Florida APD · group homes, Supported Living & Personal Supports
Group Home Staff Scheduling Software for Florida APD Providers
General scheduling apps handle shifts perfectly well. None of them maintain Florida’s APD requirements — so none of them can tell you the person you just rostered is overdue on CPR. Care Wizard is the caregiver shift schedule that knows the rules: build the week the way you always have, and it refuses to put somebody on a shift they are not current for.
Build the week the way you would on paper — then it warns you before you put someone on a shift they are not current for. The hours you schedule add straight up for payroll.
What it does for a Florida APD provider
It refuses a shift it should not allow
Roster somebody whose CPR, screening or medication validation has lapsed and it stops, names the requirement, and hands over the course. No override — administrators included.
Rotations write the weeks for you
A group home schedule is not 21 decisions a week, it is a rotation plus two exceptions. Describe the week once and ten weeks fill themselves, skipping anybody whose time off you approved.
Hours total for payroll
The hours you schedule add straight up for the pay period. The calendar and the payroll report read the same column, so they cannot disagree about a shift.
Caregivers carry it on their phones
Everyone sees their own week, claims open shifts, and asks for cover without a group chat. Asking for cover never takes them off the shift — it stays theirs until somebody takes it.
It tracks the requirements underneath
Trainings, screenings, renewals and — for licensed homes — fire drills, extinguisher service and emergency plan reviews, each cited to the rule it comes from.
It re-reads Florida every day
APD amended 27 rules in a single day and sent no letter. Care Wizard re-reads the official sources daily and says what moved and who on your roster it touches.
Common questions
Is there scheduling software built for Florida APD group homes?
Care Wizard is a staff schedule built specifically for Florida APD providers — group homes, Supported Living and Personal Supports. General scheduling apps handle shifts well but none of them maintain Florida's APD requirements, so they cannot tell you that the person you just rostered is overdue on CPR or a Level 2 background screening.
Can a schedule stop you rostering staff who are out of compliance?
In Care Wizard, yes. Putting somebody on a shift they are not current for is refused outright, the refusal names the requirement that lapsed, and there is no override — not for administrators either. The block is the same for everyone, and it offers the course and a one-tap way to log the completion.
What training does a Florida APD group home have to track for staff?
The common set for a licensed APD group home includes Zero Tolerance before providing direct services and every three years after, Direct Care Core Competencies within 90 days, CPR and first aid within 90 days in a classroom setting, a Level 2 background screening cleared before starting with a five-year rescreen, and annual in-service hours. Medication administration and reactive strategies add more for the staff who do them.
Does a Florida group home need a written staff schedule?
Yes. Rule 65G-2.008, F.A.C. requires a licensed facility to maintain staff schedules, and an inspector can ask for them. Keeping the schedule in a group chat or on a paper sheet means reconstructing it later from memory.
Is there a caregiver shift schedule app for Florida group homes?
Care Wizard is a caregiver shift schedule built for Florida APD providers. It works the way a paper rota or a group chat does — build the week, assign your caregivers, send it to their phones — and adds the part neither can do: it checks each caregiver against Florida APD requirements and refuses the shift if their training or screening has lapsed. Group homes, Supported Living and Personal Supports, from $25 a month.
Can staff pick up their own shifts?
In Care Wizard, staff can claim open shifts and request cover from their phone. Anyone claiming a shift is checked against the same compliance rules an administrator is, so self-scheduling cannot be used to get around the block. Asking for cover never removes the person from the shift — it stays theirs until somebody actually takes it.
How much does group home scheduling software cost in Florida?
Care Wizard is $25 a month per group home with unlimited staff in it, or $4 a month per Supported Living or Personal Supports staff member, with a $25 monthly minimum. There is a 30-day free trial and no card is required to start.
More on the requirements underneath the schedule: what Florida APD requires, new-hire deadline calculator, and what changed in the rules.