Originally published by NC Department of Health and Human Services

June 14, 2024

North Carolina is currently facing a critical shortage of DSPs, significantly affecting the availability and quality of home and community-based services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The DSP Workforce Plan outlines the Department of Health and Human Service’s comprehensive, multi-year strategy to address this shortage and reaffirms our commitment to supporting DSPs and the vital services they provide.

The DSP Workforce Plan focuses on several key initiatives during the first year of implementation:

• Awareness and Recruitment Campaign: Targeting high school and community college students, as well as people who are unemployed or underemployed, to educate and motivate them about careers in human services. The campaign will launch in September 2024.
• Community College Pilot Program: A partnership with selected community colleges to develop and implement a DSP-specific curriculum and certificate program, including a scholarship component covering tuition and fees for participants.
• Provider Recruitment and Retention Grants: These grants will support provider agencies in enhancing their support structures to attract and retain DSPs.

Beginning in 2025, NCDHHS plans to expand successful initiatives and explore new strategies to strengthen the DSP workforce, including the creation of a statewide DSP directory and continued partnerships with community colleges. The plan will continue to be refined through ongoing community engagement and stakeholder feedback, including with DMHDDSUS’ Direct Support Professionals Advisory Committee, where individuals with lived experience have provided valuable insights and recommendations that have been instrumental in crafting this plan.