Dignity and Well- Being Practical Approaches to Working with Homeless People with Mental Health Problems Warsaw May 2019

STAFF TRAINING AND STAFF CARE The effectiveness of an organization depends on well-qualified and well- trained staff who have good morale. The simple answer to having an effective organization is to ensure that all paid and voluntary staff get enough training to develop the right skills to fulfil their responsibilities. Staff training comes in many forms, but mostly it can be formal and informal. Informal training is somewhat casual and incidental; it is training and learning through experience while on the job.

WHY STAFF CARE AND TRAINING? Working with homeless people with mental health problems is a demanding job, in terms of: Skills, so to respond to multilevel and complex needs Emotional responses, as staff often faces traumatic situations In addition staff faces isolation, lack of adequate continuum of services and lack of coordination

OBJECTIVES OF STAFF CARE AND TRAINING Improve performance, develop skills Facilitate multidisciplinary working Foster collaborative networking across services and organizations and try to overcome the system's gaps Help staff to deal with the stresses and frustration of work Increase resilience Help staff to maintain a balance between the job and personal quality of life

MAIN IDEAS : TRAINING Both formal and informal training is important. Case studies are motivating for staff – on the job training Needs assessment and then develop skills Enhance team functioning and feel free to express ideas and feelings Rotation between roles is important The roles are complementary and should be clear, tasks, communication and protocols Include experts by experience as trainers

VALUES Team culture and respect team function Reflect values of organization – Teams should be clear about values: The person is the centre of the team’s activity Respect the person. Diversity, Dignity and Equality Optimism and persistence Team culture and respect team function Time for reflection, give space to everyone and develop common language

DIFFICULTIES Staff care is low priority for the organization Limited resources, time pressure, case load, organizational burden Irrelevant training or compulsory but not adequate Staff feels insecure in case there is no external supervision (your boss can’t be the facilitator) Team narcissism (we know everything)

GOOD PRACTICES Motivated, flexible and committed staff who shares the same values: respect for the person, outreach and engagement Multidisciplinary team, complementary roles, focus on strengths, all members are equal Team work and space for reflection: organized team meetings and external supervision Provide resources Exchange of experience and joint training with other organizations Encourage to rely to each other and share, feel free to express and discuss problems in a no blame function Regular and constructive evaluations Provide a clear understanding of the link between trauma and homelessness

THE MOST IMPORTANT: REFLECTIVE PRACTICE Where practitioners reflect on their knowledge and experiences and express their thoughts and feelings about them. There is no pressure for an immediate answer, but this may arise after a period of discussion and reflection.   All these help to prevent burn-out, which is a common phenomenon, as working with traumatized people such as homeless people (with mental health problems) affects staff.