FAQs 

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Q: How are staff screened?

A: All of our staff go through an intensive hiring process that includes an application, phone interview, in-person interview with a member of leadership, and a meeting with the client/guardians. They also go through an initial background check that checks more than 7 major registries in the state of Ohio and US. We review a driver abstract and require less than 6 points on their license in the last 2 years and in some positions require 0 points. We perform a BCII or FBI background check (if they have lived in Ohio for less than 5 years). We require a high school diploma or GED, and at least one year of experience in a similar field just to start.

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Q: What kind of training do you require for your staff?

A: All of our staff are trained in First Aid & CPR. They also have 8-hours of annual training on DODD specific information, we assign a mentor for new staff and doing specific client specific training for every employee. If a client requires medication to be administrated, they undergo Medication Administration Certification training. We also make sure to cover universal precautions, emergency evacuations and weather, vehicle safety, behavior management and prevention training. We customize all our training to make sure our staff are equipped to provide the best care and feel confident in their capabilities. But before we do any of that, we spend time with each new staff member and cover Unity Care Group policies and procedures and repeat this every single year with them to keep it fresh. We encourage staff to continue their personal growth through ongoing seminars and training. We personally send select staff that will most likely benefit to ongoing training. 

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Q: How are staff selected for specific homes/individuals?

A: We treat finding the right staff like a dating game. We determine with the client and their families what the needs are based on skills, experience, schedule and capabilities. We, then, choose staff based on those needs and preferences and set them up with a meet & greet to see if it's a good fit. Once someone is selected, we then begin our training for that specific individual. 

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Q: Do you send strangers in to work with new clients? 

A: No. We want individuals to begin building a rapport with their staff before they ever start there. That is why we set up a meet and greet at the home. We want to give every person the ability to get to know who will be in their home and be comfortable when they arrive. 

 

Q: What if my staff cannot come in but I still need help?

A: If you have a team of individuals that work at your home, we first allow them to pick up any available shifts. If that is not feasible, we will provide a backup staff person for you as soon as we are made aware you need someone. We recognize that this means sometimes we have to make some adjustments in the short term to meet your needs, but every backup staff we provide meets our strenuous standards for care. And we will make sure to communicate who they are, their experience and history with us, and we will schedule a meet and greet with this individual. 

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Q: I am interested in your Day Services Program. What do they do there? 

A: Clients of our Day Program have a full day. Usually, they arrive around 9:30am and begin check-in and morning activities. They are invited to participate in a variety of activities with our DSP's in the morning that can vary from arts and crafts, music, sensory activities, using the computer lab, puzzles, books or movies. After lunch, there is usually an outing that takes place that can be a regular place we have a long-term relationship with. These activities often include the movies, library, bowling, or the park. We invite all individuals to participate in all of our outings. If we arrive in the afternoon and there is time, we will often do an afternoon activity before the client starts to get ready to leave for the day at 3:00pm. Some days we have large, all-day outings at places like the waterpark or at events. In which case they will arrive and get ready to leave for the whole day. 

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Q: What if they don't want to participate? 

A: It is important to us to that all individuals have autonomy in their choices, and we know that communication is not always verbal. Individuals choose whether they participate or not, we provide choices and spend time explaining why we want them to participate and the benefits of participating, but we know not every outing is what everyone will want to do. We have at least one DSP remain behind to continue care for those who decided to not participate on the outing. 

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Q: How do we find out about the outings scheduled? 

A: At the beginning of the month a calendar will go out that will have the scheduled outings for the entire month, plus any anticipated cost. 

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Q: So the cost of outings is not included in the price?

A: Unfortunately, we are unable to include the price of outings in the cost of the program. We understand that everyone is on a budget and that includes our clients. We strategically choose cost-effective outings and communicate their cost in advance to ensure the funds are available for individuals, we also partner with several local companies to get discounts and promotional pricing for outings. Many of our individuals pick and choose which outings to attend based on their interests and budgets. 

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Q: What about meals?

A: Time is given every day for lunch and an afternoon snack. Our individuals are responsible for their own food, due to the nature of allergies, sensitivities and needs we do not generally provide food. We do keep snacks on hand should someone forget one or need an additional snack and occasionally do special treats, like popsicles, meals and other things for holidays and special events. We are very flexible in how the meals and snacks are received. We have some individuals who have meals shipped to our location each week through a meal service, some who have amazon packaged delivered of their lunches and snacks, some who pack a lunch and snack every single day. Some of our outings are for lunch to restaurants and fast-food places as well. We also have some individuals who have special food needs, we absolutely make accommodations to meet those needs at every turn. 

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Q: How does transportation work?

A: We have a team of Non-Medical Transport Drivers who through the same rigorous training our DSP's do. They are medication administration certified and trained to do emergency meds like Epi-pens, seizure protocols and others. If you are within 40 mins of the Day Services Location, we can add the individual to one of our routes. Our transportation manager will coordinate a pickup and drop off time. Our driver will pick up the individual at their home or facility and bring them to the Day Services Program before the program start time. After the program ends, the driver will return them. We have strong standards of expectation of all of drivers, this includes running a driver abstract to show no points on their driving records, they're held accountable for any tickets or reported incidents and we are currently working on a vendor a GPS program. Safety is our focus in every situation, and we have every driver sign a detailed driving policy showcasing that they must exhibit the best example for our company. 

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Q: Does your Transportation team do NMT for non-day service clients?

A: Yes, we do NMT for our residential clients, but we are also taking on clients who JUST need transportation for regular tasks like appointments, shopping, etc. 

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Still have questions? Call or email us!