The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) has released an updated Child and Adolescent Social Service Program (CASSP)/System of Care (SOC) directory. This is now available in the most current version by county. You can access it here.
If you have any questions, please contact RCPA COO and Policy Director Jim Sharp.
The PA Department of Human Services and PA Care Partnership are excited to announce the 21st Children’s Interagency Conference is scheduled for April 22 – April 25, 2024, at the Penn Stater Hotel, State College, PA. The conference theme is “Shine The Light on Mental Health – Building Youth Wellness & Resilience.”
Hosted by the PA Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Bureau of Children’s Behavioral Health Services and the PA Care Partnership, the conference brings together Pennsylvania’s Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP) and System of Care (SOC) partners providing behavioral health services. The conference will provide an excellent opportunity for providers, county administrators, youth, family members, practitioners, and educators to learn about changing trends, promising and best practices, resources, and various system of care activities across Pennsylvania. The conference will also add a national perspective on a variety of issues, including government, family peer, early childhood, youth leadership, and school-based mental health.
See the Save the Date flyer, and please share it with your contacts and invite them to attend. Visit the conference website for additional information. For questions or more information, contact our contract meeting planner Katrina Harris at 610-494-8044 or via email.
Message From ANCOR:
In a notable development, the Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act has progressed to the committee markup stage in the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC). The Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act has been a key legislative priority for ANCOR. This legislation aims to establish a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). Its passage would officially recognize direct support as a profession and tackle the recruitment and retention crisis that has impacted the availability of professionals supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in home and community-based settings.
ANCOR, along with its coalition partners, has been a steadfast advocate for the establishment of a SOC for DSPs and wrote a statement of support to HSGAC on this significant legislation. The workforce crisis in community disability services has resulted in alarming turnover and vacancy rates, leading to limited access to crucial and often life-saving services for individuals with I/DD. According to the latest data from National Core Indicators, DSP turnover stood at 43.3% at the end of 2021, with 16.5% of full-time direct support positions and 20.3% of part-time positions remaining vacant.
The establishment of a distinct SOC for DSPs would enable the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to accurately capture employment and wage data specific to this profession. This, in turn, would support state and federal agencies in making informed policy decisions concerning the Medicaid Home and Community Based Services program. Furthermore, it would facilitate the development of precise payment rates, addressing the negative and enduring effects on DSP workforce retention and recruitment. Shannon McCracken, ANCOR’s vice president for government relations, emphasized, “When we eventually see the Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act become law, we will look back on it as a pivotal moment in the history of our service delivery system—a moment when we made a collective choice to stop undervaluing the services that connect people with I/DD to their communities.”
The bill was introduced by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) in the Senate, along with Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Joe Morelle (D-NY) in the House. Their bipartisan efforts reflect the importance of addressing the workforce crisis and improving the support provided to people with I/DD.
Message from ANCOR:
As you may have heard, the Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act was reintroduced in Congress! This Act would direct the Office of Management and Budget to establish a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) for direct support professionals (DSP). With a SOC for DSPs, we can begin to capture more accurate employment and wage data, which helps in developing more precise payment rates. We need your support to ensure that this crucial bipartisan legislation is supported by your congressional members and passed this Congress!
ANCOR members and our allies have already been doing an amazing job in just the past two days — Over 3,500 messages have been sent to Members of Congress! In case you have a competitive streak and are curious which states are leading the pack, members from New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Massachusetts have sent the most messages to Congress this week! Let’s keep the momentum going!
Take action and contact your legislators today to support DSPs and share it with your friends and family. Remember, you can take the action alert every day! Let’s make a difference for our Direct Support Professional Workforce.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will award approximately 26 applicants up to $3,000,000 to provide resources to improve the mental health outcomes for children and youth, birth through age 21, who are at risk of or have serious emotional disturbances (SED) and their families. This grant supports the implementation, expansion, and integration of the System of Care (SOC) approach by creating sustainable infrastructure and services required as part of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and their Families Program.
You can find additional information here. The grant closes on March 21, 2025.
If you have further questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.
Beyond Silos: Highlighting Multisystem Approachesin Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has been at the forefront of developing programs and initiatives that work to meet the support and service needs of individuals with complex needs. This issue of Positive Approaches features a sample of cross-office efforts that enable individuals to succeed in their everyday lives. This issue will focus on ways that Pennsylvania has endeavored to better understand and meet the needs of people with complex needs including children with medical complexities and/or behavioral health needs. We offer an overview of cross office capacity building efforts supported in part by the Money Follows the Person (MFP) funds. Finally, this issue will provide overviews of peer support services as a viable support model and of PA Care Partnership philosophy of System of Care (SOC) as a foundation to build behavioral health supports and services for children, youth, young adults, and their families. These efforts here in Pennsylvania are worthy of highlighting as we strive to get better at supporting individuals with intellectual disability and/or autism (ID/A) and individuals with mental health conditions in Pennsylvania.
This issue of Positive Approaches Journal is in digital form, available for viewing online or for downloading. To print a copy of the PDF, online journal, or a specific article, you will find these options within your left navigation bar on any Positive Approaches Journal page. A new window will open with your selected document. In your browser, you may click the Print button in the top left corner of the page or use the Print capability within your browser.
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