Mandated bundle
Within 6 months of hire; one-time (not annual)
Danielle's Law
Call 911 for a life-threatening emergency (N.J.S.A. 30:6D-5.1)
Stephen Komninos' Law
Drug testing + injury notification (P.L. 2017, c. 238)
Abuse reporting
To DDD, 1-800-832-9173 (N.J.S.A. 30:6D-73 et seq.)
Medication
Delegated + on-site practicum (annual for agency staff)
CPR & First Aid
Hands-on, external; recert every 2 years
New hires complete DDD's System Mandatory Training Bundle — Danielle's Law, Stephen Komninos' Law, Shifting Expectations, and Preventing Abuse/Neglect/Exploitation — delivered through the College of Direct Support, within 6 months of hire. Unlike many states, these are one-time competency completions, not annual renewals. New Jersey does not impose a single fixed annual training-hours number on every DSP.
Danielle's Law requires designated staff to call 911 immediately in a life-threatening emergency for a person with I/DD or a traumatic brain injury — never waiting for a supervisor — with civil penalties for failing to act (N.J.S.A. 30:6D-5.1 et seq.). Stephen Komninos' Law adds provider duties: two unannounced DHS visits a year, a 48-hour injury/ANE verification, a two-hour guardian-notification rule for injuries, and pre-employment, random, and for-cause drug testing of direct-care staff (P.L. 2017, c. 238; N.J.S.A. 30:6D-9.1 to -9.8).
In NJ community settings, unlicensed DSPs administer medication only as a delegated nursing task under Board of Nursing rules, and only after DDD's medication training plus an on-site Medication Practicum completed before administering — repeated annually for agency staff (N.J.A.C. 13:37-6). CPR and First Aid must be hands-on and current before a DSP has sole responsibility, with recertification every two years.
New to New Jersey's system? See our guide to becoming a DDD provider in New Jersey.
DSPlife™ TrainingHub is built for DDD, DBHDD, APD, DODD, DMH/DD/SUS, ODP, HHSC, and DBHDS providers. Its New Jersey library ships with courses your DSPs can complete on their own schedule — from Danielle's Law and Stephen Komninos' Law to unusual incident reporting and the NJISP — logs completion and competency, tracks the medication practicum, fire/universal-precautions, and CPR renewal cycles with automatic alerts, and generates audit-ready reports. See the full compliance overview.
DDD’s System Mandatory Training Bundle for new DSPs includes Danielle’s Law, Stephen Komninos’ Law, Shifting Expectations, and Preventing Abuse/Neglect/Exploitation, delivered through the College of Direct Support. New hires complete it within 6 months of hire.
No — most DDD-mandated DSP courses are one-time competency completions, not annual renewals. The genuinely recurring items are narrower: the medication practicum (annual for agency staff), Fire Evacuation/Emergency Procedures and Universal Precautions (annual for facility-based day programs), CPR/First Aid (every 2 years), and a minimum of 12 hours of professional development per year.
Suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an adult with a developmental disability is reported to DDD at 1-800-832-9173 (24/7). The DSP’s duty is to report immediately — not to investigate — and the same event is also filed as an unusual incident under DHS Administrative Order 2:05.
No. DDD requires nationally certified CPR and Standard First Aid with a hands-on, in-person skills component before a DSP assumes sole responsibility for an individual — online-only is not acceptable. This LMS provides the knowledge and record; the skills card comes from an AHA- or Red Cross-authorized provider, with recertification every 2 years.
General information, not legal advice. DSPlife™ TrainingHub is not affiliated with the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities. Confirm current requirements at nj.gov/humanservices/ddd and the New Jersey Statutes and Administrative Code.
Assign the New Jersey DDD courses, log completion and competency automatically, and get alerts before the medication practicum, fire/universal-precautions, or CPR lapses. Free to start — no credit card required.
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