The National Direct Service Workforce (DSW) Resource Center, which is funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has released an updated set of core competencies for direct service workers. Developed through a multi-phased research project, this set of knowledge, skills and attitudes is known as the Road Map of Core Competencies for the Direct Service Workforce. It’s a cross-disability set of competencies, focused on the provision of community-based, long-term services and supports for older adults and for persons with developmental disabilities, mental illnesses and addictions.
This past summer, the DSW Resource Center completed Phase 3 of the project, which involved refining an initial set of competencies based on broad stakeholder feedback. The Annapolis Coalition serves as the behavioral health lead within the DSW Resource Center and recruited stakeholders from the behavioral health field to participate in this phase of the project.
The report and additional project resources can be found here.