COA’s Personnel Development and Supervision (PA-PDS) standards focus on ensuring personnel have the competencies, support, and continuous learning opportunities they need to fulfill their roles at the agency and effectively meet the needs of the individuals and families they serve. 

Personnel competence is the product of a dynamic combination of factors including experience, formal education, training, coaching, peer support, mentoring, and supportive supervision. As such, COA’s PA-PDS standards reflect a multi-faceted approach to personnel development and supervision that enhances supervisors’ abilities to respond to the individual needs of their workers while simultaneously promoting personnel competence, satisfaction, and retention across the agency.