The Association of Community Professionals

John has a Masters of Social Work degree and is an experienced group worker, community organizer, educator and expert facilitator. John's graduate education is from Yeshiva University in New York City and State University of New York at New Paltz, NY.

His career spans over 35 years and those years have been spent teaching direct support professionals and the people they support. Most of the people with whom he has worked and supported over the last 35 plus years are people with intellectual/developmental disabilities, at-risk youth, and people with chronic and terminal illnesses in home-care settings.

Between 2001 and 2012 John worked as a Director of Training and Education for a developmental disabilities service provider in New York and gained notoriety consulting and teaching throughout the United States. John also taught undergraduate and graduate human services classes at The State University at New Paltz, NY and for the City University of New York City.

John founded his own international direct support professional consulting company in 2012 and over the last several years, in contract with the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals and in close partnership with NADSP Executive Director Joseph Macbeth, has developed many exciting and informative training programs and curricula to help propel the NADSP into national/international prominence.

John became NADSP’s Director of Educational Services in December of 2016. John has educated tens of thousands of people in the NADSP Code of Ethics and Competencies and most recently, the NADSP Informed Decision Making curriculum and Frontline Supervisor Train the Trainer Curriculum.

Session Descriptions;

An Introduction to The NADSP Code of Ethics

The knowledge and skills of direct support practice must be joined with the ethical principles to create the environment needed to fully support people in making life choices. To do so effectively, we must all recognize direct support professionals (DSPs) as professionals who have values, skills, and knowledge that constitute a unique and important profession, and who can infuse these beliefs into practice. This is an introduction to the NADSP Code of Ethics and will explore the nine parts (tenets) of the code and offer participants ideas for incorporating the use of the Code of Ethics in everyday direct support practice.

Objectives:

• Introduce participants to the NADSP Code of Ethics

• Explore typical ethical dilemmas that direct support professionals experience and see how the use of the Code can guide them through such difficult times

• Share methods and practices that can embed the Code into the daily function of direct support professionals.

The Role of the Frontline Supervisor

The Frontline Supervisor (FLS) may face the most complex work in the human services world, involving many points of interaction with many stakeholders. Whether it’s families, direct support professionals, supervisors, state regulators, peers, or most importantly, people supported – Frontline Supervisors confront a multitude of diverse perspectives and conflicting motivations, on top of seemingly unsurmountable workplace challenges. To deepen these difficulties, there is often inadequate training, insufficient resources, or fragmented support to empower Frontline Supervisors. This session will explore the role and practices of the Frontline Supervisor in our human services delivery system.

Objectives:

• Introduce participants to the best practices for Frontline Supervisors as dictated by research based resources from NADSP and University of Minnesota

• Review National Frontline Supervisor Competencies

• Reinforce the importance of using NADSP Competencies and NADSP Code of Ethics in FLS Practice
This conference meets the criteria for an approved continuing education program for Mental Health Practitioners and Social Workers.

Please fill out the online registration form to attend the 2024 Spring Virtual Conference

Cancellation/Substitution Policy: If you are unable to attend this conference as scheduled, you may send a substitute. Sorry no cash refunds.

For more information regarding this conference, membership in ACP or if, because of a disability, auxiliary aids, dietary needs or reasonable accommodations are needed to fully participate in this conference, please contact contact Kylie Joyce at 308-784-4222 or scds.kylie@gmail.com..

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