STAR Services | Professional Development & Consulting for Human Services - Saint Paul, MN
You may register up to five staff using the online registration form. To register more than five staff, please contact the Online Training Help Desk.
This micromodule provides an overview of the four disability waivers that Minnesotans can receive to meet their needs. The waivers including BI, CADI, CAC, and DD enable a person to live, work, and play as independently in the community as possible. These financial resources come with eligibility requirements as well as covered and non-covered services. We will discuss these waivers, applicable eligibility requirements, what they pay for, what they do not pay for, the process to obtaining and maintaining a waiver, and waiver termination scenarios. This micromodule is a great introduction to the world of the disability waivers!
This session explores how leaders can address difficult issues with courage, clarity, and compassion. Participants will examine the fears that lead supervisors to avoid important conversations, recognize the difference between supporting and rescuing employees, and clarify what belongs to the supervisor versus the employee. Through reflection, discussion, and practical scenarios, participants will learn how to set clear expectations, maintain respectful boundaries, navigate flexibility and fairness, and create a culture where honest conversations, ownership, and growth can thrive.
Are you prepared for the latest legislative changes affecting 245D providers? This course highlights the most significant updates from the 2026 legislative session and what they mean for disability service providers and 245D licensed programs.
From changes to maltreatment definitions and individual rights to new requirements for service suspension and termination, policy and procedure updates, and Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) enrollment, providers have several important changes to navigate. This training breaks down what has changed, what action may be required, and practical steps your organization can take to remain compliant.
Whether you oversee compliance, manage programs, supervise staff, or support day-to-day operations, you’ll leave with a clearer understanding of new requirements and greater confidence in implementing them effectively.
Want to avoid financial frustrations when navigating Community First Services and Supports (CFSS)? In this class, we will dive into critical aspects of financial business operations for CFSS service providers. These topics can be confusing, difficult, and overwhelming! Not everyone has an in-depth understanding of finances and we can help. Join us for a time of discussion and reviewing of necessary information to ensure your company understands financial processes and requirements.
In this course, you will learn:
Increase your CFSS financial understanding and feel confident when faced with future financial requirements by joining us for this important topic.
Audience: financial personnel including supervising professionals, owners, or executives of a CFSS organization.
Have you wondered…does training really impact how we provide services? Does it really make a difference to the CFSS participants? The answer is YES! Having trained and competent staff is absolutely essential to providing person-centered care and amazing support! For Community First Services and Supports (CFSS) providers, staff training and personnel files requirements are found in MN Statutes, section 256B.85 and the Community First Services and Supports Policy Manual.
In this course, we will discuss:
Whether you are thinking about starting CFSS or are a current CFSS provider in an executive, management or HR role and want to ensure you are meeting requirements, this is the course is for you!
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
One of the keys to providing excellent services is to start with comprehensive and person-centered paperwork. In CFSS, the primary document used to direct services is the CFSS Service Delivery Plan. In CFSS, each provider serves a unique purpose to provide the highest quality of support possible to a CFSS recipient. This means that providers must work together to create outstanding paperwork that will support the person holistically.
Topics:
We will also review additional paperwork that must be completed for CFSS service recipients. This session is targeted towards both consultation service providers and agency-providers.
Audience: supervising professionals, managing employees, owners, or executives of a CFSS organization.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Community First Services and Supports (CFSS) replaced PCA services and the Consumer Support Grant in the state of Minnesota. It feels like there are still “kinks” in the system to providing these services smoothly. You may be thinking, “I know this! I have been doing PCA for years-why should I take this class?” CFSS has significant differences than PCA and because good services are based upon following state regulations and requirements, knowing how to be compliant is important.
Topics:
We will also discuss the process to become a CFSS agency-provider. Whether you are a provider exploring this service for the first time or an existing PCA provider seeking to truly understand the differences between PCA and CFSS, this session is the place to start!
Audience: supervising professionals, managing employees, owners, or executives of a CFSS organization.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
In the services you provide, you may find yourself supporting someone by safekeeping their money or property. This is a big responsibility! In this course, we will discuss both requirements and best practices related to safekeeping and assisting a person with their money and property. You will understand how, through your supports, a person’s rights are upheld and money and property are protected. Financial exploitation can easily happen when safeguards are not in place to protect the funds and property of people supported. As all would agree, financial exploitation is detrimental to the lives of people supported. Our proactive measures in this area are beneficial to the person, staff, and company overall!
Topics will include:
Audience: Designated Coordinators, Designated Managers, Directors/Managers, and quality assurance and finance personnel
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Multiple times a week, Correction Orders are released that include many violations regarding orientation and annual training for staff. With all of the training provided at orientation, throughout the year, and annually, why are some staff lacking competence in the topic or not implementing it? What responsibilities do you have to increase staff’s competence while providing services? In this course, we’ll explore the Forgetting Curve and how it affects learning and retention. You’ll learn five practical strategies to help staff retain information longer and apply what they’ve learned on the job.
Participants should come ready to:
Join us to strengthen staff competence and create higher-quality, compliant services for the people you support.
Audience: Designated Coordinators, Designated Managers, Directors/Managers, Training Managers, and positions responsible for assessing staff competency
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Are you excited to have your 245D license? Or maybe you are in the process of getting it and are looking forward to what comes next! Just getting your 245D license is not all that you will need to do starting off in this incredible field. So what comes next? MHCP Enrollment! This virtual classroom is taught by one of our consultants that has extensive experience in supporting providers go through the MHCP enrollment process.
Session topics include:
Come and learn the requirements from someone who has been there and done that! There is no need for you to walk this path alone-STAR Services is here to help!
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
A company supporting people needs competent staff to do so. The first year of employment is vital to helping the employee feel equipped to provide this amazing type of service. This session will focus on the employee’s first year of employment beginning at the very beginning-recruitment.
Topics include:
This class is designed for providers who may not have an official “Human Resources Department.” Being compliant to employment law is important! Yet ensuring that our staff feel welcomed, valued, and edified is also important! Come and see how you can help to shape each employee’s first year of employment!
“You only get one chance to make a first impression.” A common sentence used often illustrates that people’s perceptions can affect and even change reputations. People supported can experience judgment and stereotypes based upon how they are described or viewed. Recognizing bias and understanding how it impacts others is the beginning to reducing and eliminating untrue stereotypes. In this micromodule, Positive Introductions and Reframing Reputations will be discussed as well as how they can be used in all levels of support roles for the person. This includes document development, asking questions, facilitating conversations, and so much more. These tools can help a person to see themselves positively. They also help others to view a person in the same way. Both are powerful to increase a person’s quality of life and help them live their best and most meaningful life!
Decisions are made every day, everywhere. People receiving services often feel as if they do not have as many opportunities to make independent, informed decisions as they would like. This micromodule will explore three decision making tools that can be used to support a person in making informed choices. Tools that will be discussed include Person-Centered Risk Tool, Person-Centered Decision Making, and SODAs. Recognizing and understanding risk while respecting a person’s choice is foundational to using these tools. What does risk look like for the person? How can these tools guide conversations on making decisions based upon the level of risk for the person? These questions will be answered as well as each person’s role in this important process.
Receiving services and supports are often rife with barriers. These barriers are not situations where anyone should “give up.” Rather, barriers must be seen as obstacles that can be overcome with creative planning. The Learning Log, 4 +1, and Integrated Supports Star are tools that can help gather detailed information on an issue and identify what is working and not working to address the issue. Recognize how to use them to support discussion on generating ideas to overcome any obstacle.
Conflict. Even the word can create anxiety, fear, and the desire to avoid it at all costs. This micromodule will discuss the importance of identifying typical responses to conflict, mindset, and how they can be combined with empathetic listening to create effective use of person-centered tools. Two tools, including What’s Working/What’s Not Working and Donut Sort, will be discussed as methods to avoiding conflict or working through it should it occur. 4 + 1 will be reviewed in light of conflict and how it can help people move through the “stuck” phase.
Traditional goals for a person have often centered around what they “should” do or what others believe would benefit them. This requires a shift from a close-minded perspective to an open-minded perspective. Exploring a person’s strengths, preferences, interests, and what brings them joy requires time and effort to listen deeply and to encourage the person to reach for a life that they choose. Learn how the person-centered tool 4 + 1 can be used to support conversations on goals the person wants and why they want them.
People have often been told from whom they will receive support and where they will receive that specific support. Having preferences for supports is one way they can voice what is important to them in a relationship and in services. Matching Support is a person-centered tool that guides conversations to identify preferences for support needs, living situations and roommates, support staff and other social connections and interests. This tool discusses four main components: supports needed, skills required, personality characteristics desired, and shared interests/nice to have. Walk through an example of how this tool is developed and can be used in a variety of roles.
Everyone has important routines and rituals that when followed create a sense of peace and safety. Support planners can use this person-centered tool to understand these unique routines and rituals as one means to increase a person’s quality of life. Recognizing culture and helping a person explore their cultures can move the person and their supports towards cultural competency. This takes intentionality! During this micromodule, routines, rituals, and culture will be discussed and how they can help a person move towards self-exploration and understanding.
Relationships are important-everyone needs connection! The Relationship Map guides people to identify who is important to them, if there are any relationship issues, who can support them in planning, and what relationships can be strengthened. Using the Relationship Map at certain times can be very beneficial! However, it is important to recognize that these discussions can also cause more harm than good. This micromodule will discuss these times and how they can be addressed.
Who doesn’t want to have more good days than bad days? This person-centered tool assists in identifying days that are the best for the person. As persons who are invested in the services provided to a person, it is important to recognize how to increase the good days while decreasing the bad days. Learn how a day can be assessed as typical and how that day can be made better or worse. Work through an example of the effective use of this person-centered tool and identify how it can be used in everyday supports.
Are there different ways to get to know someone? Yes, there are! This micromodules defines the differences between typical questioning, branching conversations, and conversational questions and how beneficial person-centered conversations can be. When asking questions, careful listening must also occur. This means using active listening, providing empathy and sympathy when needed, and recognizing how to support rather than fix. Power over and power with will be identified within this context of asking questions and listening carefully.
Words have power! How we use language to communicate with, to, and for a person can either increase or decrease their quality of life. We will discuss how person-centered language enables a person and compare this to how “us vs them” language can negatively impact their life. Principles such as power over and power with, ableist language, person-first language, and identity-first language will be defined and how we can use or avoid them.
Person-centered approaches are effective and can help create a meaningful life for a person. This micromodule will discuss the benefits of using person-centered approaches including how a person’s quality of life can be assessed within the Domains of a Meaningful Life. Required by Minnesota’s support systems, person-centered approaches are required for all people providing and receiving support. However, why can these be so challenging to use consistently across services? The problem of bias and its impact on the use of person-centered approaches will be discussed. In addition, solutions to how we can counter bias in order to use person-centered approaches will be explored.
Positive support strategies are required for everyone! Some people however require additional support to increase knowledge and skills to decrease negative or challenging behaviors through the development of positive, adaptive behaviors. This class will focus specifically on strategies to understand behavior, help someone de-escalate in a way that is effective for them, and learn skills. Also, learn about the Five Stages of Crisis and how we can support someone through all of the stages.
Course objectives:
Learning about positive support strategies is exciting! After this course, you will feel ready to develop your skills in writing positive support strategies and to help someone reach their best and most meaningful life!
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Owning a business in the human services comes with many amazing benefits and opportunities! Competent employees are vital to having a business that has a positive reputation. Your Human Resources and employment support understanding is key to ensuring the hiring and retaining great employees! This class will review the basics of employment and MN regulations for personnel requirements.
Course objectives:
This overview course is ideal for new or small providers who want to increase their knowledge of employment requirements.
Having trouble determining rates in your journey to maintain financially viable services? Don’t worry, STAR is here to help! The content of this course will explore the Disability Waiver Rate System (DWRS) and the different rates available for basic and intensive support services provided under the Brain Injury (BI), Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI), Community Alternative Care (CAC) and Developmental Disabilities (DD) waiver services. The DWRS separates disability waiver services into three categories: framework, pre-determined and market rates. The process for calculating these rates requires some time and expertise, but we are here to provide the necessary tools to guide you through the process.
Course objectives:
We hope you will join us to increase your knowledge regarding DWRS framework, pre-determined, and market rates!
The 2024 legislative session ended in May 2024 and changes were made to statutes that affect 245D licensed providers. This microlearning module will take you through MN Statutes, Chapter 245D changes with their effective dates. We will also review changes made to other regulations including MN Statutes, 245A and 245C. The MN Data Practices Act, the Medical Assistance for Needy Persons Statute, and the Employment Statute have also been changed. If you are a Community Residential Setting provider, we will also discuss the change to rental license requirements from town, municipalities, or counties. Providers supporting minors will have a new department and regulations for those services, and we will discuss this with more information to come!
Working positively together with members of the support team, including legal guardians and case managers, can lead to better support for the people who receive our services. Unfortunately, there is often a misunderstanding of the roles and responsibilities of each team member. These misunderstandings can result in tension, lack of trust, and poor communication. Legal guardians are responsible for legally advocating on behalf of the person based upon the person’s needs, wants, preferences, and interests. This important role is often vital in obtaining the support that best meets the needs of the person.
This course explores the role of legal guardians, including types of representation, their powers, documentation requirements, and limitations. We will review the rights of people under guardianship and requirements needed for legal guardians to limit those rights. Legal guardians are also required to complete yearly documentation on the person’s status. Together we will discuss guardians’ perspectives and how providers can compassionately advocate, facilitate, and educate, while also clarifying provider capabilities and limitations.
This course will focus on several topics including the:
As providers it is vital that we follow all regulatory requirements when supporting people. During this time, we will also explore ideas to help legal guardians understand what providers can and cannot do. The purpose of this course is to create a culture of understanding, awareness, and collaboration with legal guardians as a successful support team is built around the person. Please come prepared with an open mind and a desire to learn more about the positive, unique roles of a legal guardian!
Audience: Designated Coordinators, Designated Managers, Directors/Managers, and positions responsible for working with support team members
CEU Contact Hours: 3.6 for Nurses, 3 for Social Workers
Preparing for a licensing review happens well before you received your Notice of Reinspection (NOR) from DHS-Licensing. How can you prepare yourself, well, for success? In this class, we will provide five strategies you can implement every day to ensure you feel confident when it’s your turn for a licensing visit.
Course objectives:
Don’t wait until your licensing review to find compliance-discover ways you can be compliant every day!
CEU Contact Hours: 1.2 for Nurses, 1 for Social Workers
In this training, we will look back at 2025 licensing trends and review the top three violations as identified in 245D correction orders. We all want to provide the support the best services possible and that includes understanding licensing requirements to ensure that we are compliant with the rules and regulations. Whether you are brand new to the field and want to set yourself up for success by avoiding common mistakes, or you are a current provider who wants to ensure your current practices are matching what licensors looking for, we hope you join us for this informative class. We encourage you to take additional virtual classrooms that STAR offers to expound on the topics discussed in this course. In those virtual classrooms, you will learn how to be in compliance in that specific area. For this course, we will discuss:
Don’t let, “I didn’t know that!” be a barrier on your next licensing visit. Empower your organization and confidently say, “I know it and I’ve got it!” STAR Services is here to help you in your exciting journey towards compliance!
Audience: Designated Coordinators, Designated Managers, Directors/Managers, and Quality Assurance personnel.
CEU Contact Hours: 2.4 for Nurses, 2 for Social Workers
MN Statutes, section 245D.05 defines three different types of medication-related support that can be provided to a person based upon their wants and needs. These assigned responsibilities includes medication set up, assistance, and administration. We will define in detail what each of these types of support include, how to document them, and how to determine what type of support would best meet the needs of the person.
With so many medications available, both prescription and over-the-counter, it is hard to keep it all straight especially for those medications that are considered psychotropic. This microlearning module will define what psychotropic medications are and their major classes. Then, we will discuss some common questions about certain medications and their purpose related to treating mental health including sedatives, medications for agitation, anticonvulsants, and over-the-counter medications.
For providers who administer medications, a quarterly review of the medication administration record must be completed. But what is included in this necessary review? What is its purpose? This microlearning module will discuss what this review is, its purpose, and how you document the results.
We will explore:
Audience: Executives, directors, finance personnel and other positions responsible for completing the 6790O for people supported.
Are you thinking about becoming a Housing Stabilization Service provider? Have you recently added Housing Stabilization Services to your enrollment record and need to know where to start? Learn more about this MN Medical Assistance benefit that helps people with disabilities, mental illness, substance use disorder, and seniors find and keep their housing. Explore with us how to become an eligible provider, guidelines and requirements for service delivery, and best practices. Together, we will explore the three service categories provided within Housing Stabilization Services: Housing Consultation, Housing Transition, and Housing Sustaining. We will provide you with information regarding each service and provide you with resources to continue your learning. With more and more home and community-based providers branching into this service, now is a great time to learn!
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Did you know that there are three different types of homemaker services but only two are licensed by 245D? If you are a basic support service provider and offer homemaker services, then this microlearning module is for you! We will explore the three types of homemaker: homemaker-basic cleaning, homemaker-assistance with ADLs, and homemaker-home management. We will discuss what types follow basic support service standards as required by 245D and applicable billing codes to double check service agreements. It is recommended to review the specific types of homemaker services and their billing codes that you currently provide to ensure you are implementing correct regulatory standards.
When ADS providers are supporting people with developmental disabilities or related conditions (DD/RC), the standards of the Positive Supports Rule must be followed for the person(s). The Positive Supports Rule (PSR) or MN Rule, Chapter 9544, sets the standards for person-centered planning and services and positive support strategies for all applicable persons. Employees are also mandated to take additional levels of training in order to provide the person’s services and supports. If an ADS provider supports anyone with DD/RC, this class is a must!
This class will cover the requirements of the PSR including:
What does a welcoming and safe environment look like for a Adult Day Care Center? All centers are mandated to follow the physical site standards provided in the Adult Day Care Center Rule. Many Correction Orders delivered by the Department of Human Services include violations to the physical site requirements. These can easily be avoided by understanding these requirements and taking the time to ensure that the center has them all and keeps them in good working condition!
Physical site-related topics include:
Having trained and competent staff is absolutely essential to providing person-centered care and amazing support! The Adult Day Care Center Rule identifies the standards for training and personnel records including consultant qualifications and contracts. This class will help learners feel confident in their training and the support their employees provide.
Topics to be discussed include:
Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork! Perhaps seen as confusing, difficult, or time-consuming, paperwork for the people supported is often overlooked. All participants have set requirements for screening, planning for, and supporting their care. These requirements are built into individual documents for each person. The Adult Day Service provider, as a company, has many requirements as well to ensure they are following waiver policy requirements for this service. Avoid violations due to non-compliant paperwork by learning more about what those specific standards are!
Topics to be covered include:
This class will cover all pre-admission to annual documents (as well as discharge) directed by the Adult Day Care Center Rule. In addition, company-specific paperwork including policies and procedures and the staff ratio will be reviewed.
Providing services to people in an adult day setting is beneficial to their health, safety, and wellness. However, it is necessary that the adult day service provider be knowledgeable of and implement all the service delivery and support requirements according to MN standards. Correction Orders are often filled with violations related to these areas and multiple providers have experienced extensive levels of required corrective action. This class will cover these requirements in detail and will help participants know exactly what the state uses for their standards. If you are an ADS provider or wanting to start as an ADS provider and are determined to provide the best services possible, this class is the place to start!
Topics to be discussed include:
There are many people who require a level of support that may not be as intense as others. Individuals living on their own, with family, or with friends can benefit greatly from receiving basic support services. These services are designed to meet the basic health and safety needs of the individuals. We will define each of these services according to 245D and the Community-Based Services Manual (CBSM). After this module, you will have a solid understanding of these services and how they can be suited to the preferences of the people being supported.
It is accurate to say that basic support service providers have less person-specific paperwork requirements than intensive support services. However, the 60-day review and annual review are just as significant to ensure ongoing person-centered, compliant services and supports. Together we will explore what it means to do a review and the paperwork/information needed for each review.
In this informative microlearning module, the three categories of residential services (locations that are provider-controlled) will be discussed. These categories include Family Residential Settings, Community Residential Settings, and Integrated Community Supports. What the provider’s responsibilities are for these residential services and the four community living service categories will be defined. Increasing our understanding of these types of services is vital as it directly applies to providing a stable, healthy, and safe home for individuals.
Did you know that there are 245D intensive support services that can follow the person-specific paperwork standards for basic support services? There are! Intervention services including crisis respite, positive supports, and specialist services are all part of this unique category. If your company is licensed to provide these services and you are interested in increasing your knowledge of what they are, this micromodule is for you! We will review what definition is for each type of service, what you do under that service, and what the person-specific paperwork includes. This microlearning module will not go in depth into the specific assessments or documents required; please refer to the microlearning module on our other virtual classrooms or microlearning modules for more information.
What a fantastic opportunity to provide support to people who are living according to their preferences-independently! There are different types of community-based services where the service provider goes into the homes of individuals to provide support. Individuals typically live on their own, with family, or friends. This microlearning module will provide information on the differences between Individualized Home Supports with Training, Individualized Home Support with Family Training, and Semi-Independent Living Services. Remote support will also be discussed as it applies to these three categories of services. Learn more about how you can help someone do that by implementing supports with these services and in the four community living service categories.
Everyone has the right to be engaged in employment according to their preferences and in the community. 245D provides three different types of employment services to enable someone to determine if they want employment, find employment, and then keep their employment. We will discuss Employment Exploration Services, Employment Development Services, and Employment Support Services. In addition, we will discuss the role of Vocational Rehabilitation Services in helping an individual find employment. The Engage, Plan, Find, Keep framework will be weaved throughout all of these types of employment services.
Did you know that Day Support Services provide 12 different types of support to individuals? That is a lot of amazing work to enable people to engage in their community, learn life-enriching skills, and increase activities and awareness of the greater community. Day Support Services provide so many opportunities for individuals to learn and grow! This microlearning module will explore the purpose of day support services, why are they important, and all of the different types of support offered underneath this licensed 245D service.
A year has flown by and what a year it has been! This year has provided valuable information about the person and what is important to them and for them. Have you observed and listened closely to the person? Are you seeing growth towards independence because of your services and supports? This microlearning module will focus on the annual meeting and paperwork requirements for intensive services while implementing person-centered practices.
It’s already been a few weeks of providing services and it’s now time to have the 45-day meeting. This opportunity gathers the support team together to reflect on the previous few weeks and to plan for the year ahead. We will explore the paperwork that is developed or updated for the intensive services’ 45-day meeting. Additionally, addendum service and support information will be explored as well as what do you do with this information after the meeting.
It is essential that direct care staff receive thorough, person-centered training. By having trained and competent staff, a person has greater opportunities to learn, grow, and reach their best life. This microlearning module will explore the ways in which training can be provided and the documentation requirements for that staff training. Additionally, competency will be defined and methods for determining competency reviewed. But the training requirements don’t stop there! Providers must also have compliant training documentation and this important topic will be discussed as well.
Just like service suspensions, service terminations are stressful and hard! Some service suspensions lead to terminations and some terminations occur on their own. Only after “everything” has been tried, when possible, can a service termination proceed. Participants will explore the intense, detailed process and paperwork that is required when a provider terminates services to a person. In addition, information on what needs to be tried before and during the termination period will be discussed.
No one starts providing services with the expectation that those services will be suspended. On occasion, the needs of the person may be more than what the provider is able to meet. However, suspension is never the “first resort.” These situations are often stressful and hard for everyone. This microlearning module will provide detailed information on the limitations and requirements for service suspension, but this is not all! What needs to be tried before suspension, what happens during suspension, and the follow up from a suspension will also be discussed.
Have you ever wondered where all of the regulations come from in order to provide 245D licensed services? Or perhaps you have the book or a download of the hard copy of a statute or rule, but don’t know where to find the actual regulation. If you haven’t had the opportunity to explore the Office of the Revisor’s website, this microlearning module is for you. Learn how to navigate the Office of the Revisor, find statute or rule, understand the language used, how the regulation is formatted, and how to find requirements within the regulation.
The Positive Supports Rule (9544) “establishes methods, procedures, and standards to be used by providers…for the use of positive support strategies with persons receiving services…” Through the completion of three separate six-month reviews, the provider is able to determine if their services and supports are meeting person-centered principles and using positive support strategies. We will discuss how and when these reviews occur, what the documentation includes, and who is responsible for completing them. At the end of this microlearning module, participants will understand that these are not “just more things to do,” but that they actually can and do improve the lives of individuals.
Have you ever wondered…what’s the difference between 245D intensive support services and basic support services? In this microlearning module, you will learn the regulatory difference between intensive and basic services including the policies that are required for each and the scope of their services. DHS Licensing Lookup and the Community Based Services Manual (CBSM) will be used to help us understand the services a company is licensed to provide and what those services actually look like. This is a great introduction to 245D services and an overview of the requirements for both.
Technology has dramatically changed the way providers complete, organize, and store paperwork for the company, employees, and persons supported. Using a variety of methods, electronic records are becoming more and more popular. This microlearning module will discuss the regulations for electronic records as well as ways in which files can be organized in a uniform manner. Regardless of what electronic record methodology a provider uses, data privacy and record retention requirements must be known and followed. Learn what those requirements are and discover new ways of doing paperwork!
We all want to build services off of the best, most compliant foundation. The admission meeting is the place to start getting to know the person and to have comprehensive, compliant paperwork. This microlearning module applies to both basic support and intensive support providers. Walk through the process and paperwork requirements for before, during, and after the admission meeting to effectively begin service provision.
Quality assurance and program improvement is required for providers according to both 245D and 9544. Integrated Community Supports providers are even required to take this process further! ICS providers are required to have a description of provider’s continuous quality improvement process, including measures to demonstrate a person’s experience over time. DHS will not approve any site-specific review if, in part, the information does not identify a plan to monitor and remediate people’s ongoing experience at the setting. But what does quality improvement/quality assurance mean?
In this course, we’ll take a closer look at how ICS providers can evaluate quality with their program including evaluation of services. What types of measurements can you use to determine how a person’s experiences change over time? What are you looking for? How do you identify it? When evaluation of factors indicates that quality is not being improved, a provider must implement changes. When and how do you do this? This course will answer those questions and provide you tips to using critical thinking skills to identify, implement and monitor the quality of services that your ICS program and setting provides.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Quality assurance and continuous program improvement are not only expected, but required, for providers under Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 245D, and Minnesota Rules, Chapter 9544. In this course, we will address how to identify and evaluate quality, and when to revise service delivery as needed. Participants will learn practical tips and critical thinking skills to implement, monitor, and ensure the quality of services your program provides. This course is intended for Designated Managers or other positions responsible for ensuring quality and making improvements within your program.
Course Objectives:
This course is intended for Designated Managers or other positions responsible for ensuring quality and making improvements at the program.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Are you getting the correct Room and Board payment for providing services to people? It frequently is a combination of a few different sources – some of which are (but not limited to) personal earnings, SSDI, SSI, Housing Support (formerly GRH).
Course objectives:
Don’t miss out on receiving this vital payment; learn how to ensure you are getting the payments your license allows by attending this course.
The thought of a 245D Licensing Review can make many providers feel overwhelmed or stressed, especially if they’ve never been through a visit before! Has your company experienced a licensing review yet? If not, you may have heard stories about how another provider’s review went and formed an opinion about it. Or if you’ve had a licensing review, you may have already formed some opinions about them based on past experiences. Licensing reviews are simply intended to provide the oversight necessary to implement 245D services in a compliant and person-centered way. Many providers still may feel that the experience of a licensing review is a challenging one. This course will help you understand what happens before, during, and after a licensing review visit!
Topics:
If you haven’t yet had a licensing review, this course will help you understand when and how to prepare for it. If you have already experienced a review, this session will help you determine steps to correcting non-compliance issues including creation of a compliance plan. Join us to gain the knowledge and tools you need to approach your licensing review with ease and ensure your organization is set up for success!
Audience: Designated Coordinators, Designated Managers, directors, owners, and executives who are responsible for compliance throughout the organization.
CEU Contact Hours: 3.6 for Nurses, 3 for Social Workers
Integrated Community Supports is becoming a popular service type under MN Statute, Chapter 245D. Are you licensed to provide ICS or are interested in this service type? If so, then you know the very key to providing amazing Integrated Community Supports is inclusion! ICS providers have high expectations on them to have a comprehensive Community Integration Plan (CIP) developed, implemented, and maintained. Many providers are required to have a CIP which largely includes strategies to reduce the potential effects of isolation. This is vital in ensuring that your setting and your supports are integrated into the community and that people have every opportunity to be a part of the community.
This class will explore:
This course will be instructed by a consultant with extensive experience in writing CIPs and supporting ICS providers to write their individual, unique CIP.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.2 for Nurses, 1 for Social Workers
Companies with licensed sites including Community and Family Residential Settings, Day Service Facilities, Integrated Community Supports, and hotels where Crisis Respite is provided require a Program Abuse Prevention Plan (PAPP). This is an extensive document that assesses the vulnerabilities of people supported at the site, the environment, and the surrounding community/neighborhood environment. Importantly, it identifies the proactive and reactive measures to minimize any risks related to the site and vulnerabilities of people supported. Many times, once developed the PAPP is forgotten about. This course will discuss how to write the PAPP and the requirements for orientation, training, and maintaining this important document.
Course Objectives:
The PAPP is a strong document that can thoroughly support people living or receiving supports in a licensed setting. It isn’t just another document to do; it can make a huge impact on the services being provided and the lives of those who receive those services!
This session is ideal for personnel responsible for creating, maintaining, and updating company or site-specific information.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Minnesota is on the forefront of service provision and person-centered practices. We see this throughout systems and processes used to promote independence and a high quality of life for each person receiving supports. Individualized Home Supports and Integrated Community Supports are just two of these services. These services are built around providing support and/or training in four different community living service categories to people living independently. What are these categories and how do you support people in these different areas? After the session, participants will have the confidence and understanding to implement these supports according to their 245D license.
Course objectives:
As a 245D service provider, it is likely that you want to expand your services to include supports for people across all walks of life. This training will enable you to implement those services and provide the highest level of support that MN is looking for!
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Psychotropic medication requirements are a small but important part of MN Statutes, Chapter 245D. Providers that administer a person’s psychotropic medication need to know what MN Statutes, section 245D.051 directs. Participants will learn what psychotropic medications are, how to identify and document target symptoms, monitor and measure behavior when required, and report on their findings when directed by the prescriber or support team.
Many people take psychotropic medication to support them in their quality of life. Psychotropic medication requirements are a small but important part of MN Statutes, Chapter 245D. Providers that administer a person’s psychotropic medication need to know what MN Statutes, section 245D.051 directs. This session will provide detailed information on current requirements for psychotropic medication and its applicable addendum documentation requirements.
Topics:
Audience: Designated Coordinators, Designated Managers, or nursing personnel who are responsible for the oversight of medication-related supports.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Brittney has 11 years of experience in disability services, primarily focused on serving individuals with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI). She started out working in a Customized Living setting and spent a few years working as an Independent Living Skills Coach before transitioning to a supervisor role and later, a director role overseeing process development and program quality. Brittney graduated from Dordt College with a Bachelor of Social Work degree. She is passionate about helping providers understand compliance and paperwork requirements so they can focus on providing excellent care to the individuals they support.
Over the past sessions, participants in this leadership series have been exposed to ideas and opportunities to help them grow in their professional development. We have looked at best practices in the areas of: building trust, promoting good boundaries, effective communication, encouraging coaching, having difficult conversations, combatting drama in the workplace, maintaining positive habits, understanding workplace preferences, fostering employee engagement, and strength-based leadership. In this session, we will reflect on the topics from the previous sessions and plan ways that we can incorporate what we’ve learned into our workplaces. We will look at how each skill plays a critical role in creating a long lasting leadership framework that supports great teams and leaders.
So much effort goes into recruiting and hiring employees, but we often neglect the more important aspects of onboarding new staff and creating strategies for retaining good employees. Employees who are intentionally nurtured through their first several months of work are more likely to be happy at work, speak highly of their company, and refer other top talent to the organization. Similarly, your existing staff hold a wealth of knowledge about your practices and the people they support. Retaining your talent is crucial in this difficult market. This training will focus on specific strategies to ensure both your HR and management teams are aligned in focusing on creating onboarding and retention practices that will benefit your company.
Creating a positive and engaged workplace isn’t just about offering recognition events and trying to satisfy our employees; it’s about employee engagement. Engagement happens when we foster and nurture the mutual commitment between employees and the organization – so both succeed. It requires us to be open-minded to the preferences and ideas suggested by our teams and be willing to adapt and change to achieve our goals. This training will discuss the ways supervisors and leaders can encourage employee engagement through building trust, encouraging professional development, mindful goal setting, and thoughtful communication.
Professional passion goes beyond simply being happy at work. Happiness is situational; passion comes from purpose, engagement, and connection to something bigger. This session explores how perspective shapes motivation, how challenges can be reframed as opportunities, and how supervisors can inspire passion and engagement in their teams through intentional leadership practices.
Conflict and drama are a top culprit of workplace frustration. Everyone hopes to work at a job where people get along and happily go about doing their jobs, but you have likely experienced a different reality at some point in your career. This topic will look at the causes of workplace conflict and drama, the high cost such behaviors have on our teams, and what supervisors can do to help change the tone. Using the tools we’ve learned about coaching, mentoring and having difficult conversations, we will create strategies to hold individuals accountable for their role in disrupting the workplace and find ways to support and elevate employees who are doing a great job.
Many of us are uncomfortable when it comes to talking to employees about performance issues. We sometimes let the little things go only to find ourselves dealing with much bigger issues just a few weeks or months later. We also struggle with challenging staffing issues and worry that if we hold staff accountable, they’ll just quit. But there is a middle ground. There are ways to voice concerns about performance and walk out of the meeting without tears or anger. Getting better at difficult conversations starts with building trust with our teams, continues with our supervisory approach, and culminates when we discuss and hold staff accountable in a positive and growth-driven way. This training will help participants gain confidence and skills to improve their ability to succeed at the difficult parts of supervision.
Being an effective communicator is one of the most important skills a supervisor can possess. At work, we use a variety of methods of communication, both in person and using technology, and sometimes our tone or the content can be misunderstood. Communication is also a very important skill when you are coaching an employee. Whether you are working with a new staff or trying to help a seasoned staff improve their performance, effectively coaching employees can be the difference between your workplace feeling like a revolving door or feeling stable. This topic will center on improving your skills to deliver information, instructions, and feedback in a way that offers clarity and builds trust with your team members.
Each of us have preferences that dictate the ways that we prefer to collaborate, execute, and communicate at work. Successful supervisors need to understand the variety of different preferences and styles that are possessed by their team members in order to bring people together, assign tasks and ensure success. This session will use True Colors® to help us determine our dominant style preferences, while helping us better understand how to work, collaborate, and supervise people who approach work differently than we do. Through engaging exercises and activities, we’ll learn how we can be better peers, co-workers and supervisors through improved understanding of the strengths and attributes each person brings to our team.
Successful supervisors, managers and leaders recognize the need to develop organization, delegation, and communication skills to support successful teams. But those traits fall flat if they aren’t demonstrated within a culture of trust. A team that focuses on building and maintaining trust will also enjoy lower turnover, better connection and productivity, and happier employees. In this training, we will build a framework within the 4 Cs (Care, Communication, Competence and Consistency) to support building trust at all levels of your agency. We will examine actions that build and erode trusting relationships, including the difference between support and surveillance. Participants will gain knowledge and skills to bring back to their teams to cultivate trust in their workplace.
Figuring out how to create and maintain professional boundaries at work is common struggle for supervisors. Employees report wanting to feel connected, respected and valued by their supervisor, but supervisors sometimes struggle in those gray areas between friendship and authority. In this session, we will look at how appropriate boundaries can actually be freeing and help prevent conflicts while fostering positive, interpersonal, workplace relationships. Learn how to set clear and customized boundaries for yourself, those you supervise and your team as whole. Recognizing boundaries not only as limitations, but as ways to empower your team, will also help you in achieving your goals for coaching, counseling and motivating staff.
We all have things we’d like to accomplish, goals that we set, and stories of giving up in failure. We hear a lot of about the importance of self-care in our field, but occasionally doing something nice for ourselves creates only a moment of happiness, not a path to longer term contentment and growth. Learning how to evaluate, understand and tweak our habits is the key to achieving our goals, and living a more successful personal and professional life. In this training, we will examine the role of habits in our lives. We will look at the choices that we make at home and at work, and how they influence what we accomplish. We will look at how habits are formed, how they are changed, and how they are maintained. This training will help you be better able to identify, evaluate, and find a path to achieving your personal and professional goals.
Have you recently learned that you are a part of the 20% of providers required to complete DWRS Cost Reporting to continue receiving waiver payments? Don’t worry! If your payments have stopped – all missed funds will be paid to you in full once your DWRS Cost Reporting is completed! You may have many questions: What is DWRS Cost Reporting? Why do you have to do it? And most importantly, HOW do you do it? In this course, you will get the answers you need. We will walk through the entire reporting process and how to navigate the DWRS cost reporting portal. You will also be given the tools you need to gather the required information and successfully input it into the report. You will also learn how to track and meet the DWRS Compensation Thresholds requirements for various types of DWRS services. Let us ease your stress and give you the information you need to confidently complete your DWRS cost report!
Topics:
Audience: personnel who are responsible for completing financial reporting for the organization.
Completing the Rate Management Worksheet 6790C – Part 2: Advanced is intended for individuals who know the basics of the 6790C. This course will examine complicated staffing patterns including homes where people receive services during the day so the staffing ratio is not based on licensed capacity. Additional information will also be discussed regarding this often times confusing document.
Course objectives:
We encourage you to take this advanced course after Completing the Rate Management Worksheet 6790C – Part 1: The Basics course. The more knowledge you have the easier the paperwork completion can be! Come gain the information you need and increase your confidence!
As basic support service providers it may feel like much of MN Statutes, chapter 245D doesn’t apply. But…much of 245D does apply! This includes recognizing, responding, and reporting incidents! Basic support service providers under chapter 245D may not even be specifically required to have an incident response and reporting policy – though it is highly recommended. Incidents require a response from the provider including reporting, identifying patterns, and taking corrective action. So what is an incident and what do you need to do? This course will take the provider through identification of incidents to the final follow up.
Course topics:
Be prepared for incidents with the information you receive in this class! Preparing and responding quickly and correctly to incidents can help the people you support trust that you are there to provide for their health and safety. Now that is a reason to take action!
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Positive support strategies (PSS) are a focus of 245D licensing reviews and can result in violations related to lack of development and implementation. Each person supported is required to have positive support strategies in place, regardless of the service they receive. Does your documentation reflect the PSS requirements in 245D and the Positive Supports Rule? You may be asking, what are they and why does my basic support services documentation need to include PSS? Those are excellent questions and this course is designed to answer them and provide insights into so much more! You will learn strategies to develop PSS in a practical and person-centered way.
Topics will include:
After this course, you will feel ready to develop your skills in writing positive support strategies. This isn’t only to meet licensing requirements, but also to positively impact the lives of the people you support!
Audience: Designated Coordinators, Designated Managers, and other positions responsible for completing the addendum paperwork for people supported.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
MN Statutes, chapter 245D, requires all service providers to have a Designated Coordinator (DC) and a Designated Manager (DM). But what exactly are these positions responsible for? This session is designed for agencies and DCs/DMs who are responsible for oversight of basic support services specifically.
Course objectives:
Being a DC and DM can feel overwhelming especially when more and more responsibilities fall onto the shoulders of these positions. Many DCs and DMs find themselves being held accountable for compliance to chapter 245D without understanding how their role is vital to that area. This session is a fantastic introduction to the DC and DM world of responsibilities. Once completed, other STAR Services virtual and live trainings are available to advance a DC’s and DM’s understanding and skills to the next level.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.2 for Nurses, 1 for Social Workers
Do you know is required for you as a Basic Support Service provider? What does the year look like for someone receiving a basic service? If you aren’t completely sure, this class is for you! Or perhaps you are sure, but you are hoping for validation – please, come join us!
Course objectives:
This virtual classroom is designed specifically for basic support services providers licensed under MN Statutes, chapter 245D.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
This class is ideal for new 245D providers or managers who have little to no previous experience, or for those wanting a foundational level course on 245D services and the field of disabilities. During this course, we will explore many topics including terminology, statutes and regulations, waiver information, the purpose of licensure, your roles and responsibilities according to state regulations, and much more!
Course Objectives:
Though specifically geared to new providers or those who have limited experience in the field, long term human service professionals can also benefit from the information as a refresher.
Audience: License holders, or Designated Coordinators and Designated Managers who are seeking to understand the foundations of home and community-based services.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Preventing fraud is a responsibility that is vital to the ongoing health of an organization and the services provided. Too often fraud occurs because of lack of systems, oversight, and accountability. As a Medicaid provider, you are required to have fraud prevention measures in place. Every 245D licensed provider needs a Designated Manager (DM) and Public Funds Compliance Officer (PFCO) and both are responsible for ensuring public funds are being used correctly. These two positions and the organization as a whole must implement strategies to prevent and respond to fraud.
Topics:
Audience: Designated Managers, Public Funds Compliance Officers, and anyone who takes responsibility for the financial management of the program.
The Self-Management Assessment (SMA) is an important, but often misunderstood and underutilized, document. Required for all 245D Intensive Service recipients, the SMA is designed to provide a clear, person-centered picture of each person’s strengths, skills, and abilities, creating a strong foundation for effective, high-quality supports. This course provides practical instruction on how to write an accurate, compliant SMA that not only meets requirements, but also strengthens the services you provide through person-centered practices. You’ll explore each required area of the SMA and learn how to assess strengths, skills and abilities, and behaviors that impact a person’s ability to self-manage. The course also highlights common documentation errors and offers guidance on how to develop meaningful supports based on the information captured in the document.
Course Objectives:
This course is designed for Designated Coordinators/Designated Managers or other positions who are responsible for developing addendum documents for people supported.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Have you ever just thrown something together for supper and afterwards felt underwhelmed and hungry for more? The Individual Abuse Prevention Plan (IAPP) is much like that when a person begins receiving services at a new company. The DC or DM quickly throws together whatever information may be available for the admission meeting and unfortunately sets the foundation for inaccurate or incomplete services and supports. The IAPP is a necessary and important document that identifies areas where a person may be vulnerable. Upon assessment of their vulnerabilities, person-centered and effective supports can be specifically developed for the person to minimize or eliminate the risk of harm to the person. Failure to have adequate IAPPs can result in harm to the person, maltreatment or incidents, poor staff training, and inadequate service and support implementation. It is critical that the IAPP is written well immediately at admission and continuously reviewed and updated (when needed) as the person changes and throughout the year.
Course Objectives:
Be on the front of developing comprehensive IAPPs that support the person in their health, safety, and well-being!
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
The Support Plan (SP) addendum requirements have been included into MN Statutes, Chapter 245D regulations since its inception. But what exactly is the “addendum?” Addendum requirements are found throughout statute and can seem complicated and hard to understand. What exactly are these requirements and how do you, as a Designated Coordinator or Designated Manager (DC or DM), assess those areas and implement them? At the heart of all compliant and well-written documents is an understanding of what those documents are intended to do and how to write them in a person-centered way. This course will guide DCs and DMs to understand compliance, as well as how to write all aspects of the addendum in a way that will have positive benefits for each person supported.
Course Objectives:
This course is specifically for licensed 245D intensive support service providers. If you are also licensed to provide basic support services, also check out our other available courses on those particular topics. It is designed to support Designated Coordinators/Designated Managers or anyone responsible for developing addendum requirements.
CEU Contact Hours: 3.6 for Nurses, 3 for Social Workers
It is recognized that 245D licensed basic support services do require less documentation that intensive support services. However, they are still required to have SP addendum information in each person’s file. This information directs the services that each person receives from the provider.
This session is designed specifically for basic support service licensed providers. We will explore the 4 Ws (who, what, when, and why) and the how of the SP addendum.
Course objectives:
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Positive support strategies are a focus of 245D licensing reviews with resulting violations on how they are not being implemented. Each person supported is required to have positive support strategies in place, regardless of the service they receive. Does your documentation reflect the PSS requirements in 245D and the Positive Supports Rule? You may be asking, what are they? What does my documentation need to include to adequately address PSS? Those are excellent questions, and this course is designed to answer them and provide insights into so much more!
You will learn and practice strategies to develop PSS in a practical and person-centered way including:
Learning about positive support strategies is exciting! After this course, you will feel ready to develop your skills in writing positive support strategies. This isn’t necessary only to meet licensing requirements, but also to positively impact the lives of the people you support!
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
As a Designated Coordinator or Designated Manager, it can be hard to keep everything straight especially for Intensive Support Services! There are so many differing timelines and documents that compliance issues can easily happen. We will walk through all 245D and the Positive Supports Rule documentation requirements from pre-admission to the annual meeting for the people you support. In addition, 245D temporary service suspension and termination limitations and standards will be discussed. You will receive tools you can use to help keep the requirements organized and help you to avoid missing the mandatory deadlines.
When people think of permitted actions, they often assume they don’t use them with the people they support. However, permitted actions are quite common and are a frequently missed in required 245D documentation requirements Permitted actions are ways in which we can compassionately support someone that effectively uses touch or physical redirection.
Topics:
When we increase our knowledge of these actions, we can confidently train our staff to understand and implement them correctly. Helping staff know the difference between permitted actions and prohibited procedures can be crucial to reduce or eliminate possible maltreatment. Be one step further on your road to compliance as you explore permitted actions and see the benefits of providing person-centered, high quality support!
Audience: Designated Coordinators, Designated Managers, Program Directors, or anyone who is responsible for compliance through out the organization.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Even after all of the amazing person-centered thinking and actions that have been taken in MN over many years, there can still be an incorrect perception. This perception is “I am solely responsible to meet the person’s health and safety needs.” Though meeting this requirement is necessary, it is far from the only responsibilities we have. Much of what providers do involves community integration and inclusion, promoting a person’s level of independence and autonomy, and choice. These actions as well as the inherent belief of it, can change the very way we see our role and how we lead our staff. How can we increase awareness and action in our direct support staff to help people become an integral part of their community? If we changed how we trained our staff, what results would we get? What would life look like for the people we support? Come explore:
Perhaps you have taken other person-centered classes and wonder what could be different here. Often we view person-centered thinking, language, and action to supplement or come alongside our job duties, not be our job duties! This session will help you change that thinking!
CEU Contact Hours: 1.2 for Nurses, 1 for Social Workers
While the term “person-centered” is often used broadly in our field, it can leave you wondering, Am I doing this right? Where do I begin? This course is here to guide you. Person-centered tools are a simple but effective way to gather meaningful insights and lay the foundation of truly person-centered support. In this course you will learn how to effectively use person-centered tools including, Important To and Important For, Good Day/ Bad Day, Positive Reputation, What’s Working/Not Working, and more! With strategies for real-world application, you’ll discover how to incorporate these tools into your daily support. The result? Improved quality of support which will help people achieve the lives they have always desired. Let’s make a difference together—embrace these transformative tools and ensure a higher quality of life for the people you support!
Course topics:
CEU Contact Hours: 2.4 for Nurses, 2 for Social Workers
Throughout history, we have seen people experiencing lack of choice, freedom, and the ability to assert their own rights. In Minnesota, we believe strongly in the power of rights for people supported. This course is dedicated to reviewing and understanding the rights that people have through 245D licensed services. It is a privilege as a provider to help people understand and assert their rights.
We will explore:
Through strong understanding of 245D rights and their implementation, people supported can have greater power and authority of their own lives than ever before. You can be a strong advocate for every person you support, and this course will move you in that direction.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
The Positive Supports Rule (PSR) applies to all 245D providers and it contains critical information that must be confidently implemented. Two important sections of the PSR include prohibited procedures and restricted procedures. Staff need to have a clear understanding of these requirements as failure to know them well can result in maltreatment. This course dives into two categories of procedures, including the 30 listed prohibited procedures in MN Statutes, Chapter 245D, and MN Rules, Chapter 9544. We will spend additional time focused on several of the prohibited procedures. The course also covers the two types of restricted procedures, Emergency Use of Manual Restraint (EUMR) and Positive Support Transition Plans (PSTP), including essential reporting and documentation requirements.
Topics:
By the end of the session, participants will leave equipped to ensure future compliance and in the ability to effectively support their staff in these key areas.
Audience: Designated Coordinators, Designated Managers, Program Directors, or anyone who is responsible for compliance through out the organization.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
How many of us can actually say, “Yes! I know MN Statutes, Chapter 245D like the back of my hand”? Probably not many of us. It is one thing to understand the “big” pieces of compliance requirements such as addendum paperwork, but what about those small, just-as-important compliance pieces? What if we’ve been doing things the same way for years, assuming we were compliant, but something was missing? To add to the complexity, there are other regulations we must follow in addition to MN Statutes, Chapter 245D. These intense, sometimes hard to locate, requirements can become mixed up and confused. Whether you are a 245D intensive or basic support service provider, you will benefit from this session!
Topics:
Come and learn from an expert who knows Chapter 245D and other applicable regulations like the back of their hand!
Audience: Designated Coordinators, Designated Managers, Program Directors, or anyone who is responsible for compliance through out the organization.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
CEU Contact Hours: 1.2 for Nurses, 1 for Social Workers
Many 245D providers have the unique opportunity to support people in a location that they can call home. Even though this house is the person’s home, the provider is responsible for ensuring that all Community Residential Setting requirements are met when the house is licensed as a 245D-CRS satellite site. It is essential that all people supported are able to live in a clean, safe, and comfortable home. How can you, as the provider, balance the comfort of a home while fulling state statutory requirements? Come and review these CRS requirements and leave with refreshed knowledge on how you can make a house, a home. This class will cover the following topics:
CEU Contact Hours: 1.2 for Nurses, 1 for Social Workers
CEU Contact Hours: 1.2 for Nurses, 1 for Social Workers
What do you dream about? What are your hopes for yourself? Everyone has desires that motivate them to improve and grow in their lives. Too often, the people we support experience “dreams” or “outcomes” that are forced or placed upon them. Person-centered outcomes are solely developed by the person and for the person. How can we as providers understand the heart of person-centered outcomes while meeting the requirements of regulations? The first step is changing our mindset from “old school” to “new school!” Counteracting traditional or service-based philosophies with person-centered philosophies is the heart of change and learners will feel empowered to do just that after this session!
Course objectives:
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Facilitating another dull support team meeting? Writing another dry progress report? Are you bored by yet another task that must be done for compliance purposes? Writing reports and facilitating meetings don’t need to be this way, in fact they shouldn’t be this way! Providers should take each opportunity available to bring in the positive and uniqueness of each person served! Yes, paperwork and meetings must be done and compliance must be met, but how we do that as providers is up to us! Be creative and have fun in writing these reports and conducting the meetings!
Course objectives:
Don’t get stuck in the mindset of “This is how we do it” or “This is the way we have always done it!” The heart of person-centered approaches is looking for different, positive ways of meeting a person’s needs and wants. No one wants to be involved in a boring or negative meeting or report. Take time to brainstorm ways to change how you facilitate meetings and write reports (and other documents too)!
CEU Contact Hours: 1.2 for Nurses, 1 for Social Workers
Imagine being introduced to someone new and only the negative things about you were discussed! Your medical conditions, psychological profiles, and any negative behaviors pinpointed and turned into a label that stays with you for a very long time. How would you feel? Alone? Angry? Depressed? Isolated? This type of information wouldn’t be a true reflection of who you are, but too often that is the case for the people we support. They are often labelled by their conditions, behaviors, and past without many people taking the time to truly get to know them beyond those labels. A One Page Description is a positive introduction to a person. It always includes three major topics: what is important to a person, what people like and admire about them, and how the person wants to be supported. It can include much more and can be used for a variety of purposes to help ensure the people we support aren’t defined by old school, system-based thinking.
Course objectives:
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
We have all heard stories or reports regarding the maltreatment of vulnerable adults or minors. Though this is a situation we desperately do not want to happen to the people we support, we must be prepared in the event it does. We need to understand what the Vulnerable Adult Act states, as well as MN Statutes, Chapter 245D regarding reporting and review requirements for maltreatment. It is vitally important to understand situations in which an internal review must be done and how to properly complete one. A thorough internal review will assist in identifying patterns, taking corrective action, and preventing major incidents in the future. Internal reviews also serve as guidance towards employment and program compliance-related issues.
Topics will include:
Participants will leave with a greater understanding of situations requiring internal reviews and how to complete them correctly. Providers need to be confident in recognizing, responding to, reporting, and reviewing maltreatment. This course will enable participants to have the confidence they need to complete all of these steps!
Audience: Designated Coordinators, Designated Managers, Directors/Managers, and other positions responsible for completing internal reviews
CEU Contact Hours: 2.4 for Nurses, 2 for Social Workers
We all have choices throughout the day and we likely make our decisions by balancing what we want and like, while also considering our health and safety. When supporting others, helping people balance Important TO and Important FOR can be challenging. “It was her choice to eat 6 donuts,” or “He can’t hang out with her because she’s a bad influence.” How can we support people to live their best and fullest life – one away is to use and implement the tool Important To and Important For.
Together we will discuss:
This virtual class will give you the skills you need to support people in making an informed choice that balances TO and FOR.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.2 for Nurses, 1 for Social Workers
As a 245D service provider, we always hope that an incident or emergency doesn’t happen, but we know that they easily can. When incidents and emergencies occur, there is likely to be high stress and confusion. We need to be prepared for when an incident or emergency occurs, and confidently know what to do and when. In this course, we will discuss what needs to be reported, when to report, and to whom. You will gain insight into what qualifies as an incident or emergency, appropriate responses, and what reporting requirements must be met.
Course objectives:
After this course, you will feel prepared to compliantly and confidently handle any incidents and emergencies!
Audience: Designated Coordinators, Designated Managers, and positions responsible for reviewing incident and emergency reports and taking corrective action.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
An often overlooked but vital aspect of the Support Plan addendum is the provider’s responsibility in assisting with a person’s health needs. A person’s health needs are varied: medication, appointments, health conditions, and medical-related equipment to name a few. Do you know what your responsibilities are? Have you developed documentation to adequately address all of the required 245D components for each person you support? Do you know what your responsibilities are related to meeting these needs? Have you developed documentation to adequately address all of the required 245D components for each person you support? This isn’t only about compliance, but also ensuring your responsibilities are clearly outlined so that staff can provide the best support possible! Join us as we discuss important information to ensure you are compliant and consistent in the area of health needs.
We will discuss:
Audience: Designated Coordinators, Designated Managers, and nursing staff responsible for the development of supports to meet the health needs of people supported.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Managers are being asked to do even more than normal. We are being challenged to not only complete our traditional job functions, but we are also are also dealing with new challenges supporting our teams, the individuals we support, and our own families as they cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. These stressors can cause conflict. Conflicts can manifest between staff and the people we support, between team members, and between managers and those they supervise. This session will focus on understanding how to cope with challenging times, developing and fostering self-awareness and self-care patterns, and finding the balance between empathy and accountability so staff can be more effective in their positions while creating a healthier team.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.2 for Nurses, 1 for Social Workers
Supervising is hard. Many staff report that the day-to-day challenges of supervising people leaves them perplexed and overwhelmed. Supervisors sometimes find solace in hiding behind projects or tasks, rather than figuring out how to navigate difficult and complex situations with people. In this class, we will look at 5 common challenges supervisors face, while looking for solutions that can work across teams as well as customized approaches for particularly difficult employee situations.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.2 for Nurses, 1 for Social Workers
A Designated Manager (DM) is an important member of your company. Every provider wants their company to be the best, have a great reputation, and to provide person-centered services. The DM is directly responsible for ensuring high quality in all of those areas. This important position has significant responsibilities to the people, staff, operations, and company as a whole. DMs must be knowledgeable about regulations, your organization’s compliance, and program quality assurance and improvements. When areas need quality improvement, the DM focuses on ways to correct those areas and works with other team members to make that happen. When DMs take time to invest in their education a smooth future of compliance and oversight can happen. Participants will gain valuable knowledge of their job responsibilities so they can achieve compliance requirements at their organization.
Course topics:
Audience: Current or aspiring Designated Managers. Supervisors of Designated Managers would also benefit from this session to further their awareness of the DM job responsibilities.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
A 245D provider’s Designated Coordinators (DC) have many responsibilities to not only the people supported, but also to staff and all those compliance requirements. Correction Orders from DHS Licensing Reviews are revealing that many Designated Coordinators may not truly understand these responsibilities and how to implement practices that follow 245D requirements. Chapter 245D has very specific responsibilities for this position, including professional oversight of the services being provided to each person. This course dives into the critical responsibilities of a DC, including what licensors are looking for, and offering practical guidance on their implementation.
Course topics:
Being a DC can feel overwhelming especially when more and more responsibilities fall onto the shoulders of this position. Many DCs find themselves being held accountable for compliance to Chapter 245D without understanding how their role is vital to that area. This session is a fantastic introduction to the DC’s world of responsibilities. Once completed, other STAR Services virtual and live trainings are available to advance a DC’s understanding and skills to the next level. Join us to gain valuable tools and insights for how DCs can confidently fulfill their responsibilities.
Audience: Current or aspiring Designated Coordinators. Supervisors of Designated Coordinators would also benefit from this session to further their awareness of the DC job responsibilities.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Incorrectly filling out the 6790C (Family Residential Services [FRS]/Community Residential Services [CRS] financial form) can lead to major ramifications including being underpaid for the services you are providing or potentially committing fraud by over reporting your services. Not sure where the numbers for the 6790C come from? Or how these numbers determine your rate for each person you support? No worries! Avoid becoming overwhelmed and join us in this session to take the mystery out of completing this form.
Course objectives:
Whether you’re a FRS/CRS provider or a case manager, this course will be beneficial for you. If you are wanting to gain the knowledge you need to ensure your 6790C is accurate, and not just your best guess, this course is for you!
Effective and engaging training is vital to ensuring staff are competent to support people in your company. One of the most common violations providers receive in correction orders is their staff training or lack of training and missing documentation. There have been multiple changes over the years to staff training leaving many providers using out-of-date practices. This session will review 245D and the Positive Supports Rule training requirements for direct support staff and managers. In addition, the following topics will be discussed:
By having effective and competent staff training, you can help ensure your quality to 245D and the PSR regulatory requirements. Don’t find those violations for staff training on any future correction orders! Not only does this address correction orders, it will definitely help your program provide the best possible supports to people. Staff will feel more equipped and focused on person-centered care if their training meets their needs and learning styles. Come and learn how to bring the best training to your staff!
CEU Contact Hours: 1.8 for Nurses, 1.5 for Social Workers
Even in these unusual times, there have been legislative changes that will affect your services. The 2020 Legislative Session and Special Session included changes to 245D and the Maltreatment of Minors Act. These changes will impact your operations including policies, procedures, forms, and staff training. Join us as we walk through the changes and discuss what you need to do to implement them.
CEU Contact Hours: 1.2 for Nurses, 1 for Social Workers
Betsy has worked in the field of developmental disabilities since 1980 and executing person-centered planning since the early 1990s. She is a certified trainer and mentor for Person-Centered Thinking and Person-Centered Planning and one of five Person-Centered Thinking and Planning mentors in Minnesota. She has trained people all over the country including families, educators, county case managers, providers, and people receiving service. Betsy is passionate about people having positive control over a life they desire.
Jen has been supporting people for 25 years. She has excelled in the role of Designated Manager, Designated Coordinator, and planner. Jen has recently begun formal planning using MAPs, Paths and Liberty Plan, but Person-Centered Thinking has been the foundation of her career. Each person has always been the focus for Jen and supporting them to reach their goals and dreams has been her mission. She has done this through educating others, families, guardians, case managers, and DSPs on what is Important To and Important For each person as well as Power With versus Power Over. Through careful listening and thoughtful questioning, Jen learns who each person is and facilitates growth.
Lillian has an Associate of Arts in Health Care Management and has worked in the Human Service field for over 25 years. A favorite of STAR’s students, Lillian’s experience includes working in ICF/DDs and In-Home Support Services. Outside of her work at STAR, Lillian is always on the move as a personal trainer and a volunteer firefighter. Lillian is also a MANDT and Crisis Prevention Institute instructor.
Eric has consulted with many providers over the past 15 years, primarily on financial issues such as budget forecasting, contract negotiation, and rate development. He also has over 10 years of experience developing and leading a Fiscal Support Entity that provided self-directed services. Eric has been a leader in promoting self-directed services in collaboration with advocacy groups, counties, and DHS.
Jennifer has been with STAR Services since 2002 and oversees several departments including online training, contracted staffing, and customer relations. She has a passion for staff training and development and enjoys presenting on Positive Psychology, management topics, workforce motivation, and strategic planning. In 2015, she was named as an Emerging Leader in the field of disabilities by ANCOR. Jennifer graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with BAs in Political Science and International Relations, and a MA in Liberal Arts with concentrations in Political Science and History.
Dennis has worked in the area of Human Services since 2005. His experience includes working in residential and day program settings. Prior to that, much of his work involved teaching in traditional and non-traditional settings, including 5 years in the Peace Corps where he worked side-by-side with people to improve their farms and manage resources. Additionally, he spent several years teaching a broad array of topics like Mathematics, Biology, First Aid, and CPR. Currently, in addition to working as a STAR consultant and trainer, he leads training for Person-Centered Thinking and facilitates Person-Centered Planning events.
Sarah has worked as a Designated Coordinator in residential settings and as a program manager for a vocational provider. She has a BA in Psychology and an AA in Medical Administrative Assistance. With over 20 years of experience working in the field of developmental disabilities, Sarah fully understands the training requirements and needs of direct care and management level staff. Sarah has a natural talent for helping participants improve their skills, confidence, and effectiveness.
Angie Hart has over 25 years of experience working with people with developmental disabilities. Through her work as a corporate trainer and consultant, Angie has assisted companies with compliance issues and program development. She uses her experience as a direct support professional, QDDP, Manager of an ICF/DD, and Director of ICF/DD and Waivered Services to teach human service professionals the “ins and outs” of regulations, as well as leading and managing staff in social services. Angie is a Helen Sanderson Accredited Trainer for One Page Profiles and Person-Centered Reviews, received in 2018.
Becky began her career in Human Services as direct support staff in an ICF/DD and has since had experiences supporting children and adults with various diagnoses. Becky combines her BS in Psychology and her experiences as an ICF/DD program manager, director of a DTH, and 22 years as a licensor with the Department of Human Services, to create practical applications of the rules and regulations that are vital to providing effective and compliant services.
Shauna has 15 years of experience working with people with developmental disabilities. She started her career working as a Personal Care Assistant for children and then went on to work with adults as a direct support professional in both residential and day service settings and as a Manager of a community-based DTH and employment service. Shauna graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a BA in Sociology and Anthropology, and she uses her education and experience to help human service professionals provide person-centered services that are both meaningful and compliant.
Leane has experience in managing ICF/DD programs assisting individuals with various diagnoses and needs as well as unique experience in aiding in the inception of Minnesota’s first home specifically for adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. She graduated from Clarke College and applies her combined studies in psychology and drama/speech with her first hand experiences to facilitate interactive, dynamic, and relevant training. Leane has received MAPS and PATH training from Inclusion Press, Jack Pearpoint and Lynda Kahn with permission to teach MAPS and PATH.