Support Skill Standards and their history and purpose you can order: The Community Support Skill Standards: Tools for Managing Change and Achieving Outcomes. (Taylor, Bradley & Warren 1996) from Human Services Research Institute, 2336 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140; Phone; 617-876-0426. http://www.hsri.org

The Community Support Skill Standards

Tools for Managing Change and Achieving Outcomes

Competency Area: Participant Empowerment

The competent community support human service practitioner (CSHSP) enhances the ability of the participant to lead a self-determining life by providing the support and information necessary to build self-esteem, and assertiveness; and to make decisions.

Skill Standards:

• The competent CSHSP assists and supports the participant to develop strategies, make informed choices, follow through on responsibilities, and take risks.
• The competent CSHSP promotes participant partnership in the design of support services, consulting the person and involving him or her in the support process.
• The competent CSHSP provides opportunities for the participant to be a self-advocate by increasing awareness of self-advocacy methods and techniques, encouraging and assisting the participant to speak on his or her own behalf, and providing information on peer support and self-advocacy groups.
• The competent CSHSP provides information about human, legal, civil rights and other resources, facilitates access to such information and assists the participant to use information for self-advocacy and decision making about living, work, and social relationships.

Competency Area: Communication

The community support human service practitioner should be knowledgeable about the range of effective communication strategies and skills necessary to establish a collaborative relationship with the participant.

Skill Standards:

• The competent CSHSP uses effective, sensitive communication skills to build rapport and channels of communication by recognizing and adapting to the range of participant communication styles.
• The competent CSHSP has knowledge of and uses modes of communication that are appropriate to the communication needs of participants.
• The skilled CSHSP learns and uses terminology appropriately, explaining as necessary to ensure participant understanding.

Competency Area: Assessment

The community support human service practitioner should be knowledgeable about formal and informal assessment practices in order to respond to the needs, desires and interests of the participants.

Skill Standards:

• The competent CSHSP initiates or assists in the initiation of an assessment process by gathering information (e.g., participant's self-assessment and history, prior records, test results, additional evaluation) and informing the participant about what to expect throughout the assessment process.
• The competent CSHSP conducts or arranges for assessments to determine the needs, preferences, and capabilities of the participants using appropriate assessment tools and strategies, reviewing the process for inconsistencies, and making corrections as necessary.
• The competent CSHSP discusses findings and recommendations with the participant in a clear and understandable manner, following up on results and reevaluating the findings as necessary.

Competency Area: Community and Service Networking

The community support human service practitioner should be knowledgeable about the formal and informal supports available in his or her community and skilled in assisting the participant to identify and gain access to such supports.

Skill Standards:

• The competent CSHSP helps to identify the needs of the participant for community supports, working with the participant's informal support system, and assisting with, or initiating identified community connections.
• The competent CSHSP researches, develops, and maintains information on community and other resources relevant to the needs of participants.
• The competent SCHSP ensures participant access to needed community resources coordinating supports across agencies.
• The competent CSHSP participates in outreach to potential participants.

Competency Area: Facilitation of Services

The community support human service practitioner is knowledgeable about a range of participatory planning techniques and is skilled in implementing plans in a collaborative and expeditious manner.

Skill Standards:

• The competent CSHSP maintains collaborative professional relationships with the participant and all support team members (including family/friends), follows ethical standards of practice (e.g., confidentiality, informed consent, etc.), and recognizes his or her own personal limitations.
• The competent CSHSP assists and/or facilitates the development of an individualized plan based on participant preferences, needs, and interests.
• The competent CSHSP assists and/or facilitates the implementation of and individualized plan to achieve specific outcomes derived from participants preferences, needs and interests.
• The competent CSHSP assists and/or facilitates the review of the achievement of individual participant outcomes.

Competency Area: Community Living Skills & Supports

The community support human service practitioner has the ability to match specific supports and interventions to the unique needs of individual participants and recognizes the importance of friends, family and community relationships.

Skill Standards:

• The competent CSHSP assists the participant to meet his or her physical (e.g., health, grooming, toileting, eating) and personal management needs (e.g., human development, human sexuality), by teaching skills, providing supports, and building on individual strengths and capabilities.
• The competent CSHSP assists the participant with household management (e.g., meal prep, laundry, cleaning, decorating) and with transportation needs to maximize his or her skills, abilities and independence.
• The competent CSHSP assists with identifying, securing and using needed equipment (e.g., adaptive equipment) and therapies (e.g., physical, occupational and communication).
• The competent CSHSP supports the participant in the development of friendships and other relationships.
• The competent community based support worker assists the participant to recruit and train service providers as needed.

Competency Area: Education, Training & Self-Development

The community support human service practitioner should be able to identify areas for self improvement, pursue necessary educational/training resources, and share knowledge with others.

Skill Standards:

• The competent CSHSP completes required training education/certification, continues professional development, and keeps abreast of relevant resources and information.
• The competent CSHSP educates participants, co-workers and community members about issues by providing information and support and facilitating training.

Competency Area: Advocacy

The community support human service practitioner should be knowledgeable about the diverse challenges facing participants (e.g. human rights, legal, administrative and financial) and should be able to identify and use effective advocacy strategies to overcome such challenges.

Skill Standards:

• The competent CSHSP and the participant identify advocacy issues by gathering information, reviewing and analyzing all aspects of the problem.
• The competent CSHSP has current knowledge of laws, services, and community resources to assist and educate participants to secure needed supports.
• The competent CSHSP facilitates, assists, and/or represents the participant when there are barriers to his or her service needs and lobbies decision makers when appropriate to overcome barriers to services.
• The competent CSHSP interacts with and educates community members and organizations (e.g., employer, landlord, civic organization) when relevant to participant's needs or services.

Competency Area: Vocational, Educational & Career Support

The community based support worker should be knowledgeable about the career and education related concerns of the participant and should be able to mobilize the resources and support necessary to assist the participant to reach his or her goals.

Skill Standards:

• The competent CSHSP explores with the participant his/her vocational interests and aptitudes, assists in preparing for job or school entry, and reviews opportunities for continued career growth.
• The competent CSHSP assists the participant in identifying job/training opportunities and marketing his/her capabilities and services.
• The competent CSHSP collaborates with employers and school personnel to support the participant, adapting the environment, and providing job retention supports.

Competency Area: Crisis Intervention

The community support human service practitioner should be knowledgeable about crisis prevention, intervention and resolution techniques and should match such techniques to particular circumstances and individuals.

Skill Standards:

• The competent CSHSP identifies the crisis, defuses the situation, evaluates and determines and intervention strategy and contacts necessary supports.
• The competent CSHSP continues to monitor crisis situations, discussing the incident with authorized staff and participant(s), adjusting supports and the environment, and complying with regulations for reporting.

Competency Area: Organization Participation

The community based support worker is familiar with the mission and practices of the support organization and participates in the life of the organization.

Skill Standards:

• The competent CSHSP contributes to program evaluations, and helps to set organizational priorities to ensure quality.
• The competent CSHSP incorporates sensitivity to cultural, religious, racial, disability, and gender issues into daily practices and interactions.
• The competent CSHSP provides and accepts co-worker support, participating in supportive supervision, performance evaluation, and contributing to the screening of potential employees.
• The competent CSHSP provides input into budget priorities, identifying ways to provide services in a more cost-beneficial manner.

Competency Area: Documentation

The community based support worker is aware of the requirements for documentation in his or her organization and is able to manage these requirements efficiently.

Skill Standards:

• The competent CSHSP maintains accurate records, collecting, compiling and evaluating data, and submitting records to appropriate sources in a timely fashion.
• The competent CSHSP maintains standards of confidentiality and ethical practice.
• The competent CSHSP learns and remains current with appropriate documentation systems, setting priorities and developing a system to manage documentation.

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Preamble: Code of Ethics

Direct Supports Professionals (DSP) who support people in their communities are called upon to make independent judgments on a daily basis that involve both practical and ethical reasoning. The people who assume the support role must examine and call upon values and beliefs, as well as creative vision, to assist them in the complex work they perform.

A primary purpose of the DSP is to assist people who need support to lead self-directed lives and to participate fully in our communities and nation. This emphasis on empowerment and participation is critical because the prejudices of society form powerful barriers that prevent many people with mental or physical disabilities from enjoying a high quality of life. And, too often, the very social policies and service systems designed to help can create other barriers.

Therefore, it must be the mission of the Direct Support Professional to follow the individual path suggested by the unique gifts, preferences, and needs of each person they support, and to walk in partnership with the person, and those who love him or her, toward a life of opportunity, well-being, freedom, and contribution. Unfortunately, there have been no set criteria to guide these journeys as there are for other professional groups (such as doctors, nurses, service coordinators, and social workers) who have intimate knowledge of and responsibility for another person’s emotional, financial, or physical being. There is no other position today in which ethical practice and standards are more important than direct support. DSPs are often asked to serve as gatekeepers between people needing support and almost every aspect of their lives, including access to community, personal finances, physical well-being, relationships, employment, and everyday choices. The whole landscape of a person’s life can change with the coming and going of these critical support people.

As a result of these work duties, DSPs face ethical decisions on a daily basis and consistently feel the tension between the ideals of the profession and its practice. There are numerous pressures coming from organizations, government, social policy, and societal prejudice that can shift focus and allegiance away from those supported. In order to maintain the promise of partnership and respect that must exist in a helping relationship, a strong ethical foundation is critical to help DSPs navigate through the maze of influences that bombard them.

This issue has lead to the efforts on the part of the National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals to identify the kinds of ethical situations that DSPs face and to develop a set of ethical guidelines. The NADSP convened a national panel of DSPs, advocates, families, professionals, and researchers who constructed this code of ethics. Focus groups and surveys regarding the draft language were conducted throughout the country and were integrated to create the final code. This Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a straightforward and relevant ethical guide, shedding some light on the shared path to a self-directed life. It is intended to guide DSPs in resolving ethical dilemmas they face every day and to encourage DSPs to achieve the highest ideals of the profession.

The skills and knowledge of community support practice must be joined with the ethical principles to create the environment needed to fully support people. To do so effectively, we must all work toward recognizing DSPs as professionals who have skills, knowledge, and values that constitute a unique and important profession. There must be a commitment to hiring, developing, and supporting DSPs who have a healthy sense of their own worth and potential, and the worth and potential of the people they support, and who can infuse these beliefs into practice. DSPs themselves must know that it is part of their role to foster a spirit of cooperation and mutual responsibility with other DSPs regarding ethical practice.

Direct support professionals, agency leaders, policymakers, and people receiving services are urged to read the Code and to consider ways that these ethical statements can be incorporated into daily practice. The beliefs and attitudes that are associated with being an effective human service professional are the cornerstones of this code. This code is not the handbook of the profession, but rather a roadmap to assist us in staying the course of securing freedom, justice, and equality for all.

1.       Person-Centered Supports

As a DSP my first allegiance is to the person I support; all other activities and functions I perform flow from this allegiance.

Interpretive Statements
As a Direct Support Professional, I will:

a.       Recognize that each person must direct his or her own life and support and that the unique social network, circumstances, personality, preferences, needs and gifts of each person I support must be the primary for guide the selection, structure, and use of supports for that individual.

b.       Commit to person-centered supports as best practice.

c.        Provide advocacy when the needs of the system override those of the individual(s) I support, or when individual preferences, needs or gifts are neglected for other reasons.

d.       Honor the personality, preferences, culture and gifts of people who cannot speak by seeking other ways of understanding them.

e.       Focus first on the person, and understand that my role in direct supports will require flexibility, creativity and commitment.

2.       Promoting Physical and Emotional Well-Being

As a DSP I am responsible for supporting the emotional, physical, and personal well-being of the individuals receiving support. I will encourage growth and recognize the autonomy of the individuals receiving support while being attentive and energetic in reducing their risk of harm.

Interpretive Statements
As a Direct Support Professional, I will:

a.       Develop a relationship with the people I support that is respectful, based on mutual trust, and that maintains professional boundaries.

b.       Assist the individuals I support to understand their options and the possible consequences of these options as they relate to their physical health and emotional well-being.

c.        Promote and protect the health, safety, and emotional well-being of an individual by assisting the person in preventing illness and avoiding unsafe activity. I will work with the individual and his or her support network to identify areas of risk and to create safeguards specific to these concerns.

d.       Know and respect the values of the people I support and facilitate their expression of choices related to those values.

e.       Challenge others, including support team members (e.g. doctors, nurses, therapists, co-workers, family members) to recognize and support the rights of individuals to make informed decisions even when these decisions involve personal risk.

f.        Be vigilant in identifying, discussing with others, and reporting any situation in which the individuals I support are at risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation or harm.

g.       Consistently address challenging behaviors proactively, respectfully, and by avoiding the use of aversive or deprivation intervention techniques. If these techniques are included in an approved support plan I will work diligently to find alternatives and will advocate for the eventual elimination of these techniques from the person’s plan.

3.       Integrity and Responsibility

As a DSP I will support the mission and vitality of my profession to assist people in leading self-directed lives and to foster a spirit of partnership with the people I support, other professionals, and the community.

Interpretive Statements
As a Direct Support Professional, I will:

a.       Be conscious of my own values and how they influence my professional decisions.

b.       Maintain competency in my profession through learning and ongoing communication with others.

c.        Assume responsibility and accountability for my decisions and actions.

d.       Actively seek advice and guidance on ethical issues from others as needed when making decisions.

e.       Recognize the importance of modeling valued behaviors to co-workers, persons receiving support, and the community at-large.

f.        Practice responsible work habits.

4.       Confidentiality

As a DSP I will safeguard and respect the confidentiality and privacy of the people I support.

Interpretive Statements
As a Direct Support Professional, I will:

a.       Seek information directly from those I support regarding their wishes in how, when and with whom privileged information should be shared.

b.       Seek out a qualified individual who can help me clarify situations where the correct course of action is not clear.

c.        Recognize that confidentiality agreements with individuals are subject to state and agency regulations.

d.       Recognize that confidentiality agreements with individuals should be broken if there is eminent harm to others or to the person I support.

5.       Justice, Fairness and Equity

As a DSP I will promote and practice justice, fairness, and equity for the people I support and the community as a whole. I will affirm the human rights, civil rights and responsibilities of the people I support.

Interpretive Statements
As a Direct Support Professional, I will:

a.       Help the people I support use the opportunities and the resources of the community available to everyone.

b.       Help the individuals I support understand and express their rights and responsibilities.

c.        Understand the guardianship or other legal representation of individuals I support, and work in partnership with legal representatives to assure that the individual’s preferences and interests are honored.

6.       Respect

As a DSP I will respect the human dignity and uniqueness of the people I support. I will recognize each person I support as valuable and help others understand their value.

Interpretive Statements
As a DSP, I will:

a.       Seek to understand the individuals I support today in the context of their personal history, their social and family networks, and their hopes and dreams for the future.

b.       Honor the choices and preferences of the people I support.

c.        Protect the privacy of the people I support.

d.       Uphold the human rights of the people I support.

e.       Interact with the people I support in a respectful manner.

f.        Recognize and respect the cultural context (e.g. religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socio-economic class) of the person supported and his/her social network.

g.       Provide opportunities and supports that help the individuals I support be viewed with respect and as integral members of their communities.

7.       Relationships

As a DSP I will assist the people I support to develop and maintain relationships.

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