Supporting and Retaining Staff:

Promoting Consistency in the Lives of Families

Welcome and Overview

Dan McDougall-Treacy, MSW Valley Cities Counseling &

Consultation dmcdouga@valleycities.org

Who’s Here? Where are we going?

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

Our Clientele

Homeless Family Multiple problems and

barriers Let down by many systems of

care Little reason to trust or hope

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 practice

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

Individual Staff: Skills Set On paper: training, knowledge and

experience Additional skills, qualities, interests Effectiveness: three ways of dancing

Engagement Cultural competence Advocacy

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

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.

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

Supporting and Retaining Staff:

Management/Leadership

Team composition and dynamics

Communication in all directions Staff Development and Morale Facing challenges

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

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.

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.

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

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