SF2596

Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to revise the qualifications for two roles within Minnesota's human services: positive support professionals and positive support analysts. These roles involve providing support services to individuals with developmental disabilities, brain injuries, or co-occurring mental disorders.

Main Provisions

• Qualifications for Positive Support Professionals:

  • Must have competencies in specific areas including ethical considerations, functional assessment and analysis, behavior measurement, intervention selection, and behavior reduction.
  • Required to be licensed professionals such as psychologists, social workers, physicians, or registered nurses. Alternatively, they can have advanced degrees or complete a competency-based training program.

• Qualifications for Positive Support Analysts:

  • Must either hold degrees in social services or nursing, meet mental health practitioner qualifications, be board-certified behavior analysts, or complete a competency-based training program.
  • Analysts need two years of supervised experience in conducting assessments and designing behavior support strategies.
  • They must undergo specific training within 90 days of hiring, covering functional assessment, understanding behavior functions, designing support strategies, and person-centered thinking.
  • Must be supervised by a positive support professional.

Significant Changes

• The bill introduces specific educational and professional credentials for positive support professionals, ensuring they have a thorough understanding and competence in supporting individuals with disabilities.
• It mandates comprehensive training and supervision for positive support analysts to enhance efficacy in behavior assessment and intervention strategies.

Relevant Terms

positive support professional, positive support analyst, functional assessment, behavioral strategies, developmental disabilities, brain injury, co-occurring mental disorders, person-centered thinking, competency-based training.