Ongoing Staff Development Improves the Health and Safety of People with IDD

Posted on May 28, 2020

By Carli Friedman, CQL Director of Research

There is a tremendous direct support professional (DSP) turnover rate – organizations typically see 30-70% turnover in DSPs annually. While low wages and a lack of benefits certainly contribute to DSP turnover, so too does the lack of training DSPs receive. Training not only decreases DSP turnover but can also increase the confidence and self-efficacy of DSPs, and as a result, the quality of the services they provide.

For these reasons, the aim of this study was to explore how ongoing staff development impacts people with intellectual and developmental disabilities’ (IDD’s) health and safety, particularly abuse/neglect, injuries, and emergency room visits. To do so, we analyzed Basic Assurances^® data from 74 human service organizations which supported approximately 8,300 people with IDD.

Our findings revealed by implementing ongoing staff development, agencies can significantly improve their service provision. For example, agencies that implemented ongoing staff development had a significant reduction in emergency room visits among the people with IDD they supported. Agencies without ongoing staff development had 1.13 emergency room visits per person supported per year, whereas agencies with ongoing staff development had 0.68 emergency room visits per person supported per year.

Relationship Between Ongoing Staff Development and Abuse/Neglect, Emergency Room Visits, and Injuries

Agencies that implemented ongoing staff development also had a significant reduction in instances of abuse and neglect among the people with IDD they supported. Agencies without ongoing staff development had 0.42 incidents of abuse and neglect per person supported per year, whereas agencies with ongoing staff development had 0.16 incidents of abuse and neglect per person supported per year.

Agencies that implemented ongoing staff development also had a significant reduction in injuries among the people with IDD they supported. Agencies without ongoing staff development had 0.77 injuries per person supported per year, whereas agencies with ongoing staff development had 0.30 injuries per person supported per year.

“DSPs not only assist people with personal care, but also facilitate community integration and quality of life. While many DSPs receive inadequate training, our findings suggest, ongoing staff development can also help promote the health and safety of people with IDD. In particular, those agencies in our study that implemented ongoing staff development had fewer instances of abuse and neglect, emergency room visits, and injuries amongst the people with IDD they supported. As such, it should be recognized that ongoing staff development is an investment not only in the quality of services and supports DSPs provide to people with IDD, but also DSPs themselves” (Friedman, 2020, p. 14 of 16).