A locally grown initiative is taking root and making changes to the work environment for disability workers in the province.
The Alberta Disability Workers Association (ADWA) is similar to the Alberta College of Social Workers, said Tim Bear, executive director for SPAN and the new association’s president. ADWA assists in setting ethical standards, providing descriptions of job classifications, defining education and training requirements and setting provincial standards for wages and benefits for disability workers.
“As a disability worker, I want to have a voice to advocate on our behalf,” said Roberta Jones, a 15-year SPAN employee and a member of the professional association. She said it is important to have consistent provincial standards for ethics, education and wages.
It all began in 2004 when group of young leaders approached the Alberta Council of Disability Services (ACDS) and asked them to support the devolvement of a professional association, said Bear.
“I was impressed by their interest and by their initiative,” said Bear, describing them as a group of dedicated young people without many resources.
Bear made a proposal to the SPAN board in 2007 and asked it to consider being a leader in this area and see what kind of legacy they could leave to the disability services industry by launching or at least seeding a disabilities services organization. The board supported the concept and dedicated $60,000 toward the development of a professional association.
“Most of the volunteers on the SPAN board are professionals and know the value of having a professional association,” said Bear. “SPAN is unquestionably the founding father of the association.”
A steering committee was set up in 2008 and the public was invited to a number of round table discussions throughout the province, including a world café in Kananaskis with over 230 people attending.
Professionals were hired to do surveys and help define what was wanted from a professional association, Bear said.
“We tried to draw as many people as possible into defining what it is they want to see from a professional association,” said Bear.
The organization has about 350 members but Bear estimates there are 17,000 disability workers in the province that are eligible to join. Although it was a SPAN initiative, the provincial association represents the entire province, clarified Bear. ADWA executive director Colin Reichle, from St. Albert, is traveling the province meeting with disability workers explaining the advantages of joining the association.
One of the top priorities is education. Disability workers often take courses, attend conferences, training sessions and seminars but it doesn’t add up to a diploma or certificate, said Bear. The better qualifications workers have and the more standards they meet, the more likely they will stay and make it a career. Well qualified staff are happier and do a better job resulting in better outcomes for people with disabilities, said Bear.
The average employee turnover rate in the province is about 25 per cent.
“One of every four people is leaving disability services every year. That has huge implications for the people we serve. It’s traumatic to lose key staff,” said Bear.
A survey done earlier this year indicated 93 per cent of people in the industry feel wages are the number one priority, Bear said.
“Our association is advocating for a living wage,” said Bear. The average front line worker, just out of high school with a couple of training courses would earn about $15 per hour. With additional training and a diploma that increases to $18 to $20 per hour, he said.
“That’s not good enough in our economy,” Bear said. “Wages really do affect everything. If you can’t pay your student loan, car payment and rent in the same month because your wages are too low, that causes problems.”
One of the issues about wages is inconsistency between agencies and even between different programs within one agency. Some programs get special funding so the workers in those programs are paid more. “If you do the same work, you should get paid the same wage,” said Jones.
The recent murder of disability worker Valerie Wolski, a disability worker in Camrose, brings to light issues of safety, said Bear.
“As a professional association we are concerned when any member is injured or killed while in service because it calls into question the circumstances and working conditions around their job,” said Bear. In this case, “the workplace health and safety report clearly identified that information and resources were lacking,” he said. The Canadian Mental Health Association in Camrose was led to believe the disabled individual was safe to be in the community and safe for one to one supervision, said Bear, adding the organization was not told there was a greater risk for female staff.
“There were just too many documents that were simply not shared. Even PDD’s (Persons with Developmental Disabilities) own in-house psychologist indicated this man was far too great a risk for community placement and those statements were ignored,” Bear said. “They didn’t advise the service provider that male staff was required nor did they provide the funding for two staff members. Sometimes decisions are made for the wrong reasons.”
The solution is for service providers and professional associations to have a good working relationship with other agencies, he said.
“It is absolutely critical to have a trust relationship with government and other stakeholders,” said Bear.
In the St. Paul area, Bear estimates there are about 300 disability workers. Some are employed by SPAN but others are working on private contracts hired directly by family members of the disabled individual. Privately contracted workers may feel isolated and left out of training opportunities, according Bear.
The ADWA welcomes applicants from all disability workers. There is information available on the association’s website www.disabilityworkers.ca and it regularly sends out e-bulletins about issues affecting the industry.
