The Who, What, Why and How of the Parent Provider Program

How do you become a DDD Parent Provider?

If your child is eligible to receive Habilitation or Attendant Care services through the Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), you may be eligible to provide some of those services yourself as a paid Parent Provider.  This blog explains how AZA United can help.
 

THE WHO:

In recent years, the autism service landscape has changed and services providers have found that there are commonplace instances where a parent provides these services for their children and as such, they can be paid for providing this care. This is an option even if they aren’t taking time away from a paid career in order to do so.  
 

THE WHAT:

Here are the key points of this program to consider:

• Parents are allowed to provide Habilitation and Attendant Care services.
• If parents have another job and are working from home, they cannot provide DDD services during the same hours that they are getting paid by another employer.
• If an agency that has supported the family has an available provider, this option should be considered first.
• Parents will need to follow all standard requirements to perform the service objectives, implement appropriate techniques, take data, submit reports, etc. AZA United will provide information for Temporary Direct Care Workers on how to comply with service requirements and use all necessary reporting systems.
• All Attendant Care Providers must complete the state-required "Direct Care Worker (DCW Training" series.
• As of the publication date of this blog post, this program is set to expire in September of 2024.
   

THE WHY:

AZA United will always make every effort to match appropriate habilitation and attendant care workers with our clients, and families can still rely on us to do that to the best of our ability. However, there are a few reasons why some parents choose to be a Parent Provider. These include:

• The time it can take to find a suitable care worker
• The already-in-place care that is being provided is the best fit for the child
• If a parent is already providing this care, it makes sense to them that being paid for this service is the best option
• Parents can provide services in addition to other providers, to fill gaps in schedules or to provide all services when no other providers are available
   

THE HOW:

AZA United is pleased to be able to offer this opportunity for interested parents.  The first step is to fill out an application.  Our team will contact you with next steps.  This application is ONLY for parents/guardians who would like to work with their own minor children.  Note: all other applicants (siblings, family members, referrals, parents of adult children, etc.) should still use our standard Habilitation & Respite job application.

AZA United is putting extra efforts in place to make sure that the process of getting started is faster and easier than ever, especially for parents applying for this role. For more specific details in the scope and process to become a Parent Provider, check out AZA’s FAQs or schedule a call with our Family Support Team.

Our Family Support Team provides support and guidance for families facing any number of challenges as they navigate the Autism journey. This service is available at no charge to all members of the autism and developmental disability community. You may make a phone appointment that works with your schedule by visiting azaunited.org/supportcall

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