Plan Includes More Than 40 Strategies to Improve Recruitment of and Support for Care Workers

Dec. 10, 2025

(TRENTON) – New Jersey Human Services, in partnership with seven state agencies, today announced the release of the New Jersey Direct Care Workforce Strategic Plan, a comprehensive roadmap to support, grow, and stabilize the workforce that provides essential care to older adults, individuals with disabilities, and residents with behavioral health needs.

“Direct care workers make independence possible for hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans, and their work is fundamental to the health, safety, and dignity of the people who we serve,” Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman said. “This strategic plan reflects our commitment to building a stronger, more supported, and more sustainable workforce - one that is valued for its skill, compassion, and essential role in New Jersey’s communities and economic success.”

The plan outlines more than 40 data-driven strategies to improve recruitment, strengthen training and career pathways, and support the long-term retention of direct care workers including direct support professionals (DSPs), certified home health aides (CHHAs), personal care assistants, certified nursing assistants (CNAs), peer recovery specialists, youth support professionals, and self-directed employees.

Developed through more than a year of collaboration among Human Services and the departments of Labor & Workforce Development, Children and Families, Education, the Office of the Attorney General’s Division of Consumer Affairs, the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, and the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, the  plan draws on  workforce data and extensive engagement with stakeholders. Input came from listening sessions with direct care workers, employers and consumers, and support from the Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center and partners such as PHI.

Recognizing that no single strategy can address the nationwide direct care shortage, the plan focuses on coordinated action across three major area:

·       Strengthening Data Collection & Stakeholder Input. To better understand workforce needs and measure progress, the plan calls for:

o   Regular listening sessions with workers, employers, and service recipients.

o   A formal Direct Care Workforce Advisory Board to elevate worker voices in policymaking.

o   Incentives to boost employer participation in existing surveys, including the National Core Indicators DSP workforce survey.

o   Expanded surveys and focus groups examining job satisfaction, turnover, training barriers, and advancement needs.

o   Monitoring to ensure wage increases and rate enhancements reach workers.

o   Centralized, cross-agency workforce data collection.

o   Federal advocacy for a national occupational classification code for DSPs.

 

·       Attracting Talent & Building Educational Pathways. To expand the talent pipeline, recommendations include:

o   Integrating direct care options into job seeker services, including one-stop and community-based programs.

o   Statewide outreach on training, scholarships, apprenticeships, and programs such as community college DSP training, CHHA scholarships, and home- and community-based services loan redemption.

o   Strengthening training pathways across high schools, community colleges, and adult education.

o   Developing stackable credentials across direct care roles.

o   Expanding employer partnerships to connect trainees to jobs more quickly and reduce onboarding barriers.

 

·       Creating a Sustainable, Rewarding Workplace. To retain experienced workers, the plan recommends:

o   Career ladders and advancement opportunities, especially for DSPs and workers without industry-recognized credentials.

o   Improved supervisory training to better support frontline staff.

o   Recognition programs that highlight the value of direct care work.

o   Supports that reduce employment barriers, including child care, transportation, and mental health resources.

o   Burnout-prevention strategies such as workload management and wellness supports.

o   Employer tools and technical assistance to strengthen workplace culture, scheduling, and data tracking

 

“Our direct care workforce is essential to the health and dignity of New Jerseyans, and this strategic plan represents a crucial step in our mission to support and empower these workers,” said Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “By enhancing recruitment efforts, improving training opportunities, and ensuring long-term career development, we are fostering an environment where both workers and businesses can thrive.”

“Since before COVID-19, direct care workers have been challenged by increased demand and diminished ranks, as needs become more acute and recruitment and retention lag,” said Department of Children and Families Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer. “The Direct Care Workforce Strategic Plan builds on efforts, over the last several years, conducted by DCF, DHS, and many other partners, to provide short-term and long-term solutions to grow and stabilize the workforce. It’s clear that we need to do better to help those who are helping so many others in New Jersey.”

“In New Jersey, we understand the crucial role that direct care workers play by providing essential services to individuals in communities throughout the state,” said Department of Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer. “We thank the New Jersey Department of Human Services for its collaboration with many stakeholders in developing a plan that benefits residents who depend on these services and promotes direct care professions as a way to give students a post-secondary springboard for success.”

“Credentialing and continuing education opportunities are key to helping direct care workers stay engaged, grow in their careers, and feel valued for the expertise they bring to the field,” said Secretary of Higher Education Dr. Brian Bridges. “Under the Murphy Administration, we’ve been proud to partner with New Jersey's community colleges to expand access to training and development for this essential workforce, primarily through the Direct Support Professionals Grant. As New Jersey responds to the growing professional caregiving demands, continuing cross-agency collaboration and exploring opportunities for higher education to innovate are essential.”

“Helping New Jersey students afford a college degree so they can enter the workforce is central to the work we do at HESAA,” said HESAA Executive Director Margo Chaly, Esq. “Working together to grow the pipeline of direct care professionals through the recommendations outlined in this comprehensive plan will help ensure a robust and qualified workforce is available to meet the medical and behavioral health care needs of residents for years to come.”

“Supporting the direct care workforce is absolutely critical, and we were proud to lend the expertise of our Division of Consumer Affairs to the interagency working group,” said Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. “We recognize the immense value of direct care workers in the communities they serve, and we look forward to working with the Department of Human Services to ensure progress on their behalf.”

The plan builds upon significant Murphy Administration initiatives including:

·       Wage and rate increases for state and Medicaid-funded home- and community-based services, including six DSP wage increases and higher mental health and substance use disorder treatment provider rates.

·       Expanded DSP training, and support for DSPs to obtain the National Association of the Dually Diagnosed Competency-Based IDD/MI Dual Diagnosis DSP Certification.

·       Launching the Jobs That Care website to help individuals explore community-based direct care jobs.

·       Dedicating $17.5 million in federal funding for a one-time loan redemption program that offered relief to nearly 450 home- and community-based care workers through a joint initiative with the Department of Children and Families and the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.

·       A Division of Aging Services scholarship pilot with the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, providing training, stipends for transportation or childcare, job placement, mentoring, and advanced training in dementia care and mental health first aid. The program accepted more than 470 participants so far.

·       Improving the CHHA certification process to increase annual certifications through the Division of Consumer Affairs from approximately 4,300 in 2020 to over 9,000 in 2023.

·       Launching the Direct Support Professional Career Development Program, a collaboration between the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) with the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development and the Association of Community Providers that provides stipends, training, and internships to aspiring DSPs through community colleges in New Jersey.

·       Using the Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Growing Apprenticeships in Non-Traditional Sectors (GAINS) program to create more funded apprenticeships in direct care fields.

 

“If we want New Jerseyans to live and age in their community with dignity, stability, and choice, we must ensure the workers who make that possible have the support, respect, and opportunities they deserve,” Commissioner Adelman said. “This strategic plan reflects what we heard directly from families, workers, and providers across the state, and it outlines actions that will strengthen pathways into the field and better support workers on the job.”