Personal Support Workers
What is a Personal Support Worker?
A Personal Support Worker, PSW, acts as an aide and companion to a person with an intellectual or developmental disability, I/DD. It is the role of the PSW to help the person they are supporting work towards their goals of independence and connection with the community.
Specific duties depend entirely on the needs of the person and may change over time.
Examples of the Support PSWs Provide
Grocery Shopping
Budgeting
Cooking
Cleaning
Public Transportation
Community Safety
Job Assistance
Medical Advocacy
Social Skills
Relationship Building
How it all works:
PSWs are paid through a state funded program called Home-Based Support, HBS. The purpose of the program is to promote independence and integration in the community. People awarded HBS receive an allotment of money each month they can use to pay PSWs.
What is Community Choices role?
Community Choices does not employ PSWs. The person with I/DD or their representative is the employer.
Our role includes:
- Recruiting and referring PSWs to people looking to hire
- Assisting with enrollment and timekeeping
- Working with PSWs and people with I/DD to develop support strategies, as needed
Ready to get started?
You can add yourself to our PSW Database!
Families will choose potential PSWs to interview and/or hire from our database.