OMRDD Moves Forward with Direct Care Initiative

ALBANY, NY (08/20/2008)(readMedia)-- Since its kick off in June, the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) has been moving steadily forward with its Direct Care Initiative, which will assist the agency in creating a prototype for systematic change.

OMRDD's DIrect Care Initiative is the agency's multifaceted approach to reducing serious incidents, abuse and neglect in the service system, a three-pronged approach that will be piloted at the CDDDSO, and eventually rolled out to OMRDD's 13 Developmental Disabilities Services Offices (DDSOs) statewide, and offered to voluntary agencies as well.

The agency has partnered with the University at Albany, School of Social Welfare, Center for Intellectual Disabilities, which is in the process of conducting seminars --or focus groups --throughout the the next few weeks with staff at the CDDDSO in Niskayuna. The School will be facilitating these focus groups, asking staff to discuss several questions pertaining to the work they do and the challenges they face every day on the job. Groups will be broken down into direct care staff, clinicians and supervisors --individuals in care and families will also be polled.

"The goal of these focus groups is to come up with information about the factors which might lead to abuse or neglect," OMRDD Commissioner Diana Jones Ritter said. "Armed with this information, and with fact-based research, the School will assist us with creating a risk assessment focument, out of which the CDDDSO management and OMRDD leadership will create solutions for change."

Once this risk assessment is complete, the agency will create an advisory group that will work in a collaborative manner with employees, unions, management and self-advocates to develop a prescriptive prevention strategy for each unit within the CDDDSO that is directly reflective of that unit's risk profile. Actions in this area will include all levels of the organization and could involve such things as staff training, reevaluation of client groupings, staff counseling and support, anticipation of seasonal factors, and raising the awareness of staff to issues involved in abuse prevention.

"The intent is not to focus on any one person or group," Ritter cautioned. "My leadership team and I realize that we need to approach this problem as an effort to reduce or eliminate the factors that make it more likely that abuse will occur--and doing that will take everyone's hard work and help. We are ready to take on that challenge.

"Our mission is to help people with developmental disabilities live richer lives," she added. "I am committed to not only ensuring the safety, respect and dignity of the people we serve, but to assuring that direct care staff feel equally safe and respected and that they are treated with the same dignity as those in their care."

Finally, OMRDD is in the process of developing a marketing campaign aimed at both public education as well as internal communications. The theme, again, will be the preservation and enhancement of dignity and respect for individuals in the agency's care, as well as focusing on the impact of the nature of the relationship between individuals and staff.

OMRDD provides high-quality, person-centered services, supports and advocacy to more than 140,000 individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

OMRDD works with a network of nearly 800 not-for-profit voluntary providers to help people with developmental disabilities lead richer lives that include meaningful relationships, good health, personal growth and productivity and homes in their communities. OMRDD employs more than 90,000 staff in state and voluntary programs.

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