MHW: Annapolis Coalition Launches New Initiative To Identify Best Practices For Direct Care Workers
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
New Initiative To Identify Best Practices For Direct Care Workers
Mental Health Weekly March 8, 2010
The Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce has announced a national initiative to identify and showcase programs and workforce practices in support of direct care workers in mental health and substance use treatment and prevention agencies.
The coalition is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving client outcomes and enhancing the vitality of businesses in which these workers are employed.” Dailey added, “We want to look broadly for whatever is creatively going on out in the field.”
The study is focused on community-based mental health programs, he said, adding that studies indicate direct care workers make up 40 percent of the behavioral health workforce.
The year-long project, “Better Jobs. Better Services. Better Business,” is supported by a partnership between the coalition and the Hitachi Foundation, an independent, nonprofit philanthropic organization. A few of the agencies engaged in innovative workforce practices will be honored with the Behavioral Health Pacesetter Award for best practices in support of direct care workers, said project officials.
Direct care staff can include case managers, social worker assistant or aid, homeless outreach workers, substance abuse counselors, peer specialists, housing support specialists, residential counselors, recovery specialists, recovery assistants, and rural-based counselors.
“We’re trying to identify promising practices that are having a huge impact on direct care workers,” Wayne F. Dailey, Ph.D., project coordinator for the coalition, told MHW. “This one-year study is part of an initiative to strengthen skills and working conditions for low-wage (non-degreed and bachelors-degreed) direct care workers, while improving client outcomes and enhancing the vitality of businesses in which these workers are employed.”
Dailey added, “We want to look broadly for whatever is creatively going on out in the field.” The study is focused on community-based mental health programs, he said, adding that studies indicate direct care workers make up 40 percent of the behavioral health workforce.
Achieving Bottom Line Results
The new initiative is designed to identify workforce practices that:
• Strengthen business performance and bottom line results for behavioral health organizations.
• Improve work life, skills and economic advancement among unlicensed direct care workers.
• Improve client outcomes based on the organization’s delivery of high quality services and supports.
“We are looking for workforce practices that advance career opportunities for unlicensed direct care worker, reduce turnover among these employees, and improve their skills and competencies,” he said. “However, there are many other potential workforce practices that we would be interested in.”
The Annapolis Coalition plans to issue a “Call for Nominations” on March 31st. For more information about the project, contact Wayne F. Dailey, Ph.D., at waynedailey7@gmail.com or call (860) 754-6967.
The coalition website is www.annapoliscoalition.org.