Oregon DSP Training Requirements: ODDS Core Competencies & OIS

Oregon doesn't hand direct support professionals a single statewide hour count to hit before they start. It sets a list of skills, the Oregon Core Competencies, and asks each provider to build a training plan that gets new staff to demonstrate those skills on a set timeline. On top of that, the state's agency rules add a short list of hard requirements: abuse reporting training before any direct support, first aid and CPR within 90 days, and 12 hours of in-service training every year.

This guide walks through what Oregon's Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS) expects of DSPs working for licensed and certified agencies, when each piece is due, where the Oregon Intervention System (OIS) fits in, and what your personnel files need to show.

Who these rules cover

Two sets of Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) do most of the work:

• OAR 411-323 sets the certification, endorsement and personnel standards for agencies delivering developmental disabilities services in community-based settings. Its staff qualification and personnel file rules apply to any staff member delivering services to an individual. The current version took effect September 1, 2026.
• OAR 411-325 covers 24-hour residential programs and settings for children and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. It requires each provider to have a competency-based training plan built on the Oregon Core Competencies. The current version took effect January 15, 2026.

Other program rules, such as those for employment or foster care settings, can add their own requirements, so check the division that matches your service.

The basic qualifications

Under OAR 411-323-0050(8), a staff member delivering services must, among other things:

• Be at least 18 years old and legally eligible to work in the United States.
• Be literate and able to understand written and oral orders.
• Be able to communicate with individuals, health care providers, case managers and others.
• Be able to respond to emergencies at all times while services are being delivered.
• Understand confidentiality requirements.
• Not be on the federal list of excluded or debarred providers.
• Have a signed, dated job description.
• Hold a valid driver's license if transporting individuals.

Each staff member also needs an approved background check under OAR 407-007. Under the September 2026 rule, agencies must run a new check at least every three years for checks completed on or after June 5, 2026, and after two years for checks completed before that date.

The Oregon Core Competencies: Tier 1 and Tier 2

OAR 411-325-0020 defines the Oregon Core Competencies as the list of skills and knowledge newly hired staff need in health, safety, rights, values and personal regard, and the provider's mission, along with the timelines for demonstrating them. OAR 411-325-0025(6) requires each 24-hour residential provider to have and implement a competency-based training plan that meets those competencies and timelines at a minimum. The plan has to describe the competencies, training methods and timelines, how competency is determined and documented, how remediation works, and when a competency may be waived for a specific staff member.

ODDS's DSP competency guide for learners splits the competencies into two tiers:

The competencies aren't just online courses. The guide mixes four kinds of evidence:

• Online courses in the state's learning management system, Workday Learning. Each module ends with a quiz that must be passed with at least 85% accuracy, and completions show on the learner's transcript.
• Local training from the agency's trainer or supervisor, or from an outside curriculum such as first aid and CPR.
• Oral demonstrations, where the DSP explains a skill or concept to another person.
• Physical demonstrations, where the DSP performs a skill while a trainer or supervisor observes. Medication administration, for example, calls for hands-on practice and a demonstration of administering and documenting medications.

ODDS's training resources page links the Tier 1 and Tier 2 materials, the learner guide, a training log and the course links. DSPs need a Workday Learning account to take the state's online modules.

Abuse reporting training comes first

Mandatory abuse reporting is the one item that can't wait for the rest of Tier 1. The learner guide says to complete mandatory abuse training before providing any direct support, and OAR 411-323-0050(9) requires written documentation of mandatory abuse training and notification of mandatory reporter status before delivering services and annually after that.

First aid, CPR and the 12-hour annual requirement

Two more requirements apply to staff delivering services under OAR 411-323-0050(8):

• First aid and CPR: certification by a recognized training agency within 90 calendar days of employment, kept current after that.
• In-service training: 12 hours of job-related in-service training every year.

The rule doesn't list required topics for the 12 hours, so agencies have room to target what their teams need, as long as the training is job-related and documented.

Support documents and ISPs before working alone

A DSP has to know the individual support plan (ISP) and the medical, behavioral and other support needs of everyone in the home (OAR 411-325-0025(7)). When a person has a support document, such as a protocol or plan tied to a specific need, OAR 411-323-0050(8)(k) requires training on it before the DSP works unsupervised with that person. A staff member counts as supervised only when someone trained on the support document is in the same building or within line of sight and hearing.

Where OIS fits in

The Oregon Intervention System (OIS) is Oregon's behavior intervention curriculum. ODHS describes OIS as the one curriculum ODDS has approved for training staff who support people with challenging behaviors. The rules tie OIS training to specific situations rather than to every DSP:

• In 24-hour residential settings, anyone placing a child in a restraint (with narrow exceptions) must be trained by a certified trainer using an ODDS-approved behavior intervention curriculum (OAR 411-325).
• Behavior professionals who write positive behavior support plans must keep a current certification in an ODDS-approved behavior intervention curriculum, and staff applying safeguarding interventions must be trained by someone certified in it (OAR 411-304).
• Under OAR 411-303-0050, certification requires completing an approved training program and demonstrating physical and written competencies. A certification can last no more than two years without recertification, requires annual continuing education and is portable between employers.

Because OIS training is delivered by certified OIS instructors, it's tracked as its own credential, with its own expiration date, rather than replaced by general behavior support courses.

What personnel files need to show

OAR 411-323-0050(9) lists what each staff member's personnel file must include. For training and qualifications, that means:

• Documentation that references and qualifications were checked.
• The Department's documentation of an approved background check.
• Mandatory abuse training and notice of mandatory reporter status, before services and every year.
• 12 hours of job-related in-service training every year.
• CPR and first aid certification within 90 days of employment, kept current.
• A valid driver's license for staff who transport individuals.

Residential providers also need written documentation that each staff member has demonstrated the competencies in their training plan that fit their job description (OAR 411-325-0025(7)).

A few habits that make reviews easier

• Run two clocks from the start date. Tier 1 is due within two months and before the DSP works unassisted. Tier 2 is due within three months.
• Keep demonstrations on paper. The online transcript only shows the online modules. Oral and physical demonstrations need a sign-off from the observer.
• Treat abuse training as an annual item. It's required before services and every year, separate from the Tier 2 module on preventing abuse.
• Track expirations, not just completions. First aid and CPR, OIS certifications and background checks all come due again.
• Retrain when a support document changes. Training on support documents has to happen before unsupervised work, so a new or revised document should trigger new training.

How Training & eTracking can help

TES doesn't replace the state's Workday Learning modules, your agency's local demonstrations or OIS certification from certified instructors. Those stay with ODDS, your agency and OIS instructors. Where we can help is the rest of the year. Our direct support professional courses cover topics that fit job-related in-service training, such as Human Rights and Recognizing Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation, Person Centered Planning for Direct Support Professionals, Communication Foundations for Direct Support Professionals and Incident Management.

For Oregon agencies, we set up compliance pathways just in time: tell us your service type and the training your licensing and program rules expect, and we'll build a pathway around those requirements for your organization. Pathways can also track training completed outside TES, like first aid, CPR and OIS, as external evidence. Contact us to get started, or browse our compliance pathways library to see how pathways work in other states. For more on keeping all of this organized, see our guide to tracking employee training in a care agency.

For a quick summary of Oregon's DSP rules, see our Oregon DSP requirements page.

This article summarizes OAR 411-323 as in effect September 1, 2026, OAR 411-325 as in effect January 15, 2026, OAR 411-303 as in effect July 1, 2022, and the ODDS DSP competency guide revised May 11, 2021. It is not legal advice. Check the current rule text and ODDS guidance before making compliance decisions.