Vermont
Association of Professional Care
Providers Survey
Common Themes
Based on the results of this survey, the
subject professional association of direct care and support workers (currently
operating under the name “Vermont Association of Professional Care Providers”)
will need to address many issues of importance to direct care and support
professionals. They are:
1. Continue
outreach to and fully integrate direct care and support professionals from
developmental
services, children’s services, and mental health fields into the
organization.
2. With the nine
out of ten direct care and support professionals being women and the
average age of this workforce being 43, the
Vermont Association of Professional Care
Providers
(VAPCP) needs to address the challenges of a predominantly female and older
workforce,
as well as a workforce who work in different types of settings.
3. Work to build relationships with
service delivery systems across funding sources and
service delivery models in order to meet the
needs of the consumer.
4. Since direct
care and support professionals are working with a variety of consumers,
VAPCP
should continue to work on the commonalities among all direct care and support
professionals
to meet their diverse needs, especially in training.
5. Work on creating
“core competency” training and job description for direct care and
support
professional to address the fragmentation of job titles among caregivers and
support
workers.
6. VAPCP must work
towards policy solutions to increase wages in tandem with health
insurance
needs as key components in building and retaining a skilled professional
workforce.
7. Membership dues
from direct care and support professionals will not be high enough to
sustain
the activities of the organization, and VAPCP will have to look at other
funding
sources.
8. There is a
mandate to include employers and consumers into VAPCP in a way that will
encourage
and support direct care and support professionals.