Spectrum Arch, Inc.For many families who self-direct, staffing is the hardest part. Often it isn't the hiring. It's the 6:30 a.m. text that says, "Sorry, I can't make it today."
You can't prevent every absence. You can decide ahead of time what happens when one comes.
Have more than one person
If a single staff member covers all of the hours, every absence leaves a gap. Where the budget allows, split the hours between two or three people, even if one of them only works a shift or two a week. They learn the routines, and they're the first call when someone is out.
Bringing on backup staff takes time: paperwork, background checks, and trainings through your Fiscal Intermediary. Do it before you need them, not the week someone quits.
Know your fallback options
- Family or friends who can cover a few hours in an emergency, and who have agreed to it in advance.
- Respite through a provider, if it's in the plan.
- Adjusting the day. Sometimes the right answer is a quieter day at home rather than a scramble to keep every activity.
Write a one-page call-out plan
Put it on the fridge and share it with every staff member:
- How staff should tell you they can't come, and how much notice you expect.
- Who to call next, in order, with phone numbers.
- What the person's day looks like if plans change, and how to explain the change to them.
Changes in routine are hard for many autistic adults. A plan that includes how to tell them matters as much as who covers the shift.
Talk it through with your Support Broker
A Support Broker can help you think through staffing patterns, recruiting, and how backup coverage fits in the self-direction budget. It's worth raising at every plan review, not only after a bad week.