About the Resource Center

The National Direct Care Workforce Resource Center is the country’s premier online library of information on the direct care workforce.

Updated and relaunched in 2020 by PHI, the National Direct Care Workforce Resource Center supports researchers, policymakers, practitioners, advocates, and journalists in better understanding—and building the knowledge base on—this critical workforce of 4.5 million home care workers, nursing assistants, and other direct care workers.

What You Will Find

• The latest research, analysis, and information from the field on the direct care workforce—the largest-growing occupation in the country
• Hundreds of reports, briefs, fact sheets, multimedia resources, and select journal articles published largely since 2010—a library of shareable materials that will grow over time
• A range of search tools that allow users to easily identify resources by issue area, topic, publication type, date, region, and more
• The ability for leaders in the field to submit their original items for consideration in the Resource Center—ensuring it remains current

History & Purpose

In 2000, in collaboration with the Institute for the Future of Aging Services, and with funding support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, PHI launched the National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Worker, the first online resource of publications on the direct care workforce.

This clearinghouse was instrumental in raising early awareness about the critical role of direct care workers in the lives of millions of people—meeting a need that has only grown more pressing over time. Since the launch of the original clearinghouse, the direct care workforce has gained significant attention, generating a growing body of research, analysis, and information on these workers.

In May 2020, PHI launched a new version of this resource, significantly updating its content, modernizing its features, and transforming its look so that leaders in the field could easily search for content. The new site is called: The National Direct Care Workforce Resource Center .

As leaders and advocates in various fields increasingly focus their efforts on the direct care workforce, they will benefit from a centralized online library where they can access the latest and most relevant resources on these workers. Centralizing these resources will also help identify trends and gaps in knowledge on the direct care workforce.

Together, we’re growing the knowledge base on direct care workers.

Interested in Submitting a Resource?

This Resource Center does not include every publication or resource that has been published on this workforce. Our goal is to grow this online library over time, and we encourage you to share your resources for consideration through the submission form on this page.

Please tell us more about your resource, and we’ll be in touch.