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"The VMRC Newsletter 2024, Issue #3"
Friday, January 26, 2024
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Direct Support Professionals (DSP’s) assist hundreds of thousands of Californians with developmental disabilities to work and live as independently as possible. Current workforce shortages impact the ability for these services and supports to be truly individualized. | |
DSPCollaborative is an initiative by two neighboring regional centers and their service providers to promote employment in the developmental disabilities field. Valley Mountain Regional Center and Alta California Regional Center have partnered our service provider community to promote DSP Jobs! This is a free service for job seekers and for service providers. If you are a VMRC service provider, please consider posting your employment needs here!
https://dspcollaborative.org/
This is a FREE job posting site!
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For job seekers: https://dspcollaborative.org/for-job-seekers/
Select the job that is right for you by location (by county)
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For Providers: https://dspcollaborative.org/for-providers/
The DSP Collaborative is a DSP recruitment effort that combines a multi-media advertising project to brand the term DSP with an on-line DSP Collaborative job site that connects potential employees with subscribing DD provider employers.
The DSP Collaborative website was launched in direct response to the number one challenge facing California’s Developmental Disabilities System – the workforce crisis.
Providers are experiencing record high staff vacancies and employee turnover. In addition, the federal Department of Labor projects that direct care will be the number one job in demand during the next twenty years, resulting in a challenge of significant proportions.
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NEW DATE FOR JANUARY...PLEASE NOTE!
VMRC Consumer Services Committee Meeting (Hybrid)
Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 5:00 PM
702 N. Aurora Street, Stockton, CA 95202, Cohen Board Room
Click Here for Virtual Information
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Caring Futures offers critical assistance, resources, and a supportive community for caregivers and family members of adults with developmental disabilities. Stay informed about our upcoming webinars and classes.
February classes now open!
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Our FREE six week "The Future is Now" class series empowers you to work with your family member to plan for the future they want – and that you want for them.
This has been our most popular class offering, and fills up fast. Make February the month you get the support you need to make a plan for your loved one’s future.
The class includes:
· Comprehensive Future Planning Guide to design a support plan for you and your family member with disabilities;
· Workbooks for parent/caregiver and family member;
· Certificate of Completion;
· Small and welcoming class size.
CLASS OPTION I (English): Starts Tuesday, February 6th from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. Click HERE to register.
CLASS OPTION J (English): Starts Tuesday, February 13th from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Click HERE to register.
CLASS OPTION K (Spanish): Starts Tuesday, February 27th from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. Click HERE to register.
Register early as these classes fill up quickly.
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Self-Care Matters: Well-Being for the Family Caregiver is a two-week live online class where family caregivers gain strategies and tools to enhance their own well-being.
· Connect with other parents who share in the challenge of prioritizing themselves
· Understand the 10 methods for maintaining a healthy and balanced life
· Learn how to integrate health and wellness strategies into your busy schedule
· Discover resources and supports available for family caregivers
Classes start February 10. Space is limited, so sign up today.
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Can an adult with disabilities work
and keep their disability benefits?
Join our next Caring Conversations about SSI benefits and work. Parent-educator Felisa Strickland and guest Julian Elliott, Social Security Specialist at the California Department of Rehabilitation to learn how to help your loved one keep their disability benefits while also having a job. It's coming up on Tuesday, January 30 at 10:00 a.m. ASL Interpreters available. Register to hold your space!
| Caring Conversations are best live, but if you can’t make it, you don’t have to miss out. You can find the previous webinars online at CaringFutures.org. | |
Case Management Update - Children
Tara Sisemore-Hester
Director of Consumer Services - Children
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Case Management Update - Adults
Christine Couch
Interim Executive Director, Director of Consumer Services - Adults
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We would like to wish a happy retirement to Alice Alcantara! Alice spent 24 years with Valley Mountain Regional Center as a Service Coordinator for both Children's and Transition teams! Alice was given a nice escort on her last day at the office on Wednesday!
We wish you the best, Alice, and we thank you for your service to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities!
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Direct Service Professional (DSP) Training Stipend Program for DSPs supporting participants in the Self Determination Program
The Department of Developmental Services issued a directive September 12, 2023 (see attached) regarding the SDP training stipend program. The intent is to enhance the quality of services received by consumers by providing trainings to the direct services professionals working with consumers. The SDP Training Stipend Program is time-limited, and all the trainings must be completed by June 30, 2024.
DSPs, including some frontline supervisors and clinical staff, who meet the following are eligible for the training stipend:
• Work as a paid DSP an average of 10 hours or
more per week;
• Perform direct support tasks like skills
development, guidance, and personal
assistance to individuals served by a regional
center as a regular part of their job duties;
• Spend at least 50% of work hours doing direct
support tasks; and
• Are employed by a regional center vendor, or
by a participant in the Self-Determination
Program.
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Save the Date for our Stockton Transition Fair!
Modesto and San Andreas days, times, and locations will be released soon!
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Clinical Update
Dr. Claire Lazaro
Clinical Director
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Community Services Update
Brian Bennett, Director of Community Services
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January 2024 Minimum Wage Increase Notice
Effective January 1, 2024, the minimum wage in California will increase based on the number of employees an employer has. Many vendors may be eligible to request a rate increase in order to adjust employees’ pay to comply with the new minimum wage. Please use this link to access the directive and associated forms https://www.vmrc.net/service-providers-vendors/
You can also view the information on the DDS website:
https://www.dds.ca.gov/rc/vendor-provider/minimum-wage-2024/
All rate adjustments must be submitted to VMRC no later than March 1, 2024. Should you have any questions about this notice, please contact Erica Lamb in Resource Development, via email rates@vmrc.net or phone (209) 955-3395.
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VMRC’s Community Services team will continue to host Monthly provider information sessions for ALL VMRC Service Providers on the fourth Friday of each month using Microsoft Teams from 9-10 am
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 281 428 411 222
Passcode: fEcVsj
These sessions are great opportunities for direct support professionals, Administrators, Directors and all persons providing supports to persons supported by VMRC to learn about important changes, projects and to ask questions from the Quality Assurance and Resource Development team. We welcome topics and subject matter suggestions! E mail Brian directly if you would like to hear about a specific topic bbennett@vmrc.net
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Direct Support Professional Training Year 1 (for Licensed residential direct support professionals)
IN-PERSON DSP YEAR 1 TRAINING:
February 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 2024
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Location:
San Joaquin County Office of Education
2707 Transworld Drive
Stockton, CA 95206
register at www.dsptrain.org
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VMRC’s 2023-2024 Community Resource Development Plan and Community Placement Plan https://www.dds.ca.gov/services/cpp/ has been approved by the Department of Developmental Services
Request for proposals will be forthcoming on www.vmrc.net/rfps
1. Adult, Community Integration/ Behavior Management Day Program ($200,000 start-up) to support the growing number of persons who have behavior deficits and require initial 1:1 staffing during their transition to day program services in Stanislaus County. To support up to 30 persons with significant behavior and restricted health care needs (Stanislaus County)
2. Housing Development Organization* (Administrative Start-up costs) $150,000.000; to support the development of an HDO to meet current and future housing needs.
*HDO- housing development organization -a non-profit or “for profit” housing development organization agency/ company/ individual who focuses on acquiring, developing affordable housing opportunities for regional center users and their families.
3. Service Provider Start-up funds $150,000 Community Crisis Home (adults)
https://www.vmrc.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/RFP-Adult-CCH-23-24-Service-Provision-01-19-24.pdf
4. Service Provider Start-up funds $150,000 Enhanced Behavior Supports Home (adult/ females)
https://www.vmrc.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1.-RFP-EBSH-Females-23-24-III.pdf
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Emergency Services and Response Update
Aaron McDonald,
Emergency Response and Safety Specialist
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FIRST AID FOR YOUR MIND
This week we continue in our series of First Aid For Your Mind. So often in emergency preparedness & disaster planning, we focus on the physical things we can do & the plan we can make to respond that we seldom stop and think about the impact planning for these occurrences can have on our mental health & well-being. With that idea in mind, Listos California has developed resources to help us all build our mental first aid kits. So far, we have covered Step 1: Know your signs of stress (1/12/24), Step 2: Learn what helps you feel better (1/19/24). This week we will focus on Step 3: Get help when you need it. Please continue to check in for the remaining topics in this series over the coming weeks.
2/2/24, Step 4: Learn how to recover.
2/9/24 Step 5: Help others in need.
Natural disasters can negatively impact mental health. To help Californians better understand what we each can do to strengthen ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities, Listos California has created a First Aid Kit for Your Mind with five simple steps for protecting your mental well-being and helping others do the same, along with resources for when you need more support.
We know Californians from diverse backgrounds may experience different or disproportionate stressors, or encounter stigmatization when seeking mental health care.
Please visit https://www.listoscalifornia.org/community-projects/mental-health/ to find a list of resources geared specifically for your community. Click on the plus sign next to Mental Health Resources Just For You to expand the menu.
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North Valley Hills Update
Dena Hernandez, Regional Manager (209) 473-6930
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“Working has made my life busier, and that makes me happy. It makes me focus. I like meeting new people and making new friends makes me happy.” — P.J. Swan
You can read more about P.J.’s employment journey and hear about the experiences of other self-advocates at SCDD’s Storytellers blog page: https://scdd.ca.gov/scdd-communications-blog/
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Family Resource Network (FRN) Update
Lisa Culley, Executive Director
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Family Resource Network (FRN) is hosting our 24th annual Mother's Retreat on Saturday, February 24, 2024. Spend a child free Saturday with women who understand what is is to be a parent of a child with disabilities, make some friends, celebrate the joys and struggles of raising your child, and learn about resources that are available to help you along the way. The day is filled with fun, laughter, comfort, and maybe a few tears. Leave feeling refreshed and motivated by the group of women you spent your day with, and part of a larger community of support.
Registration is required, and spaces are limited. See the flyer for details and registration form, and please call the FRN office at 209-472-3674 if you have any questions.
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