View our past training opportunities below. Interested in a training topic that was previously presented? Express your interest by clicking here to send us an email. Do you have a topic or idea for a training? Please let us know what you'd like PAR to include in our training line-up. Email [email protected] to send ini your suggestions.
Past EVENTS
The Ultimate Compliance Acing Formula - 7 Steps to Audit Ready All the Time - Formerly Known As Creating an Internal Compliance System - Two Days
Thursday & Friday // April 17 & 18
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
You know the rules, and your team is trained on the expectations; but your organization still struggles with compliance. There are too many panic moments, too much chaos, and internal and external audits reveal errors. How can this be?
The problem is that you don’t have an effective internal quality assurance system.
With an effective internal QA system, you will:
- Catch errors quickly…before they become big problems.
- Quickly return to your QA system after an emergency or crisis. (Never get permanently derailed again.)
- Use a straightforward system of checks and balances to maintain compliance and catch errors, instead of just relying on 1 or 2 key personnel.
- Practically eliminate the new staff learning curve that inherently creates risk for your agency.
- Meet the compliance requirement of having an internal compliance system.
In this training participants will map out a high-level compliance blueprint that can easily be adapted for each agency’s unique needs.
This training is a 6-hour training split over two days. Attendees should plan on attending both days of this two-day, two-part training.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
 Provisionally accredited by the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) for Direct Support Professionals and Frontline Supervisors.
Change is Hard! How to Overcome Organizational Resistance to Important Change
Tuesday // March 25
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Explore effective strategies for managing organizational resistance to change. This session offers techniques to communicate changes clearly and implement them in ways that encourage acceptance and ownership by staff members.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify common reasons for resistance to change within organizations.
- Develop clear communication strategies to articulate changes to staff.
- Implement change in a way that promotes staff acceptance, ownership, and engagement.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Frontline Supervisor Training - Two Days
Tuesday & Wednesday // March 11 & 12
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
You’ve just received a big promotion, a new set of keys, access to approve timesheets, and an eager team to supervise, educate, support, and lead. Problem is, nobody’s shown you how. As a frontline supervisor you are a pivotal link in the service delivery chain and the key to your organization’s effectiveness. (No pressure.) You are now completely responsible for the performance of your team, regulatory compliance, translating instructions from upper management, and staff development, all while performing a multitude of administrative tasks and helping to ensure the health and welfare of those we serve. Chances are, you could use a few new tools in your management toolbox. In these two half-days of hands-on training with Sara Sherman, supervisors will:
- Learn the 10 Fundamentals of Supervision
- Discover the secret to finding and addressing the root cause of performance issues
- Identify their own supervisory strengths and vulnerabilities
- Understand two of the most challenging employee personality types, and learn how to stop them in their tracks
- Leave with a written Supervisory Success Outline
This training is a 6-hour training split over two days. Attendees should plan on attending both days of this two-day, two-part training.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
Nurturing a Culture of Radical Person-Centeredness: Building an Ecosystem for Empowerment and Collaboration
Monday // March 10
11:00 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
This training offers a comprehensive approach to embedding radical person-centered practices into organizational culture, focusing on individualized support, active collaboration, and value-driven actions. Participants will learn how to cultivate an "ecosystem" that champions person-centeredness, where each person served can lead a unique journey supported by a culture of trust, respect, and empowerment. Through practical strategies and core competencies, participants will be equipped to overcome common barriers, implement effective support practices, and engage in continuous quality improvement to foster a thriving person-centered environment.
Objectives:
- Understand the Radical Person-Centered Ecosystem: Recognize how core elements such as individualized support, collaborative relationships, and continuous learning build a sustainable, person-centered culture.
- Implement Key Competencies for Person-Centered Support: Identify and apply competencies for providing individualized support, fostering strong relationships, and embodying person-centered values in everyday interactions.
- Identify and Address Barriers to Person-Centeredness: Analyze barriers like control, trust, and trauma, and develop strategies to reduce or remove these obstacles.
- Develop an Action Plan for Continuous Improvement: Establish a framework for feedback-driven improvement that adapts to the evolving needs of those supported, ensuring alignment with person-centered principles.
- Create a Culture that Prioritizes Individual Journeys: Use practical tools to reinforce values and practices that sustain a person-centered environment, encouraging meaningful, person-driven paths for each individual served.
How to Have Difficult Conversations and Productive Conflict. The Good, The Bad, and the Total Train-Wrecks
Thursday // February 27
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
As a leader, or soon to be leader, you must know how to successfully navigate conflict and how to have difficult discussions that are productive. Let’s face it, most people hate conflict! The thought of disciplining someone makes your palms sweat and your heart pound so loud you can hear it in your ears! Conflict and difficult discussions can be hard! Yet, to be a successful leader you must learn how to handle conflict and embrace difficult discussions. We will show you how!
In this session participants will learn:
- How to Deal with Difficult People
- How to Confront and Address Undesirable Employee Behavior
- How to model behavior that others will WANT to follow
- How to clearly communicate and reinforce the behavior that you desire
Examples and role play scenarios will be presented around issues such as call off/scheduling conflicts, not wanting to take individuals served out on an outing (because it’s too hot, too far, too inconvenient), not respecting individuals' rights, punctuality, and non-compliance with documentation
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Management Skills Basics - Supervisor Bootcamp
Thursday // January 16
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Agencies serving individuals with ID/A remain faced with significant challenges in recruiting and retaining a new generation of staff. National turnover rates range from 40% to 70%, making service continuity and quality difficult at best. A major variable in staff retention is the quality of your frontline supervisors. Do they have the basic skills to help minimize turnover or have they been “thrown” into their positions with little training? In this dynamic and humorous training, staff will learn the basics of supervision, characteristics of positive supervision, how to handle conflicts and behavioral correction, and more.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Appreciology
Thursday // December 5
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Nearly 40% of staff report leaving their jobs because of feeling “underappreciated!” The old styles of leadership are no longer effective given a new staff generation, new technologies and new issues never before encountered. Through a seriously humorous presentation Mr. Speaks and Dr. Greg will discuss the art and science of appreciation which will assist in expanding your LEADERSHIP TOOL KIT!
Learning Objectives:
- The six (6) principles of appreciation.
- Four (4) practical ways to demonstrate appreciation.
- How to hold staff accountable while using appreciative techniques.
- How to appreciate and assist with recruitment, retention and agency reputation.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Management Skills Basics - Supervisor Bootcamp
Thursday // January 16
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Agencies serving individuals with ID/A remain faced with significant challenges in recruiting and retaining a new generation of staff. National turnover rates range from 40% to 70%, making service continuity and quality difficult at best. A major variable in staff retention is the quality of your frontline supervisors. Do they have the basic skills to help minimize turnover or have they been “thrown” into their positions with little training? In this dynamic and humorous training, staff will learn the basics of supervision, characteristics of positive supervision, how to handle conflicts and behavioral correction, and more.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Frontline Supervisor Training
Tuesday & Wednesday // December 3 & 4
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
You’ve just received a big promotion, a new set of keys, access to approve timesheets, and an eager team to supervise, educate, support, and lead. Problem is, nobody’s shown you how. As a frontline supervisor you are a pivotal link in the service delivery chain and the key to your organization’s effectiveness. (No pressure.) You are now completely responsible for the performance of your team, regulatory compliance, translating instructions from upper management, and staff development, all while performing a multitude of administrative tasks and helping to ensure the health and welfare of those we serve. Chances are, you could use a few new tools in your management toolbox. In these two half-days of hands-on training with Sara Sherman, supervisors will:
- Learn the 10 Fundamentals of Supervision
- Discover the secret to finding and addressing the root cause of performance issues
- Identify their own supervisory strengths and vulnerabilities
- Understand two of the most challenging employee personality types, and learn how to stop them in their tracks
- Leave with a written Supervisory Success Outline
This training is a 6 hour training split over two days. Attendees should plan on attending both days of this two-day, two-part training.
This training is designed for current and future frontline supervisors.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
Designing an Effective DEI Planning Process
Thursday // November 21
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Organizational strategic and action planning is not just process, but a mindset. Pausing to plan is difficult, but crucial to solving DEI issues with limited resources. This causes organizations to get stuck and not sure where to go next. Nonprofit leaders can use the Equity Warrior Strategic Process to develop a DEI planning mindset. In this workshop, attendees will:
- Understand how to develop a DEI Planning Mindset
- Learn the Equity Warrior Strategic Process and how to implement that process using
- Discover organizational tools, such as T.E.A.M. Communication Styles®, for planning success
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
How to Effectively Navigate Confrontation
Thursday // November 7
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
A not so secret, secret – CONFLICT permeates our lives! From mild disagreements to “finger pointing” hostility, we deal with conflict all the time. Most persons avoid conflict like the flu or a root canal, yet conflict can be constructive, informative and manageable! Are there ways to positively deal with conflict and can we manage it – YES, THERE ARE, AND YES, WE CAN!!!!
Learning Objectives:
- What conflict is and what it is not!
- The three (3) types of disagreement.
- To identify conflicts in their present positions.
- How to respond objectively and positively to conflict.
- Five (5) general conflict concepts.
- How to use the four (4) steps of conflict resolution!
- Five (5) tips when managing conflict situations.
- Three (3) strategies to use to reduce/prevent workplace conflict.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
On-Going Training Techniques
Wednesday // November 6
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
One of the biggest challenges providers face as they work to maintain regulatory compliance is to ensure staff receive continual and ongoing training. The challenge is further compounded because employees are spread across service settings, counties, have differing schedules, and often work alone. Lack of ongoing training can be key reason for citations and regulatory non-compliance. Creativity and innovation are required in order keep staff on their toes and stay in compliance with requirements. In this online interactive session with Sara Sherman, supervisors and leaders in your organization will learn:
- The tools and techniques to implement ongoing staff training, even across multiple and diverse service locations.
- The biological barriers that make learning new information a challenge, and how to surpass those challenges.
- How to create a work culture that expects and strives for compliance.
- Methods to measure and track progress and identify shortcomings for quick remediation.
This training is designed for trainers, frontline supervisors, managers, directors, executives and other stakeholders.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
Organizing Your Team to Advance DEI
Monday // October 28
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion continue to remain a priority for organizations across all industries. However, many organizations still struggle to empower all their team members to get buy-in to their DEI vision and goals. Everyone has a role in addressing these issues, which means everyone has a role in DEI work. But everyone does not have to have the same role. In this session, we will explore how you can utilize assessments like T.E.A.M. Communication Styles® to help the employee identify their strengths, choose a DEI role best for them, build their professional capacity, and help organizations strategize and implement DEI work. By embracing a strengths-based approach talent development professionals can motivate leaders to take DEI action, empower them with skills to execute strategies, and enable their organization through transformative change. For this workshop, attendees will:
- Learn how to help their teams identify their strengths and choose the best DEI role
- Discover how to develop their DEI roles based on their communication styles
- Identify how to enable change in organizations with tools and resources
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
Overcoming Resistance: Learn How to Get out of Your Own Way and Achieve the Success You and Your Organization Desire
Tuesday // October 22
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
"Overcoming Resistance" is a powerful presentation designed to guide attendees on a journey of self-discovery, teaching strategies and cultivating the mindset needed to transcend personal and organizational barriers. Learn to navigate through internal resistance to achieve success in any endeavor.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn what “resistance” is.
- Learn strategies to overcome resistance.
- Learn strategies to persevere to achieve your goals.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Equity in Hiring
Tuesday // October 15
9:00 am - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
It is no secret that there is a Direct Support Professional crisis across the country. Agencies and people self-directing their services are struggling to find long-term stable staffing support to help people achieve their needs and goals. Raises alone are not solving the direct care workforce shortage. There have been promising outcomes in creating career paths for Direct Support Professionals either through NADSP or state specific initiatives. Another piece of this solution is looking at the demographics of the direct support workforce and ensuring that we are, in true person-centered fashion, ensuring they have what they need to be successful. Most direct support professionals are women from black or brown communities, making less than $20.00 per hour which in most states is not enough to afford stable housing. This training focuses on how agencies can create and implement equity focused recruitment, hiring and onboarding processes that are reflective of the DSP workforce and their needs to be successful in an employment setting.
Learning Objectives:
- Define Equity
- Demonstrate parallels between equity, person centeredness, and hiring
- Understand state of DSP workforce
- Understand DSP workforce demographics
- Identify stages of the hiring process and how to imbed equitable principles at each stage
- Recruitment
- Interviewing
- Hiring
- Onboarding
- Understand how to use an equity in hiring framework within agency that supports the state of PA Residential Performance Standards
- Tools and resources to support implementation of framework within agency
Tangible resources training participants will retain: Equity in hiring framework, onboarding template, interview guidelines/questions
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
How to Create a Years Worth of Meaningful Activities on Just a Few Interests
Wednesday // October 9
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Is everybody a little bored?
Does it seem like the individuals you serve end up doing the same activities week in and week out?
Is it a struggle to come up with new ideas to keep life fresh and interesting for the individuals you serve and keep your DSPs busy and creative?
It’s not easy to come up with new ideas day in and day out, but with a little know-how it is possible to leverage an individual’s likes and hobbies to create a robust list of things to do.
In this hands-on session supervisors and managers will learn how to:
- Turn just a few interests of the individuals you support into a full calendar year of meaningful activities.
- Use an individual’s interests to naturally connect to the community
- Empower DSPs to take the reigns in planning, organizing, and implementing these activities.
- End “same old, same old” forever.
This training is designed for trainers, frontline supervisors, managers, directors, executives and other stakeholders.
Using Appreciative Inquiry to Shift Culture and Spark Transformation
Wednesday // October 2
12:00 - 1:00 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker: CQL - The Council on Quality and Leadership
The human services field is rooted in compliance-based models that are built on evaluations and assessments. With this model, shortcomings and weaknesses are provided much greater attention than the assets and proficiencies of an organization. It can be difficult to focus on best practice and possibility for the future when faced with myriad day-to-day challenges and hardships. Appreciative Inquiry is a transformational process to enact positive change and is used across all sorts of industries, with origins outside of the human services field. It shifts the outlook from a deficiency-driven approach where the spotlight is on problems and what’s not working. Instead, it focuses on identifying and amplifying an organization’s strengths, and applies lessons learned from those strengths to areas where there is opportunity to improve. Appreciative Inquiry focuses on strengths versus weaknesses to turn perceived deficiencies into innovation.
Join us in the session, ‘Using Appreciative Inquiry to Shift Culture and Spark Transformation,’ as we explore what Appreciative Inquiry is, why it’s important, and how it can be used by provider organizations. You should attend this presentation if you’re looking for a fresh approach to shift your culture and spark transformation!
*CQL will be using Zoom's built-in live transcription (closed captioning) features during the webinar. If you need any additional reasonable accommodations, you can share those in the registration form below. Any requests need to be submitted at least two weeks prior to the date of the webinar.
How Understanding Communication Styles Can Support DEI
Wednesday // September 25
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
While many organizations are committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work, leaders often struggle with buy-in from all their organizations to move forward. One of the most common barriers is a lack of trust, and according to global DEI Expert, Lily Zheng, "Trust is the currency of change". Understanding communication styles can help build trust, improve interpersonal relationship skills, and support DEI work. In this session, leaders will learn the T.E.A.M. Communication Styles® framework and discover ways to support their DEI initiatives. Attendees will:
- Learn why understanding communication styles are crucial for organizational success
- Strengthen interpersonal relationship skills such as understanding motivations, active listening, and giving and receiving feedback.
- Apply these skills to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategies
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
Boomer Said What? How to Manage, Motivate, and Communicate with Diverse Generations
Tuesday // September 17
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
"Boomer said What?" Attendees will discover the defining characteristics of different age groups, master effective communication strategies tailored to each, and learn motivational techniques that transcend generational divides. This session promises to dismantle age stereotypes, fostering enhanced team collaboration and cooperation in a fun, interactive setting.
Learning Objectives:
- Dismantling age centered stereotypes.
- Enhance team collaboration.
- Improve communication between generations.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Frontline Supervisor Training
Wednesday & Thursday // September 11 & 12
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
You’ve just received a big promotion, a new set of keys, access to approve timesheets, and an eager team to supervise, educate, support, and lead. Problem is, nobody’s shown you how. As a frontline supervisor you are a pivotal link in the service delivery chain and the key to your organization’s effectiveness. (No pressure.) You are now completely responsible for the performance of your team, regulatory compliance, translating instructions from upper management, and staff development, all while performing a multitude of administrative tasks and helping to ensure the health and welfare of those we serve. Chances are, you could use a few new tools in your management toolbox. In these two half-days of hands-on training with Sara Sherman, supervisors will:
- Learn the 10 Fundamentals of Supervision
- Discover the secret to finding and addressing the root cause of performance issues
- Identify their own supervisory strengths and vulnerabilities
- Understand two of the most challenging employee personality types, and learn how to stop them in their tracks
- Leave with a written Supervisory Success Outline
This training is a 6 hour training split over two days. Attendees should plan on attending both days of this two-day, two-part training.
This training is designed for current and future frontline supervisors.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
Creating an Internal Compliance System
Thursday & Friday // August 22 & 23
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
You know the rules, and your team is trained on the expectations; but your organization still struggles with compliance. There are too many panic moments, too much chaos, and internal and external audits reveal errors. How can this be?
The problem is that you don’t have an effective internal quality assurance system.
With an effective internal QA system, you will:
- Catch errors quickly…before they become big problems.
- Quickly return to your QA system after an emergency or crisis. (Never get permanently derailed again.)
- Use a straightforward system of checks and balances to maintain compliance and catch errors, instead of just relying on 1 or 2 key personnel.
- Practically eliminate the new staff learning curve that inherently creates risk for your agency.
- Meet the compliance requirement of having an internal compliance system.
In this training participants will map out a high-level compliance blueprint that can easily be adapted for each agency’s unique needs.
This training is designed for frontline supervisors, managers, directors, compliance officers and executives.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
Leveraging Social Capital To Improve Quality of Life
Wednesday // August 14
11:00 am - 12:00 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker: Rebecca Kasey, The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL)
Social Capital involves the connections people create and the resulting trust, reliance, and reciprocity that comes out of those relationships. Especially in the human services system, there are distinct benefits for supporting people with disabilities to build social capital in their life. Through Personal Outcome Measures® data, we find that only 38.8% of people with disabilities had outcomes related to Social Capital present in their lives, including areas like community, relationships, friendships, social roles, etc. This session will help you in understanding, identifying, and improving Social Capital. Attendees will leave with specific strategies to support people in establishing connections, nurturing relationships, and living better lives. We’ll also share examples of people moving beyond being in the community, to actually being a part of the community.
Management Success in 2024
Thursday // August 1
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Agencies ask “How do we recruit and keep staff?” What we hear from staff during exit interviews is that one of the major reasons they leave is the QUALITY of their Managers and lack of feeling valued. This begs the question of how Managers have been trained – usually not well or at all. Do your Managers have the basic skills and training to help minimize turnover and deal with the myriad issues they face or have they been “thrown” into their positions with little training?
This presentation will focus on 50+ Management tidbits for new Managers to use and existing Managers to consider. These tidbits will assist developing the skills necessary to improve staff morale, facilitate positive communications and help with accountability and having difficult discussions with challenging staff.
Learning Objectives:
- The importance of Communication Style
- The importance of Expectations and how to create them
- How to use a Positive Actions Log
- How to use reinforcement/praise appropriately, it’s SIC
- Why reinforcement does not work at times
- The four steps of reducing conflict situations
- The four steps of dealing with challenging staff behavior
- Five (5) Management “No, No’s”
- Five (5) Management “admonitions to heed”
- Ten (10) positive management tips
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
What do you Mean I'm not in Charge?
Tuesday // July 23
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Managing is one of the most challenging responsibilities one can have! It seems easy, but when you are in the middle of “managing,” it feels daunting. Today, the new generation employee brings exceptional challenges but also exceptional opportunities to the workplace and to their supervisors. Staff (41%) say the lack of appreciation and poor supervision is what drives them to leave their jobs. So how do we deal with the most frequent staff behaviors calling for intervention and what are the specific strategies one can use for these?
Learning Objectives
- Identify the six (6) most frequent staff behaviors calling for intervention.
- Learn two (2) specific management strategies.
- Learn two (2) major positive approaches to improve their workplace environment.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
The "Right" To An Effective Human Rights Committee
Wednesday // July 17
12:00 - 1:00 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker: Angela Rapp Kennedy, The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL)
Everyone has rights! And when it comes to the human services field, Human Rights Committee (HRC) play an integral role. These committees promote and protect the human, civil, and legal rights of people with disabilities who are receiving services. So what are the roles and responsibilities of an HRC? Who should all be the members of it? How can you avoid common pitfalls in both establishing and maintaining the committee? In this presentation, you’ll receive answers to all these questions and many more! We share strategies you can use for creating your committee, ensuring it’s asking the right questions, and avoiding ‘danger signs’ that regularly occur in the disability services system. We’ll also share some eye-opening data about the relationship between fair treatment and overall quality of life. You’ll leave this presentation with specific action steps you can put in place “right” away!
DSP Workforce Development Model
Tuesday // July 16
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
“The direct support workforce is one of the highest demand workforces in the U.S. The expansion needed in this workforce is unlikely to happen without significant changes in how professionals are recruited, trained and supported..." This is an excerpt from a report to the President of the United States related to the Direct Support Workforce Crisis in 2017. Nearly seven years later the I/DD provider community is working through the same issues related to recruitment, training, and support for their DSP's.
This training provides a model for agencies to consider as they are making an investment in DSP credentialing which is critical to the ongoing professionalization of the DSP workforce. While credentialing is a major factor in strengthening the DSP workforce so is ensuring the other parts of your organization are primed to support that investment.
This model will discuss opportunities that exist related to aligning human resource and programmatic practices to ensure alignment with DSP core competencies as well as your DSP demographics and increase in knowledge:
- Adopting a person-centered approach with team members
- Refreshing programmatic and HR policies and procedures
- Enhancing onboarding and new hire orientation
- Streamlining recruitment and hiring strategies
- Analysis of employee benefits
The above strategies in combination with DSP credentialing can support:
- Decreased turnover
- Increased retention
- Quality outcomes
- Culture of learning and person centeredness
Added bonus: this training can support residential provider agencies in ensuring compliance with performance based contracting performance measures related to DSP workforce development.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
Healthy Meal Planning
Thursday // July 11
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
We recognize nutrition as the foundation of good health and as the source of sufficient energy to power through our days, yet we often don't give sufficient time or attention to planning and preparing healthy meals. The typical American diet is recognized as too high in sugar, sodium, and carbs, and too lacking in fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.
We ask our Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) to assist individuals to prepare healthy meals, but we don't often give DSPs the instructions they need in order to accomplish that task. The result is that DSPs can only implement their own personal meal practices, and if those practices are not in line with federal healthy eating standards, individuals do not have access to the benefits of a healthy diet.
The result is that individuals are often eating the same things repeatedly, meals are not balanced, individuals do not have access to the best possible health, and they don't experience the full enjoyment and benefit of healthy foods.
In this hands-on, train-the-trainer style workshop participants will learn:
- The basics of healthy meal planning - how to create a diverse menu, shop, and prepare meals based on an individual's preferences and a budget
- How give the individuals you serve the maximum level of ownership possible over their own meal planning and preparation, and subsequently their health
- How to accommodate busy schedules into the meal planning process
- How to develop expectations for staff around meal planning and incorporate those expectations into your agency's internal QA process
- And more...
This training is designed for trainers, frontline supervisors, managers and other stakeholders.
Equitable Policy Development
Wednesday // June 26
9:00 am - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
For years policies, procedures, and programs have been developed that often, unintentionally have inequitable outcomes “baked into the sauce” particularly for black and brown communities. Many of us are in positions of influence and we can start making “new sauce” that focuses on how policies, procedures, and programs affect all our communities and how we can write them in a way that gives people what they need to be successful. In the I/DD community we have long supported the principles of person centeredness. Those principles are parallel to the principles of equity. In this training we will learn how to utilize an equity lens when developing policies and procedures that are routed in person centered planning principles.
Learning Objectives:
- Define Equity
- Demonstrate parallels between equity and person centeredness
- Identify contributing factors to inequitable policies, procedures, and programs
- Identify 3 stages of policy development and equity related considerations at each stage
- Proposal
- Solutions
- Evaluation
- Create a pathway to implementation
- Data
- Outreach
- Collaboration
- Practice makes perfect
- Identify opportunities to use lens to support people who have I/DD and mental health support needs
- Understand how to use equitable policy development lens that supports the state of PA Residential Performance Standards
- Tools and resources to support implementation of lens within agency
Tangible resources training participants will retain: Equitable policy development lense
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
Developing a Positive Culture for Staff and Individuals
Tuesday // June 25
9:00 - 11:00 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
A high quality, positive culture is critical for your Agency’s success. Now more than ever with the seemingly never ending pandemic, staff recruitment and retention issues and general societal negativity it becomes imperative to have a culture which is positive, supportive and responsive. A culture YOU and your Staff brag about to family, friends, stakeholders and others!
In this training, participants will learn how to:
- Teach staff the “true value” of their efforts.
- Design positive messaging to Staff.
- Create a daily positive interaction diet.
- Construct an “OREO” communication message to ensure positive messaging is used when Individuals are the focus.
- Take care of self during the “stressful” times.
- Use the three secrets of positive engagement with Individuals and other stakeholders.
- Avoid the five “no-no’s”!
This training is designed for all leaders in the ID/A field.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Frontline Supervisor Training
Monday & Tuesday // June 17 & June 18
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
You’ve just received a big promotion, a new set of keys, access to approve timesheets, and an eager team to supervise, educate, support, and lead. Problem is, nobody’s shown you how. As a frontline supervisor you are a pivotal link in the service delivery chain and the key to your organization’s effectiveness. (No pressure.) You are now completely responsible for the performance of your team, regulatory compliance, translating instructions from upper management, and staff development, all while performing a multitude of administrative tasks and helping to ensure the health and welfare of those we serve. Chances are, you could use a few new tools in your management toolbox. In these two half-days of hands-on training with Sara Sherman, supervisors will:
- Learn the 10 Fundamentals of Supervision
- Discover the secret to finding and addressing the root cause of performance issues
- Identify their own supervisory strengths and vulnerabilities
- Understand two of the most challenging employee personality types, and learn how to stop them in their tracks
- Leave with a written Supervisory Success Outline
This training is a 6 hour training split over two days. Attendees should plan on attending both days of this two-day, two-part training.
This training is designed for current and future frontline supervisors.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
The Basics of Benefits Counseling
Thursday // June 13
1:00 - 2:00 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Benefits Counseling plays a foundational role in individuals obtaining and maintain CIE. In this webinar, PAR member Adele Bond, Social Security Benefits Specialist and Ticket to Work Program Manager at Goodwill Keystone Area, will cover the basics of Benefits Counseling, including:
- What is benefits counseling?
- Why do individuals need it?
- Who should get benefits counseling?
- How do individuals get signed up?
- How might a provider support someone through the benefits counseling process?
- A basic overview of some of the benefits strategies that are available
This training is for PAR Members and Family Subscribers.
Promoting Informed Choice Through "The Three E's"
Wednesday // May 29
11:00 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker: Courtney Kelly Chapman, The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL)
The Three E's - Education, Experience, and Exposure - is the foundation for informed choice. The knowledge we gain, situations we come across, and observations along the way, all help us as we encounter new circumstances, make decisions, and adjust to the world around us. The Three E'sare especially relevant to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) considering that their choices are regularly limited or even completely restricted. In this presentation, we describe the role that the Three E's can play in the lives of those with disabilities in promoting choice, advancing self-determination, and protecting independence. You’ll hear real-life stories of how different provider organizations are using the Three E’s to positively impact people’s lives. Finally, we’ll share data that demonstrates the direct impact that Education, Experience, and Exposure can have on quality of life outcomes.
Effective Communication Between Staff and Supervisors
Tuesday // May 14
9:00 - 11:00 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
The key to present and future agency success will be how well communications are performed between supervisors/managers and staff. Let’s remember that Staff are a key to positive PR with individuals, stakeholders and the community. What they say reflects on YOUR agency and school image and reputation will directly reflect how well your supervisory staff are trained in handling interpersonal interactions.
In this training, participants will learn:
- How to identify key communication issues using focus groups!
- The four (4) steps in fairly and empathetically interacting with stressed/angry staff.
- The four (4) steps in objectively and fairly managing and directing staff.
- At least one (1) strategy to use in building a positive workplace culture.
This training is designed for ID/A Supervisors, Managers, Directors, and other leaders in the field.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Freeing Individuals to Live Their Most Independent Lives
Wednesday // May 1
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Do you feel like, sometimes, your staff create more dependence than independence?
We all know that the goal for the individuals we serve is to increase independence through skill acquisition, but in those day to day moments when decisions are made and supports provided, the needle sometimes doesn’t move any closer to independence, if it moves at all.
In this workshop agency leaders will learn how to teach staff to support individuals in ways that:
- Expand Individuals’ independence
- Empower individuals to develop decision making skills
- End unnecessary dependence on staff
- Make it clear when success is achieved (both for the individual and the staff)
- Support staff to create a full company culture of empowering individuals
This training is designed for trainers, frontline supervisors, managers, directors and executives.
Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) Principles and Program Design
Monday // April 29
1:00 - 3:00 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
CIE is a team effort and is successful when each person is aware of their roles and responsibilities and meaningfully engages with other partners from a person centeredperspective. Innovative and sustainable employment planning includes the person, case manager, family, residential providers, employers, state partners, and others as determined by the person. This training is focused on the role residential providers play in championing CIE for the people they support and ensuring continued success. Residential providers play a critical role in supporting successful employment outcomes. On the flip side, those successful outcomes translate to similar triumphs at home and in the community. Bottom line, CIE ensures a win-win scenario.
Learning Objectives:
- Definition of CIE
- Understand the principles of “Employment First” models
- Identify the roles and responsibilities that contribute to successful CIE
- Understand guidelines for designing residential programs that support CIE and compliance with the State of PA Residential Performance Standards
- Coordination
- Relationships
- Engagement
- Innovation
- Data
- Tools and resources to support implementation of guidelines within residential agencies
Tangible resources webinar participants will retain: Guidelines for designing residential programs that fully support CIE
This training is designed for residential provider executive teams, directors and others interested.
Using Data to Drive Decision Making
Wednesday // April 17
11:00 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker: Rebecca Kasey, The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL)
As Albert Einstein once said, “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” Organizations have access to a wide range of information and data from across all of their important systems. Collecting and analyzing this data can support organizations to be more efficient and effective, by making data-informed decisions. What is the impact of your new employment initiative? Which residential settings are connected to better outcomes for people receiving services? How do your programs affect the way people establish and maintain relationships? By analyzing data collected through CQL tools, here are just a few various examples of what we have found: - The number of injuries for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities was 54% lower when organizations respect people’s concerns and respond accordingly. - Only 59.6% of organizations supported people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to decide when to share personal information. - People with intellectual and developmental disabilities who choose where they live are 2.4 times more likely to perform social roles. In this session, attendees will learn all about the different sources of meaningful data. Then, we’ll detail how to analyze that data to better understand what it all means. And most importantly, you’ll find out how to leverage it for decision-making at the individual and organizational level. By the end of this presentation, you’ll be able to ensure what you’re “counting” … actually counts!
Partner for Success with Self Advocates United as 1
Monday // April 15
10:00 - 11:00 am EST // Virtual
Speaker: SAU1
Join professional self-advocates and facilitators from the SAPNA (Self Advocacy Power Network for All), a project funded by the PA Office of Development Programs, to learn how you can:
- improve the quality of your services
- support peer to peer education and empowerment
- utilize free events that are ODP funded and approved
- creatively meet community participation goals, and
- provide ODP's required education for your staff and the people you serve.
Stoic Philosophy Essentials for Leaders
Tuesday // April 2
9:00 - 11:00 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius was one of the most successful leaders of antiquity. He faced every kind of adversity and trial using the philosophy of Stoicism. By exercising temperance, wisdom, justice and courage you will effectively lead your organization through any challenge and overcome any adversity! Participant will learn:
- The Basics of Stoicism
- How to apply the principals of stoicism to effectively:
- Begin each day with power and purpose
- Control your emotions
- Rewire negative thinking
- Stop wanting: Start accepting
- Create the Agency culture you wish to have
- Four of the nine tenants of Stoicism related to leadership
This training is designed for all leaders in the ID/A field.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Specialty Telehealth Assessment Team (STAT): A New Waiver Service
Thursday // March 28
11:00 am - 12:00 pm EST // Virtual
Join us for an educational session regarding the recently approved STAT (Specialty Telehealth Assessment Team) waiver service in Pennsylvania. This session will provide valuable insights into the process of accessing the STAT service. The discussion will include the How, When, and Why to utilize this service as well as the associated benefits of having this resource available to individuals with I/DD. Included in this presentation will be a panel of experts providing various perspectives and information regarding the STAT service.
The panel will be comprised of:
- Dr. Maulik Trivedi, Chief Business Development and Strategy Officer at StationMD
- Dr. Gregory Cherpes, Medical Director at ODP
- Kim Sonafelt, CEO at Mainstay Life Services
This training is designed for ID/A providers and other stakeholders.
Effective Communication for DSPs
Tuesday // March 26
9:00 - 11:00 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
The Developmental Disability field presents significant communication challenges for DSPs on a daily basis. Unhappy individuals served, parents/guardians and co-workers call for positive, constructive approaches which are not always a part of these staff’s skill set. This training focuses on teaching various verbal, nonverbal and social media skills to successfully deal with the various communications scenarios encountered. The training also highlights and emphasizes staff’s role as an effective communicator.
In this training, participants will learn:
- Appropriate verbal, non-verbal and social media communication skills.
- How to defuse a “Crisis” situation.
- The concept of “SHOWTIME!” in creating a positive communication culture.
- How to construct an “OREO” communication message to ensure that positive messages are used when individuals served are the focus.
This training is designed for DSPs, Frontline Supervisors, DSP Trainers, and others in the ID/A field.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
The Graduation to Direct Support Professional Employment Program
Monday // March 25
11:00 am - 12:00 pm EST // Virtual
The Graduation to Direct Support Professional (G2DSP) employment program provides high school and college students with an immersive career exploration experience in our field, a field that offers viable career opportunities. The G2DSP task force supports G2DSP employment pilot programs across the commonwealth to find sustainable ways to increase the number of high school graduates and college students being hired as DSPs and to increase the awareness of ID/A among students, including students who potentially will go into professions intersecting the lives of individuals with ID/A. Please join us for an overview and discussion of the first 2 years of the G2DSP programs, what we have learned and how we hope to continue to develop opportunities that will help to address the DSP crisis.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
Frontline Supervisor Training
Tuesday & Wednesday // March 5 & 6
9:00 - 12:00 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
You’ve just received a big promotion, a new set of keys, access to approve timesheets, and an eager team to supervise, educate, support, and lead. Problem is, nobody’s shown you how. As a frontline supervisor you are a pivotal link in the service delivery chain and the key to your organization’s effectiveness. (No pressure.) You are now completely responsible for the performance of your team, regulatory compliance, translating instructions from upper management, and staff development, all while performing a multitude of administrative tasks and helping to ensure the health and welfare of those we serve. Chances are, you could use a few new tools in your management toolbox. In these two half-days of hands-on training with Sara Sherman, supervisors will:
- Learn the 10 Fundamentals of Supervision
- Discover the secret to finding and addressing the root cause of performance issues
- Identify their own supervisory strengths and vulnerabilities
- Understand two of the most challenging employee personality types, and learn how to stop them in their tracks
- Leave with a written Supervisory Success Outline
This training is a 6 hour training split over two days. Attendees should plan on attending both days of this two-day, two-part training.
This training is designed for current and future frontline supervisors.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
How to Have Difficult Conversations and Productive Conflict. The Good, the Bad, and the Total Train-Wrecks
Tuesday // February 27
9:00 - 11:00 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
As a leader, or soon to be leader, you must know how to successfully navigate conflict and how to have difficult discussions that are productive. Let’s face it, most people hate conflict! The thought of disciplining someone makes your palms sweat and your heart pound so loud you can hear it in your ears! Conflict and difficult discussions can be hard! Yet, to be a successful leader you must learn how to handle conflict and embrace difficult discussions. We will show you how!
In this session participants will learn:
- How to Deal with Difficult People
- How to Confront and Address Undesirable Employee Behavior
- How to model behavior that others will WANT to follow
- How to clearly communicate and reinforce the behavior that you desire
Examples and role play scenarios will be presented around issues such as call off/scheduling conflicts, not wanting to take individuals served out on an outing (because it’s too hot, too far, too inconvenient), not respecting individuals' rights, punctuality, and non-compliance with documentation.
This training is designed for ID/A Supervisors, Directors, CEOs, and other leaders in the field.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Inclusive Practices: From Onboarding to Boards
Wednesday // January 31
11:00 am - 12:00 pm // Virtual
National self-advocate Tia Nelis sums it up perfectly - “The best experiences are ones where you really feel included and where you are not just given smaller, unimportant things to be part of."
So how can provider organizations ensure that people with disabilities aren’t just on a committee or a work group, but act as a contributing member? Whether it’s hiring new staff, directing employee training, or influencing organizational decision-making, it's essential that people with disabilities have a 'seat at the table' in a meaningful role.
But where should an organization start? What approaches will promote inclusive practices? How can you ensure these encompass all facets of organizational life?
Through this session, you’ll discover how to enact change so that people with disabilities play a prominent part in various groups. We’ll talk through a variety of different strategies, explore best practices, and reveal the pitfalls to avoid. Attendees will also learn about practical application through real-life examples of organizations that are having success involving inclusive approaches.
Management Skills Basics - Supervisor Bootcamp
Thursday // January 25
9:00 - 11:00 am // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Agencies serving individuals with ID/A remain faced with significant challenges in recruiting and retaining a new generation of staff. National turnover rates range from 40% to 70%, making service continuity and quality difficult at best. Add the ongoing pandemic and we face a crisis of service. A major variable in staff retention is the quality of your frontline supervisors. Do they have the basic skills to help minimize turnover or have they been “thrown” into their positions with little training? In this dynamic and humorous training, staff will learn the basics of supervision, characteristics of positive supervision, how to handle conflicts and behavioral correction, and more.
This training is designed for Supervisors, Managers, Program and HR Directors, and others working in ID/A.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
PARedu Trainings are an initiative of PAR ID/A Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization.
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