Florida Department of Children and Families:

1. Florida Department of Children and Families: Family Services Counselor and Supervisor Recruitment and Retention Strategies June 11, 2002

2. Goal • To Recruit and Retain the Right People • Strategies to recruit and retain competent employees • Quality Improvement approach

3. Quality Improvement and Control(QIC) Stories QIC Story #1: Retention of Family Services Counselors Findings: • High caseloads • High job stress • Large amounts of redundant paperwork • Inadequacy of training

4. Recommended Countermeasures • Hotline acceptance criteria • Pay differentials for protective investigators • HomeSafenet • Enhance training for counselors • Enhanced specialty training • Enhance training for supervisors • Succession planning and career paths

5. QIC Story # 2:Retention of Family ServicesCounselors Supervisors Findings: • Lack of projection planning • Starting salary is low • Management are not trained to recognize extraordinary performance and success • High demands of the job impacts work/life balance • Supervisor training not sufficient in leadership skills

6. Recommended Countermeasures • Career paths • Salary Increase • Raise minimum qualifications and experience • Establish Supervisor Effectiveness training and Quality Case Management training for more effective outcomes for supervisors

7. Actions Taken • Defining the job • Recruitment and selection process • Standardized Selection • Competency Based Assessment • University IV-E Program • Performance management • Training

8. Defining the Job • Task analysis completed • Job requirements incorporated into class specifications • Drives all Human Resources and Training processes

9. Recruitment and Selection Process:Standardized Selection Modules • Eligibility determination • Application analysis • Background checks • Willingness questionnaire • Assessment tool • Behavioral interview • Employer reference checks • Drug screening • Background Screening • FDLE and FBI

10. Competency Based Assessment Tool • Attributes identified to contribute to successful job performance: • Thinking skills • Motivation • Interpersonal skills • Personal management • Validation analysis completed • The Behavioral Interview Tools is used in conjunction with the assessment

11. Behavioral Interview Tool • Used in conjunction with assessment • Questions related to past performance • Based on demonstrated behavior: Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales

12. University IV-E Program Partnership with Schools of Social Work • 51 signed contracts • $6,000 for BSW/BHS and $8,000 for MSW • One year of employment payback per stipend • Use current selection process and university recommendations • Two child protection courses and an internship • Based on our job performance requirements

13. New Performance Management System • Core performance expectations • Improved communication • Set Goals • Career Paths • Bonus opportunities

14. Other Initiatives • Specialized recruiters in each district • Mentoring program for Family Services Counselors • “Answer the Call” advertising campaign • Improved Pre-Service and Supervisory Training

15. Dissatisfaction With Traditional Training • Almost $60 billion spent each year on developing America’s workers • Less than 30% of what people learn actually used on job

16. Dissatisfaction With Traditional Training (cont) • There is strong evidence of an ambivalent relationship between many training functions and the management they support • Trainers number one concern is lack of management support • Managers often note that training is not “integrated into the business of the business”. Managers view training as peripheral to the real business of the organization

17. Traditional Vs. Performance Approach to Staff Development

18. Traditional Vs. Performance Approach to Staff Development

19. Causes of Performance Gaps • Lack of confidence to use skills • Disagree with values and concepts which have been taught • Lack of reinforcement • Coaching • Lack of positive models • Task interference • Lack of rewards or incentives/presence of “punishments” • Lack of knowledge and skills

20. “The absence of performance support in the work environment, and not the absence of knowledge or skill, is the single greatest block to exemplary performance.”

21. Organizational Goals Job Requirements Work Environment Individual Organizational Alignment Are we planning, designing processes, managing and monitoring the organization as an integrated system?

22. Types of Certification • Counselor • Supervisor • Specialist

23. Major Components Field Training Self-Instruction Classroom Casework Practice Assessments Ongoing Staff Development Types of Certification

24. Self-Instruction • QCM Job Aids • QA Checklist • Online Desk Reference • Job Tasks • FL Statutes/Operating Procedures • Considerations • Training Handouts

25. QCM Simulation Click on Electronic Job Aid

26. QCM Simulation Click on Case Supervision and Services

27. QCM Simulation Click on “2. Monthly Face-to-Face Contacts”

28. QCM Simulation Click on first F.S. Link (39.601(1)(c))

29. QCM Simulation QCM will access the most current legislation on the web

30. Self-Instruction • Online Courses • Legal Base • Court Systems • Federal Funding • Relative Caregiver

31. Select Online Learning Center

32. For an example, click LEGAL BASE

33. This course is ‘self-paced’, click on the hand icon to proceed

34. Navigate through the course at you own pace

35. FIELD TRAINING • Structured Field Activities • 1:1 Field Training • 1:1 Consultations • Restricted Training Caseload Web-based Reporting System (SkillNET)

36. FIELD TRAINING Report - SkillNET

37. Classroom Training • Job Task Analysis • Behavioral Learning Objectives • Experiential: Kolb Learning Model • Simulated Case Activities • Integrated with Field Activities • Critical Thinking

38. Casework Practice • Small Group Setting • Co-worker and trainer feedback • Real Cases (Difficult)

39. Casework Practice • Facilitated Case Analysis • Assessment of Decision Making • Child Safety • Intervention • Community Services • Case planning • Interpersonal Skills • Documentation

40. Assessments • Pre-Test • Skill Checklists • Assessment of Web Based Courses • Post-Test • 1:1 Field Training (Phase 2) • FBPA/Certification

41. Ongoing Staff Development Recertification • Mentor Training • Florida MAPP Training • Institutional Abuse Investigations • Principles of Care • Advanced Domestic Violence • Advanced Substance Abuse

42. Ongoing Staff Development Recertification • Essential Parenting Tools • Ethics • Legislative Changes • HomeSafenet • Sexual Abuse for Investigations • Advanced Interviewing for Services

43. Ongoing Staff Development Recertification • Data Analysis Training • Supervisor Effectiveness • Family Conferencing • Advanced Cultural Competence • Casework Practice • Quality Case Management • Dependency Court Improvement Summit

44. What’s Next • Entrance interviews • Automated exit review system • Pay • Automated applicant screening process