In-Home and Community Services Program :

Respite and In-Home Supports for Children, Adolescents, and Adults

In-Home Respite

Community Respite

Supported Vacation

In-home and Community Supports

Positive Behavior Support Consultation and Planning

Person-Centered Futures Planning

Social Networking and Mentoring

Systems Advocacy

Service Description

DSA is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia as an intellectual disability supportive in-home and community service provider for children, adolescents and adults. We are a registered CSA service provider. DSA is affiliated in Northern Virginia with the Regional Human Rights Committee.

Our licensed services include:

• In-home respite: DSA’s professional team will work closely with the family to develop a plan of support and care in the person’s home to ensure health, safety and a positive experience while the regular caretaker is absent. Our professional staff members are sensitive to privacy, preference and safety needs of the individual and family. Staff members are bonded, and DSA’s seasoned management team provides 24 hour backup.

• Community respite: DSA staff actively supports individuals in maintaining a full life in the community while the regular caretaker is unavailable. For individuals who are unable to be cared for in their home settings, DSA will work with the family to identify and obtain a community setting in which respite care can safely be provided. As above, our staff are supported 24/7 by our management team.

• Supported vacations: In some cases, the preferred form of respite may be a vacation trip, with or without the primary caretaker. DSA staff can help the person and family in planning for a specific vacation and in providing staffing supports that are needed for a safe, healthy, enjoyable vacation experience.

• In-home and community supports: For individuals who are interested in longer term support with a focus on developing new skills and expanding their natural support systems, DSA will work with the person and family to customize a tailored plan of services.

Service Costs

All respite, in home, community and vacation supports require an initial comprehensive assessment and an individual service plan. The one time cost for this is $365, however $150 of this may be applied to the first provision of services. 

All service costs may vary depending on the intensity of supports needed. 

Urgent respite services (less than 7 days notice) begin at $57.50 per hour ($41.40 overnight)

Planned respite begins at $50 per hour, $36 per hour overnight. There is a 10% discount for 24 hour respite and a 12% discount for weekly respite. 

Longer term in-home and community supports begin at $45 per hour, but may vary depending on the intensity of supports needed. There is a 10% discount for 24 hour support and a 12% discount for weekly. 

If desired, families can coordinate to obtain services in small groups, and the service costs can be shared. Group service costs begin at $75 per hour.

For questions or further details concerning costs, please contact us.

Additional services include:

• Positive Behavior Support Consultation and Planning: For persons who experience difficulties with self-control and sometimes engage in behaviors that are challenging to manage, DSA can provide behavioral services including consultation, assessment and formal positive behavior support plans. DSA’s Director is a nationally credentialed clinician who has formal endorsement as a Positive Behavior Support Facilitator by the Partnership for People with Disabilities of Virginia Commonwealth University.
                                                             $120 per hour, $60 per hour of travel

• Person centered futures planning: DSA staff will work with individuals and families to put together a comprehensive personalized plan for the future along with a detailed analysis of immediate support needs. Such an approach addresses both short and long term service needs and preferences, and it yields a formal plan that can be useful in advocating for appropriate services both now and in the future.                                                                                             $100 per hour, $60 per hour of travel

• Social networking and mentoring: DSA offers personalized social networking to individuals who want the support of a professional mentor to assist them in achieving a rich social and recreational life. Mentors assist with social and event planning, getting to events, and with coaching in the community. This service is designed to allow groups of friends with like-minded interests to share staffing and transportation costs, and it offers an opportunity to go places without the direct support of parents. For those making frequent use of these services, DSA assists individuals to expand their natural support systems in the community.                                                                                                                                                                                            $75 per hour, plus activity and transportation
  

• Systems Advocacy: DSA will consult and work with the individual and family to obtain the supports and services needed for personal health, safety, learning and quality of life.                                                                             $120 per hour, $60 per hour of travel
  

Service Philosophy

The service philosophy of DSA reflects a belief in supporting and working with individuals to promote healthy lifestyles, meaningful relationships within the community, and relative autonomy in major life activities. All in-home services are designed to reflect the individual’s strengths, support needs and preferences in a personal and culturally sensitive manner.  Thoroughness, accuracy and timeliness are given high priority in the planning, implementation and review of services, in order to ensure a positive experience that is in compliance with all applicable policies, standards, rules and regulations. Above all, we seek to provide positive services that meet and exceed the expectations of the person and family.

Service Goals

DSA’s objective is to provide high quality in-home and community services to vulnerable individuals and their families or service providers. Staffing levels and support services are determined by the health and safety needs of the person, and by the personal preferences of the person and family.

Each specific support service offers a structured and goal oriented program of care designed to meet the individual’s emotional and physical needs, to provide protection, and to provide guidance and supervision as specified in the objectives of the individual’s service plan.

Description of the Population to be Served 

DSA’s in-home and community services are targeted towards children, adolescents and adults with intellectual, cognitive, developmental, physical, behavioral and/or mental health disabilities, as well as to their families and service providers.

Admission Criteria

In order to be admitted for in-home and community services, an individual must be considered to have a disability, must be unable to safely care for himself or herself, and must not be engaged in an immediate life threatening medical or psychiatric crisis.

Criteria for Exclusion from Services

DSA’s In-Home Services may not be appropriate for individuals who require primarily skilled nursing supports, whose primary mental health diagnoses are substance abuse or addiction, or who have a chronic forensic history.  DSA reserves the right to decline to provide in-home services in settings that are deemed unsafe or to individuals who present safety or health concerns that cannot adequately be addressed by available supports.