Florida Direct Care Workers Hone Leadership, Advocacy Skills
HAINES CITY, Fla., June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Direct care workers from across the state honed their leadership and advocacy skills on June 14 and 15 in Haines City at the Florida Voices Institute, a state-level version of an intensive, interactive national training program. The training covered both personal and professional development, with attendees learning how to make their voices heard in policy discussions.
The event was co-hosted by the Direct Care Alliance (DCA) and the Florida Professional Association of Care Givers (FPACG). Attendees were direct care workers and members of FPACG. They were chosen for their commitment to excellence in the field of direct care and their leadership skills.
"We are training direct care workers to advocate for themselves so people in Florida and across the country can better appreciate the important work that we do," said FPACG President Joan Leah. "We need to help people understand that we all benefit when the direct care workforce is professionalized and direct care jobs are made better. Everyone wants to be able to find competent and committed workers when they or someone they love needs long term care services."
Direct care is the fastest growing job category in the country, with nearly 175,000 direct care workers projected to be working in Florida by 2018. "That makes these jobs vital to the state's and the nation's economic recovery, and we believe that there's no better way to improve them than to make sure that direct care workers have a voice," said DCA National Field Director Brenda Nachtway.
The Florida Voices Institute was supported by funding from the Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundation.
The Direct Care Alliance is the national advocacy voice of direct care workers in long-term care. We empower workers to speak out for better wages, benefits and training, so more people can commit to direct care as a career.
The Florida Professional Association of Care Givers serves a resource to direct care providers through advanced educational programs, professional recognition, and support and recruitment.
Contact: Joan Leah
305-772-7988 | [email protected]
SOURCE Direct Care Alliance, Inc.
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