CDS Curriculum Addresses Challenges in New York’s Sundram Report
Posted on by JeniseA circulating draft of The Measure of a Society: Protection of Vulnerable Persons in Residential Facilities Against Abuse and Neglect, otherwise known as The Sundram Report (after principal author Clarence Sundram), has revealed conflicting regulations and unregulated staff expose nearly 300,000 “vulnerable people to needless risk of harm and complicate the challenge of teaching and training direct service staff.”
Credentialed staff are essential to confronting the challenges posed by the Sundram Report. The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) has developed a national credentialing program for Direct Support professionals. The College of Direct Support (CDS) curriculum is an accredited program that conforms to NADSP standards.
CDS courses that directly address some of the issues raised in the Sundram Report include Positive Behavior Support, a seven-part course designed to help learners understand vulnerable adults who
exhibit challenging behavior; Individual Rights and Choice, a course that familiarizes direct support professionals on the legal rights of individuals with disabilities; and Maltreatment of Vulnerable Adults and Children, a course that instructs learners on identifying abuse, neglect and exploitation, and how to protect the person you support.
CDS continues to monitor The Sundram Report as more details emerge, and will continue to design coursework to meet the challenges Direct Support Professionals meet every day.
Information on NADSP Credentialing: https://nadsp.org/dsp-credentialing/about-dsp-credentialing.html
New York State draft report of The Measure of a Society: Protection of Vulnerable Persons in Residential Facilities Against Abuse and Neglect (aka The Sundram Report) from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/03/22/nyregion/20110322-abused-document.html?ref=nyregion
