ACR's Exceptional Staff

Our hiring and training processes are unique to ACR and form the foundation of our high standard of care. Jim Nelson, a licensed psychologist, oversees our hiring process and personally makes every hiring decision. He has developed an extensive application and testing process that enables ACR to hire employees who are well-suited to the job and who have characteristics that predict successful work performance. Only about 20% of all applicants are actually hired. Once staff are hired, they complete a comprehensive training program that meets and exceeds all licensing requirements and provides extensive in-house training to ensure optimal care of the people we support. Jim and Dorothy Nelson personally train all new employees on ACR's policies and philosophy, and we routinely invite family members to attend this training class so that they will know what to expect of our staff. Long-term staff are required to repeat this training every two years.

Another aspect of ACR's philosophy is that we have live-in supervisory staff in each of our homes. The individuals we support often develop their strongest bonds with these live-in staff. Our homes are all built with a separate living space (typically a walkout level basement area) for the live-in staff and his or her family (if any). This enables the live-in supervisor to oversee the household in a very effective way. For example, if the live-in staff is downstairs and hears some unusual stomping, he or she can come up and comfort an upset individual or offer the staff on duty some assistance or direction. Another advantage of the live-in arrangement is that the people we support often have opportunities to nurture a child and experience family life with the live-in staff—an experience often missed with only shift staff. Among other things, the live-in is responsible for making sure the house is stocked, the employees are trained, medical appointments are made and kept, and the schedule is full. We do not go short-staffed. If there is an opening in the schedule, the supervisor will either find another employee to work the shift, or do so him/herself.

ACR defines itself every time we offer a job to someone, and we are committed to maintaining very high hiring and performance standards for our staff. If a staff person violates any part of the job description, the issue is immediately addressed and staff are retrained as needed or terminated in some cases. We seek to provide the highest possible quality of care at all of our homes, and we are committed to not developing new homes beyond our capacity to maintain it.

ACR is an EEO/AA employer.