DDS Workforce Data Collection

Important

Vendor Registration for the 2024 DSP Workforce Survey (collecting 2023 data) is now closed. Thank you for your interest!

Gathering Data on the Direct Support Professional (DSP) Workforce

California is collecting data from providers that employ Direct Service Professionals (DSPs) about factors that impact the workforce. Participating providers completing the survey in its entirety will receive an incentive payment. The DSP workforce faces many challenges including high staff turnover and high rates of vacant positions, impacting individuals in need of support. Our community supports gaining insights into DSP employment for policy adjustments, recruitment, and retention strategies, and assessing the impact of rate increases over time. The data collection aims to establish a baseline for DDS, providers, and stakeholders to evaluate challenges, existing initiatives, and shape future policies for enhanced workforce stability.

What

Providers that employ DSPs are invited to participate in DDS’s annual data collection effort to provide quantitative information about factors impacting the workforce during the previous calendar year.

Why

The DSP workforce is low-wage and experiences increasingly high turnover yet is a primary workforce delivering services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The data collection will inform policy changes, design recruitment and retention efforts and examine the impact of rate increases over time.

Who

All providers that employ DSPs are eligible to participate. The survey collects data on tenure, turnover, vacancy rates and more therefore it is recommended that the individual(s) at the provider responsible for payroll or human resources complete the survey. The completed data collection instrument was submitted only one time per provider organization.

For the purpose of this data collection, DSPs are defined as paid staff whose primary job responsibility was to provide support, help with skills development, guidance, or personal assistance to individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD). Please refer to the “Frequently Asked Questions” for the list of service codes preliminarily identified as employing DSPs.

The DSP workforce dashboard provides valuable insights into various metrics and key performance indicators from the DSP workforce survey. It includes data submitted by participating agencies, and therefore may not be representative of the State’s DSP workforce or of particular regions. Being mindful of the following considerations will improve the accuracy and reliability of interpreting the displayed data.

Interactive Dashboard – Be sure to read considerations below

Considerations when Interpreting the Data

  1. With one exception, the data in these dashboards are from workforce surveys voluntarily completed by vendor agencies employing DSPs. They help describe the DSP workforce as reported by participating agencies. They do not reflect the entirety of the DSP workforce – only those agencies that voluntarily submitted data. The one exception are the race data of individuals supported which: (1) is from data in the Department’s client master file, and (2) includes all individuals supported, not only people supported by DSP workforce.
  2. This dashboard summarizes data using categories assigned in the survey instrument (e.g., support type, languages, and turnover and vacancy rates). These categories combine individuals with very different service needs. Differences among groups should be interpreted with caution, as they may have different shares of individuals and/or receive supports in different parts of the State where there are other factors affecting the DSP workforce.
  3. Responses have been weighted based on the size of the DSP workforce for those agencies that submitted the data. This helps “level the playing field” on measures where the size of the reporting agency affects the aggregate data displayed.
  4. Additional data tips specific to each page may be accessed by clicking on the “Data Tips” on each dashboard page. These tips offer further cautions about the data displayed on that dashboard page.

Resources

Quality Incentive Program (QIP)

DSP Dashboard Technical Manual (June 2024)

Data for 2021 and 2022 Surveys

The data collection period for the 2021 DSP Workforce Survey and 2022 DSP Workforce Survey has ended. The Department appreciates the participation of all providers who took part in this important effort.

Participating providers will be able to compare their individual provider responses with other de-identified providers employing DSPs, including those in the same geographic region or providing the same types of service(s). Providers that participated in the DSP Workforce Survey data collection efforts will be part of the collective data establishing baseline information from which DDS, providers, and stakeholders may inform policy changes, design recruitment and retention efforts, and examine the impact of rate increases and workforce investments over time.

More Details


Share  

Last modified: June 25, 2024