1. Supporting and Retaining Staff: Promoting Consistency in the Lives of Families

2. Welcome and Overview  Dan McDougall-Treacy, MSW Valley Cities Counseling & Consultation dmcdouga@valleycities.org  Who’s Here?  Where are we going?

3. Creating and Sustaining Relationships: Supporting and Retaining Staff The Benefits of Teamwork  How the service model benefits the family  What the team approach can bring  Individual worker - effectiveness Leadership Practices  Team composition and dynamics  Communication in all directions  Staff Development and Morale  Facing challenges

4. Our Clientele  Homeless Family Multiple problems and barriers Let down by many systems of care Little reason to trust or hope

5. Values in service planning and delivery  Client voice and choice  Strengths based  Flexibility, persistence and patience  See www.paperboat.com for info regarding Wraparound methods and practicewww.paperboat.com

6. Family benefits from the program design and team approach  Low caseload and high service intensity  Range of personal and professional skills and expertise  Mutual support  Close communication  Multiple sources of support and availability

7. Individual Staff: Skills Set  On paper: training, knowledge and experience  Additional skills, qualities, interests  Effectiveness: three ways of dancing Engagement Cultural competence Advocacy

8. Effective Engagement Skills: The Dance  Simple, patient, respectful beginning  Develops only at the clients pace  Must balance client/admin. demands  Depth and quality measured only by client’s actions, not by worker assessment

9. Effective Cultural Competence: The Dance  Organizational responsibility  At minimum, cultural curiosity.  Celebration of differences  Acceptance of contradiction  Risk taking and sharing  Our jargon, the “boundary” thing, etc.

10. Effective Advocacy: The Dance  Clients own efforts are exhausted or met by systems barriers.  What can worker bring to bear? Inside knowledge Professional relationship or reputation Agency affiliation Class advantage Above all, tactfulness toward all.  Worker empowered by supervisor and agency

11. Supporting and Retaining Staff: Management/Leadership  Team composition and dynamics  Communication in all directions  Staff Development and Morale  Facing challenges

12. Team Composition  Good hiring: recruiting, networking, and “the HR thing”  Range of skills and interests – including those not related to work.  Chemistry = Diversity Achieved at multiple levels

13. Teamwork: Operations  Culture of respect toward clients, teammates and community partners.  Can-do atmosphere  Tolerance for ambiguity  Collaboration and communication – you/we can’t do it alone.  Boundary-spanning skills (don’t stay in your box).  All team members capable of leadership.

14. Teamwork: a culture of wellness  Self-care and mutual reliance / support  Knowing our limits and honoring the autonomy of others  Patience, flexibility, creativity, humor  Make time for ‘team breathing’: Check-ins, special team events, retreat, impromptu dance parties, down time, personal sharing, etc.

15. Supervision  Be an example: ethics,excellence, self- care, personal and professional growth  Consistent and clear communications: up, down, outward: big picture and tiny picture  Comfort in multiple roles  Reliable support and oversight of staff performance and learning  High expectations: confidence

16. When the team is facing crisis or challenge  Got credibility?  Got support? Team Organization Community Personal  Reprise: Team wellness Clear communication Zen, flexibility, humor Always envision the future