Public Authority Services : Training

Training

Provider Training Information	Consumer Training Information
Provider Certificate Class Information	Consumer PA Handbook Modules
Provider’s Training Class Schedule and Registration Portal	Consumer IHSS Handbook
Provider Life Enhancement Fund	Consumer Fact Sheets from IHSS
Provider Skills Videos	Consumer Cal Medi-Connect Information
Public Authority Services Training FAQ	Consumer Training Resources

News

Registration for the 2023 spring semester of IHSS care provider training classes opens January 9th. All active IHSS care providers in Santa Clara County will be notified before registration opens.

All active Santa Clara County providers and members of the Public Authority Services Registry will receive a class registration notice via email.

To Register for classes, care providers must be fully enrolled as Santa Clara County IHSS care providers, be actively working for a care recipient or be a member of the Registry, and be currently receiving paychecks from Santa Clara County IHSS.
These classes are separate from the Career Pathways classes offered by the State of California. We cannot answer questions about that program. If you are looking for information on Career Pathways, visit the CDSS Career Pathways website.

Class registrations can be done online! IHSS care providers in Santa Clara County can find the link to the class registration portal with the Provider's Training Class Schedule. Watch the tutorial video if this is your first time using the online registration portal. You can also use the portal to view your current class schedule and your class completion history. Cancelling classes still needs to be done by calling the training department.

IHSS care providers can apply to be reimbursed for the cost of taking certain classes outside of those offered by Public Authority Services. See the Life Enhancement Fund section for more details.

IHSS providers are eligible to receive a $25 incentive payment for each Public Authority Services certificate class they complete. Incentive payments for completing the classes are processed once per month and are generally received by providers in the third week of each month. See the Provider Certificate Class Information section for details.

If you have earned a Series 1 or Series 2 Training Certificate, they will be mailed to you the month following the end of the semester. Generally they are mailed out in January and June.

For additional assistance please call Public Authority Training at (408) 350-3220.

Training Class Registration Information

Provider

Provider Philosophies

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Provider Certificate Class Information

We offer a selection of fifteen certificate courses to help develop the skills necessary for providing quality in-home service and prevent injuries. The common goal is to support the providers with knowledge to share with their consumers. This training educates the providers to practice compassionate, quality healthcare in the consumers’ home; promoting comfort, independence and dignity.

These classes are optional and free of charge. This training is exclusively offered to IHSS Independent Providers in Santa Clara County—you must be currently working as a provider and receiving paychecks from IHSS or be an active member of the Public Authority Registry to register for classes.

IHSS Care Provider Training Class Incentive Payment

IHSS providers are eligible to receive a $25 incentive payment for each Santa Clara County Public Authority Services certificate class they complete.

The County has set aside a specific budget to be used each year for these incentive payments. Once the budget runs out for the year no further incentives will be granted until the budget rolls over at the beginning of the following year. There will be no retroactive payments for classes that are completed after the budget is exhausted for the year.

Payment of the incentive is managed by Public Authority Services by Sourcewise on a monthly basis. One check will be mailed from Sourcewise to each provider who completed a class during the previous month, and that check will include the incentive payment for each class completed during that month.

Due to the time needed to process and mail the incentive checks, these payments are generally received in the third week of each month.

To receive the incentive payment providers must:

Pre-register for the class and receive confirmation that a seat has been saved for them.

Arrive for the class on time and stay for the entire class, signing both the sign-in and sign-out sheets or being marked as "present" for all role calls during online classes.

Stay focused on the information being shared by the instructor. If providers are found to be sleeping, focused on phone or otherwise distracted, or are disrupting the learning of others they may be asked to leave the class.

Complete any required quiz after an online class.

Follow all student guidelines

See the Public Authority Services Training FAQ for more details

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Series 1 Classes

You can earn a Series 1 Certificate of Completion at the end of the semester after completing all nine of the following courses:

CPR
Learn how to safely and correctly perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on adults, children and infants. Learn how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED). 2 year certification is obtained upon completion.

First Aid
Learn how to recognize and respond, with initial care, to medical emergencies until trained medical professionals are available to take over care. Learn techniques for responding to sudden illnesses, allergic reactions, minor and major bleeding, heart attack or stroke, and stabilizing injuries. 2 year certification is obtained upon completion.

Safe Lifting and Transferring
Don’t strain your back! Learn to use proper body mechanics and equipment to transfer consumers between beds and wheelchairs, as well as transfers to several positions. Learn how to safely assist your consumer with ambulation (walking).

Nutrition
Learn how to help the consumer be aware of healthy diet choices; safe feeding with loss of teeth, appetite, and swallowing issues; special diet needs; accepting challenges; how to apply diet changes to age, culture, and religious preferences.

Understanding Diabetes
Gain understanding of diabetes types and causes, complications caused by diabetes, and overview care for diabetes; importance of diet, blood sugar management and following medication schedule; care for teeth, nails, and skin of a diabetic.

Personal Care
Learn techniques for providing mouth care, bathing, feeding, dressing & grooming your consumer; learn how to safely change bedding in an occupied bed; learn infection control practices and prevention techniques.

Safety and Infection Prevention
Learn about infection control and prevention; basic personal care; feeding schedules; Foley catheter care; Colostomy care

Last Phase of Life
Learn to help the consumer talk about feelings regarding illness, sadness, and end of life; how to meet consumer’s physical, mental and spiritual needs during end of life stage; how to share respect and support with the family; accepting hospice care as comfort care.

Mental Health
Learn to help the consumer report mental issues to family and doctor; build routine; identify daily stresses and contributing factors, and prevent upset of routine; understand medications and side effects; talking about thoughts of harming self or others.

Get started now! You can complete the nine courses at your own pace. If you do not finish them on this schedule, take the rest on the next schedule offered.

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Series 2 Classes

You can earn a Series 2 Certificate of Completion at the end of the semester after completing all six of the following courses:

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Basics
Learn the difference between normal aging and dementia, the basics of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. Learn basic strategies for connecting and communicating with those with dementia, as well as resources that can help.

Caregiver Stress Management
Learn about the issues commonly faced by care providers, both family and non-family. Learn how to recognize and address your stress, and take care of yourself while caring for another person. Learn about community resources that can help you.

The Skilled Care Provider
Gain basic knowledge, tools and skills that can help you on your path as a care provider. Learn about mandated reporting, caregiver ethics, building trust and good relationships, hazards and safety for providing in-home care, universal precautions, taking care of yourself, emergency preparation, and more.

Cancer Care Basics
Gain an understanding of cancer types, treatments and the importance of non-medical support. Gain greater understanding of the needs of cancer patients, and how cancer affects the whole person. Learn how to best support and communicate with a person diagnosed with cancer.

Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
Gain information, tips and suggestions that you can pass on to your consumer to help prepare for disasters and medical emergencies. Learn ways to be proactive by putting together an emergency plan, emergency kit, special considerations for the elderly or disabled during disasters, the best way to handle medical emergencies, and more.

Falls Prevention
Build awareness on the risk factors that may cause falls for seniors and people with disabilities. Learn strategies that may help you keep yourself, your consumer and the living environment safe and clear of hazards that may cause falls, as well as simple exercises to help build strength and balance.

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Provider’s Training Class Schedule

We offer two semesters of classes each year. The spring semester takes place between February and May. The fall semester takes place between September and December.

The schedule of upcoming training classes for the semester is made available to each active IHSS care provider in January for the spring semester and in August for the fall semester. Follow the instructions in the schedule PDF below to register for classes.

To register for classes, care providers must be actively working for a care recipient and be receiving paychecks from IHSS in Santa Clara County, or be active on the Public Authority Services Registry.

Care providers may register for up to nine classes per semester and, if desired, can repeat classes previously taken every three years to refresh their knowledge, with the exceptions of CPR and First Aid classes which can be taken every two years.

You can complete the courses at your own pace and in any order. Credit for the classes you have completed never expires. If you do not finish a certificate in one semester, take the rest during a future semester. CPR and First Aid certificates must be current in order to earn the Series 1 Certificate.

Incentive payments for completing the classes are processed once per month. One check will be mailed from Sourcewise to each provider who completed a class during the previous month, and that check will include the incentive payment for each class completed during that month. Due to the time needed to process and mail the incentive checks, these payments are generally received in the third week of each month.

Once earned, the Certificates of Completion never expire. Providers will not receive a second copy of the Certificate of Completion unless requested at the time they register for classes and they complete the entire series of classes again.

For additional information, please refer to the class schedule link below.

Follow all student guidelines. Pre-Registration and Confirmation is required. Visit the class registration portal linked below.

If you have no access to the internet, view the schedule PDF below and choose your classes, then follow the registration instructions listed on page 3 to register via phone.

Download Spring 2023 Provider Training Class Schedule: February - May 2023

To register for classes, review the schedule, choose your classes, then click the link below to begin your class registration. You can also log in to your online registration account to see your current schedule of classes and view your training class history.

If this is your first time registering for IHSS training classes online, view the tutorial video below to learn how the class registration portal works.

Every provider registering for classes online must have a unique email address. If you share an email address with other providers to access online timesheets, you will not be able to use the online class registration system.

Online Class Registration Portal

Watch Online Registration Tutorial

述 ( 在线课程注册概视频 )
(Video Tutorial de Registro de Cursos en Línea)
(Nội dung tổng quan về đăng ký lớp học trực tuyến)

First time attending an online training class? Use the links below to learn about logging into your online classes:

Getting Started with IHSS Online Training Classes - English
Getting Started with IHSS Online Training Classes - Chinese
Getting Started with IHSS Online Training Classes - Spanish
Getting Started with IHSS Online Training Classes - Vietnamese

If you are on a waitlist it means the class is full, you are not confirmed/authorized to attend the class, and there will not be a seat for you. DO NOT ATTEND CLASSES YOU ARE ON THE WAITLIST FOR. Your name will not be on the sign-in sheet and you will not be allowed into the classroom. If space becomes available, you will be notified.

If a class is full and you do not see a link for the waitlist, the waitlist has not yet opened. Check back in a couple days or call Public Authority Training to request to be added.

If you need to cancel your registration or waitlist placement for a class, call the training dapartment at least 48 hours--or as soon as reasonably possible--before the class. Calling us to cancel your classes allows us to easily move another provider from the waitlist into your empty seat: (408) 350-3220

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Provider Life Enhancement Fund

IHSS care providers are eligible to have the cost of tuition and textbooks reimbursed if they choose to take certain types of training classes outside those offered by Public Authority Services. The class must be pre-approved by Public Authority Services in order to receive reimbursement. Providers must pay for these classes and associated textbooks up front, and can have those costs reimbursed up to $500 per year.

To be reimbursed for classes offered outside of the Public Authority Services curriculum, the provider must apply for the Life Enhancement Fund at least one month prior to the beginning of the class. Classes must meet certain criteria and must enhance the wellness or effectiveness of the In-home care provider in providing value to the care of the consumer. For example, Home Health Aid courses or learning a language that will benefit your work as a care provider. Providers must complete and return a W-9 form to Public Authority Services to receive reimbursement.

The Public Authority will review the application and notify the Independent Provider of approval or denial within ten (10) business days following receipt of the application.

Download a printable version of the JDF Life Enhancement Application

JDF Life Enhancement Application in English (pdf 643kb)
JDF Life Enhancement Application in Spanish (pdf 713kb)
JDF Life Enhancement Application in Vietnamese (pdf 685kb)
JDF Life Enhancement Application in Chinese (pdf 606kb)

If you would like to explore educational opportunities outside the free classes offered by Public Authority Services, our adult education partners offer many classes for a fee that may qualify for Life Enhancement Fund reimbursement.

To learn more about our adult education partners and the training opportunities they offer, visit their webpages through the links below.

FUHSD Adult School in Cupertino

Do you want to learn Medical English? FREE classes are offered. Please call FUHSD Adult School for more information at (408) 522-2700
Career advancement classes

MUSD Adult Education in Milpitas

MHCAS Adult School in Morgan Hill

Santa Clara Adult Education in Santa Clara

Santa Clara County Fire Department

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Provider Skills Videos

We have gathered a wide range of helpful educational videos that care providers can watch to gain tips and guidance. These videos are hosted on YouTube and can be accessed at any time that is convenient for you.

These videos are not part of the Public Authority Services training curriculum, but do contain very useful information and quick tips that can be helpful in building caregiver skills when you do not have time for regular training classes.

Many videos are available in multiple languages. Explore the Provider Skills Videos page by clicking here.

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Consumer

For more information contact Public Authority Services at (408) 350-3220.

Consumer Public Authority Handbook Modules

Public Authority Services, in partnership with the Public Authority Services Advisory Board, created short handbook modules to assist In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) consumers to better understand their role, responsibilities, and the resources available to them. These handbook modules were created by individuals who receive in-home care to guide other IHSS consumers.

Click the links below to view the handbooks.

English