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Division unveils multiyear DSP workforce plan with recruitment grants, training and a job‑matching platform
Summary
Tina Barrett presented a multiyear direct support professional (DSP) workforce plan that uses community college partnerships, core‑competency curricula, scholarships and recruitment/retention grants; the division reported 1,200+ survey responses to guide the strategy.
Tina Barrett, who leads the division’s direct support professional work, outlined a multiyear DSP workforce strategy aimed at addressing a critical shortage of DSPs who support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
"It is a multiyear strategy that we've developed to help address the critical shortage of direct support professionals in North Carolina," Barrett said, and directed listeners to the complete plan on the Inclusion Connects website.
Barrett said the division conducted outreach that produced more than 1,200 survey responses; respondents were disproportionately people of color, often over age 50 and typically without a bachelor's degree. She said 71% of responding DSPs expressed interest in additional training and 91% would recommend the job.
Planned initiatives include a community-college recruitment and training program, core-competency curricula tied to statute and waiver requirements, a DSP certificate program, a DSP directory and job-matching platform, recruitment and retention grants available to providers and self-directed DSPs, and scholarship opportunities to reduce onboarding costs.
Barrett said targeted outcomes include increased community-living and support utilization, shorter wait times for services due to better DSP availability, lower turnover and faster onboarding. The division also plans to coordinate proposed credentialing with anticipated federal changes and to explore a potential occupational class for DSPs to improve tracking and career ladders.
Barrett and moderator Kelly Crosby encouraged providers and DSPs to engage in forthcoming focus groups and funding announcements and to watch the division’s community engagement pages for grant releases.
