Wildwood Programs, Inc.
Strategic Guide
2016 – 2018
Adopted by resolution of the
Wildwood Programs Board of Directors
January 20, 2016
Agency Vision Statement (a description of the world as Wildwood would like it to be… what we want)
Wildwood Programs, Inc. envisions a world that embraces a fundamental respect for ALL people, their strengths, their uniqueness, their creativity and the infinite diversity that we each represent.
Agency Mission Statement (a definition of the people we support and what we want to accomplish… what we do)
Working collaboratively with individuals, families and the community, Wildwood Programs, Inc. empowers and enables children and adults with neurologically based learning disabilities, autism and other developmental disorders to lead independent, productive and fulfilling lives.
Agency Values (a description of the way we interact with the individuals we support, families, staff and the community… how we do it)
Respect…Appreciating and considering the individual nature and needs of others.
Integrity… Doing the right thing in an honest and reliable way according to the rules and standards of one’s job and profession.
Creativity… Transcending the ordinary by building what has not existed, by remaking in an improved fashion that which does, or by finding a solution when one is not obvious.
Holism…Acknowledging that all people cannot truly be understood and actively engaged until their whole lives are considered and embraced.
…Understanding that our mission will only be realized through our cooperative efforts.
Environmental Scan (critical external factors that will affect our future… what’s going on out there)
*The cognitive, behavioral, physical and medical needs of the individuals Wildwood supports continue to grow more complex.
*The number of individuals supported by Wildwood who face challenges associated with aging and medical frailty is increasing at a significant rate.
*The biggest unmet need expressed by families is for residential supports.
*Person-centered planning and individualized supports and services are essential components of Wildwood’s efforts to help people with developmental disabilities achieve valued outcomes in their lives.
*The achievement of valued outcomes for people has become the central measurement of Wildwood’s effectiveness in the current “transformational” performance-based environment.
*Active collaboration and partnership with the individuals and families Wildwood supports are absolutely essential to the effectiveness of person-centered planning and Wildwood’s use of Community Integration Teams for the provision of individualized supports.
*The strategic development of natural community supports (including families, community resources and co-workers) is critical to Wildwood’s long-term success in supporting individuals living with developmental disabilities.
*Wildwood’s recent award of Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation by the Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL), and the responsibilities for ongoing planning and improvement that are attached to that accreditation, will require the rapid development of enhanced capacity and increased expertise in the areas of data collection and data analysis.
*In providing supports for individuals with developmental disabilities, Wildwood must comply with several federal and state mandates (i.e., the Olmstead Decision, the HCBS Waiver Settings Rule, a moratorium on the growth of segregated special education programs) requiring a broad continuum of person-centered choices in the most integrated, appropriate, and least restrictive settings possible.
*Overwhelming regulatory and compliance mandates often conflict with and continue to drain precious resources away from Wildwood’s ability to support the achievement of valued outcomes for people with developmental disabilities.
*Fiscal instability at the international, national and state levels continues to negatively impact the public funding available to Wildwood to support our work.
*The workforce in New York State is aging and shrinking, which will significantly challenge Wildwood’s ability to recruit and sustain a stable, qualified and talented workforce.
*The creation and continued expansion of the New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs has had a “chilling effect” on individual decisions about whether to become and/or remain Direct Support Professionals, and has also made it much more difficult for Wildwood to hire DSPs in a timely and efficient manner.
*Wildwood’s adoption of a Direct Support Professional Code of Ethics and implementation of state-mandated Core Competencies for all direct support and supervisory staff will significantly impact the types of education and training that Wildwood provides to our workforce.
*Wildwood’s use of Community Integration Teams to provide person-centered, individualized services to people with developmental disabilities requires our workforce to be cross-functional in their roles, which significantly impacts the kind of workforce education, training and support that Wildwood must provide.
*Wildwood’s Direct Support Professionals want to be and should be actively included in information sharing and decision-making throughout the organization.
*Fostering an organizational culture of appreciation and a positive work environment for everyone is essential to combat the many stresses, demands and challenges of working in our field.
*Thoughtful succession planning and strong, consistent leadership development opportunities at all levels within Wildwood, including the Boards of Directors, are critical to maintaining Wildwood’s long-term stability and developing its next generation of leadership.
*There is a strong expectation on the part of the federal Center for Medicaid Services and the State of New York that service providers in our field will create operational efficiencies by engaging in collaborations and shared service arrangements.
*Most agencies, including Wildwood, have significant resources invested in physical infrastructure (buildings) and site-based programs, but the state continues to gradually withdraw financial support for facilities maintenance.
*Our field is experiencing significant increases in the use of technology to standardize billing and documentation requirements across our field, and in the use of “assistive” technology to support individuals with developmental disabilities in achieving greater levels of self-sufficiency and independence.
*The cost of fringe benefits, especially health insurance, continues to escalate faster than the cost of living, at the same time as the funding available to Wildwood to absorb these costs continues to decline.
*The current push to raise the minimum wage in New York State to $15/hour will have a significant negative impact on Wildwood’s fiscal health unless additional public resources are provided by the state to assist provider organizations in meeting this minimum wage mandate.
*Wildwood has experienced a significant increase in its need for community philanthropic and grant support through the Wildwood Foundation, as public funding continues to decrease.
Strategic Imperative (a statement of response to the environmental scan… the charge)
Wildwood Programs will use a person-centered, community based, integrated team approach to support each individual in building and living the life that he or she wants.
To accomplish this we will:
Strategic Goal #1 (individual engagement)—Wildwood will engage and actively involve the individuals we support in the identification of their own valued outcomes, the recruitment and training of staff, participation in the organization’s governance functions, and the planning for and development of individualized supports and services.
Strategic Goal #2 (family involvement)—Wildwood will seek out and encourage the involvement of each individual’s family and/or circle of support in identifying, pursuing and achieving his or her own valued outcomes.
Strategic Goal #3 (workforce development)—Wildwood will provide a positive, relevant and responsive system of supports for our workforce so that every good employee chooses to remain at Wildwood for a minimum of five years, understands the importance of their own personal role in the lives of the individuals they support, has a voice in the organization’s decisions, is given regular opportunities for skill development and professional growth, and feels appreciated for their work.
Strategic Goal #4 (community partnerships and social capital)—Wildwood will collaborate with its community partners to facilitate personal opportunities for civic engagement and to develop meaningful social and leadership roles for the individuals we support, in order to enhance community life for everyone.
Strategic Goal #5 (innovation/ best practices)—Wildwood will continue to develop and implement innovative, responsible and sustainable ways of supporting individuals with developmental disabilities within the context of its commitment to the principles of Person-Centered Excellence and the monitoring of Basic Assurances that serve as the foundation of its accreditation by the Council on Quality and Leadership.
Strategic Goal #6 (fiscal strength)—All of Wildwood’s stakeholders (leadership, employees, individuals, families, Boards, volunteers, community partners) will play a direct role in safeguarding the fiscal integrity of our organization through active support of the fundraising goals of the Wildwood Foundation, the creation and regular monitoring of realistic and responsible budgets, the efficient and effective use of agency resources, governmental advocacy and compliance with applicable billing and documentation standards and protocols.