Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center
Without a strong direct care workforce, families and caregivers face increased pressure to step in and deliver care that is often insufficient for the complex health needs of older adults and people with disabilities. The Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center, funded by the Administration for Community Living, supports the nation’s direct care workforce by providing critical resources, tools, and training.
The pandemic highlighted the growing gap between the demand for direct care and the available workforce nationwide. To build a stronger, more sustainable care system, we must support both direct care workers and the individuals they serve.
With funding from the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), NCOA's Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center is dedicated to developing and coordinating actionable policies, resources and tools that strengthen and sustain a stable, thriving direct care workforce.
Harnessing the collective strength and expertise of individuals and organizations specializing in disability, aging, and workforce issues, NCOA facilitates intentional peer-to-peer sharing of promising practices through learning collaboratives and supports collaboration between state systems, including: Medicaid, aging, disability, and workforce agencies; service providers; and aging, disability, and labor stakeholders. Selected states receive targeted technical assistance that support substantive system change to improve their direct care workforce. .
2025 technical assistance opportunities available
The Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center is proud to announce four levels of technical assistance available to states:
- Direct Care Workforce State Innovation Lab (SAL): This will provide up to 250 hours of individualized technical assistance for multidisciplinary state teams with representatives across disability and aging services, Medicaid, labor, and other state leaders. Participating states will receive access to subject matter experts, a designated technical assistance coach, and facilitated collaboration across state agencies to develop state-specific plans to improve and sustain workforce development and retention. Applications are now open.
- Direct Care Workforce State Peer-Learning Collaboratives (PLC): These will allow selected states to participate in working groups made up of four to six states each, with time spent discussing innovative strategies for growing and enhancing the direct care workforce. Each learning collaborative will focus on a unique topic. The working groups will hold monthly meetings focused on group learning, information sharing, and developing best practices. Applications are now open.
- Self-Paced Technical Assistance: The Strategies Center will launch a new, hands-on training workshop series designed for states looking to make quick progress on a specific goal tied to their direct care workforce efforts. These workshops will be offered over a 3–4-month period and are meant to help participants take meaningful steps toward system-level change—even if they don’t have the time or resources to join a full peer learning collaborative. Each session will build on the one before it, guiding participants through a step-by-step process to reach a key milestone. Updates regarding participation will be forthcoming.
- DCW Strategies Webinar Series: The Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center will host a free webinar series that will spotlight innovative strategies, practical tools, and emerging best practices to strengthen the direct care workforce. Open to states, providers, advocates, and stakeholders, each webinar offers actionable insights and opportunities for engagement as we work together to build a stronger, more sustainable care system. Updates regarding future webinars will be forthcoming.
An informational call about the SAL and PLC opportunities will be held on Thursday, May 1 at 1 p.m. ET. Interested parties should register in advance and review this sample application. Applications are due May 30, 2025.
Please sign up below to receive updates, and and check back regularly as we continue to create and share resources from the federal government, highlight state and local model policies and best practices that can be replicated or adapted, and share training and technical assistance materials.
Funding for the Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center
NCOA was awarded a 5-year grant from ACL to establish the Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center to strengthen the care economy. This initiative will provide technical assistance to states and service providers, and facilitate collaboration with stakeholders to improve recruitment, retention, training, and professional development of direct care workers.
The content and views expressed herein are those of NCOA and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be attributed to, ACL.
How to contact NCOA's direct care workforce team
- Nicole Howell, Director, Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center
- Salugla Ali, Program Associate, Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center
General inquiries can be directed to directcareworkforce@ncoa.org.
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About the Center for Economic Well-Being
The Center for Economic Well-Being helps organizations enroll adults 65+ and younger adults with disabilities with limited means into the benefits programs they are eligible for so they can remain healthy and improve the quality of their lives. Learn more about our work, including the training and technical assistance NCOA provides.