It is important for us to change our perspective so we can change our attitudes – the way we look at families.
When we look at children and families through a negative, deficit-focused lens, we tend to…
See problems
Make negative judgments
See fault
Expect negative outcomes
But when we change our lens, replacing the deficit-focused lens with a strength-based lens, we see…
Solutions
Inherent strengths
What’s already working
Opportunities
As we change our perspective our focus shifts.
Our focus shifts from a focus on a family’s deficits and risk factors to a more positive focus on the strengths and skills that each family has.
Our focus shifts from focusing on and providing services for “at risk families” to thinking about how we can build strong relationships with ALL families because ALL families face stress and adversity at times.
Our focus shifts from thinking “we need to ‘fix’ families” to an acknowledgment that families know their children best. This means we respect families and work WITH them instead of “doing to” them.
Providers who embrace a trauma-informed approach are more equipped to help individuals “bounce back to move forward” when faced with adversity.
Let us explore more in depth how adversity and trauma impacts individuals.
Learning Objectives: At the end of the course, you will be able to: · Define what case management is · Describe how it can help seniors remain in their homes · Define what client self-determination is · Recognize some common barriers to providing services to seniors · Describe methods that case managers can use to overcome objections to accepting help · Recognize the need for case managers’ self-care
Course Significance: Some seniors need a little extra help to remain in their homes. Professional case managers can often help those seniors to find the extra help they need. That help is usually in the form of services provided by social services agencies. However, the case managers must respect the seniors’ right of self-determination and not force services on them. This course examines the balance that case managers must follow when trying to provide services to their clients. It also examines many of the tools and techniques available to case managers in fulfilling their duties.
Course Instructor: Steven R, Cook, D.Min., M.Div., BS, Lead Case Manager at Meals On Wheels Inc. of Tarrant County
So you have your course made, now what? Before going live it is a great to idea to pilot your course.
When you pilot your course you are making it available to select individuals to review. Having just spent many hours working on content and editing the training you are very close to the content and do not often see errors. Letting someone review the course who has not been heavily involved is a great way to get feedback about the training. Reviewers can be just about anyone. A co-worker, a fellow trainer, or a friend.
A few things to keep in mind when asking someone to review.
Are they good at checking for grammar or spelling?
Will they provide you with honest feedback (even if it’s negative)?
Will they have the time to review the training?
Checklist
A checklist or a listing of items that need reviewed can be shared. Guidance on what exactly you are seeking feedback on is helpful. It will let people know what exactly you need reviewed so that you can get appropriate feedback.
Use the observation form described under Self-Assess your Content to come up with some items you want reviewers to pay close attention to. At a minimum, some things you will probably want reviewed:
Does the content flow well?
Are there any spelling or grammatical errors?
Is anything confusing or does not make sense?
Are your learning objectives met?
Timing
How long did it take them to take the course? It is also good to ask if they were very thorough with the material. Did they complete all reflections or quizzes, etc? This will help you gauge whether the training timing is accurate so you know how many clock hours to issue upon completion of the course.
Timeline
When asking someone to review it is important to give them a timeline – for example complete the review by XYZ date. Two weeks is a good period of time for review of a shorter training – not so long they forget about it, but not too short that they do not have time.
Clock Hour Credit
You may want to offer them credit for the training (if they complete all required components) or access to another training for free as a “thank you.”
Follow Up
Follow up at least one time during the pilot period to see if everyone has had a chance to review the course, it will also serve as a reminder if they have not reviewed it yet.
Feedback
Make sure they know how to provide you with feedback. Do you want the comments in a word document? Is there a checklist they will use? Can you enable comments on the LMS to capture recommendations?
Focus
If you have something specific you want them to focus on, let them know. For example, you aren’t sure about the flow of the course. You can specifically ask them to look at how the course is set up and if the order works well.
Training Plan
If you are doing a training plan, having people review the content before you put it online can save a lot of edits later on if content needs to be removed, added, or moved around.
Suggestions
Finally, you do not have to make every change that is suggested, and that is okay! In general a pilot of your training is just a review which will be based primarily on personal opinion. For example, theOxford comma. Some people use it, some people do not. If you have someone reviewing your content who does not, they will probably point out every time you use it. But if that is what you prefer, you do not need to make that change.
Management can set the tone for interactions with staff by being open, available, and visible. They can go to where their people are and greet them every day. They can show interest by actively listening and being open. They can engage them on the subjects they care about.
Attitudes of management permeate the attitudes of all staff.
When management is positive and supportive, it can create a positive work environment that encourages employees to be productive and engaged. If management is negative or unsupportive, a negative work environment can discourage employees from being productive and engaged.
Managers should validate and respect the efforts of front-line staff.
Managers can clarify employee goals, encourage and reward employees when they accomplish them, and provide useful guidance to boost productivity. This helps front-line teams meet organizational expectations, devote additional effort and produce higher quality work, which can improve employee work-life balance and job satisfaction.
Front-line managers typically provide daily leadership for teams of entry-level employees through mentorship, well-timed encouragement, and productivity strategies. They also help organizations accomplish long-term goals by offering informed advice, determining best practices, and implementing solutions to improve day-to-day operations.
Be present and be attentive to the needs of staff.
It is important for managers to be present and attentive to staff needs because it helps build trust and respect between the manager and employees. When managers are present and attentive, they can listen to their employees’ concerns and provide helpful and constructive feedback.
As leaders, being fully present and listening with an open mind is often the most powerful way to solve issues. As a leader, you can create a safe space for people to air their frustrations and process their problems.
In this lesson, we have spent considerable time on the trauma response of the client.
Now, we turn the table to look at you – the provider. Secondary traumatic stress is a natural response to working with clients with trauma.
Compassion fatigue is a term that describes the physical, emotional, and psychological impact of helping others — often through experiences of stress or trauma. It is sometimes called burnout, but it is a slightly different concept. Unlike burnout, compassion fatigue is highly treatable and may be less predictable. The onset of compassion fatigue can be sudden, whereas burnout usually emerges over time. Symptoms of compassion fatigue can include exhaustion, disrupted sleep, anxiety, headaches, stomach upset, irritability, numbness, a decreased sense of purpose, emotional disconnection, self-doubt, and a sense of isolation.
When in trauma response mode, the client will revert to the age when the trauma occurred.
The sympathetic nervous system can only be calmed by the parasympathetic nervous system, or the “calming system,” not by the rational mind.
The Rational Mind shuts down, giving control to the amygdala. This helps to sense danger. In this step, mental fog and difficulty thinking clearly may occur.
Address History can be found in the Navigation Pane on the left hand side of the screen. Address History allows you to view a table of all the addresses and levels of care at which the individual has lived. The most recent addresses are shown on the Face Sheet. Pull up a copy of your Help Manual and let’s practice in the Sandbox.
For technical issues with KYGFIS, contact Jessica Wayne at jessica.wayne@ky.gov.
2.) Search for an individual under guardianship by Last Name, First Name (e.g., Doe, Jane). Use a name provided to you by your supervisor.
3.) Click on the individual’s name. This will pull up a navigation pane on the left-hand side of the screen.
4.) Click the “Address History” link in the navigation pane. This will pull up the Address History Table with all prior addresses.
5.) The begin date for an address is the date at which they began living at the new address. This is also the last day at the old location. If there is a period of time between addresses it should indicate they were in transit or AWOL.
6.) There are 3 types of Addresses (note this is different than what is listed on page 19 of the Help Manual).
Physical
Vendor
Day Site
7.) Open your Help Manual to page 19 for specific instructions on inserting an address. Before beginning, check that you are inserting a new record and not editing an existing record. You can utilize “Control F” to search the manual. Can you have the manual default to the page you are searching for? For instance, for address changes, it would go directly to page 19 when you click on it.
8.) Click “Insert”, choose a Type of address, and add a Begin Date. Practice updating all address types and use varying dates.
9.) When you are done inserting a new address, click “Save.” The most recent address will be shown on the first page of the individual page.
Note: Changing the address may trigger payments to be “Frozen” and require verification of address for payments to be processed. Letters and Memos will also be manually sent to agencies based on address changes.
You receive an email from the Case Manager for JW, an individual on your caseload who lives with a Family Home Provider through the Supports for Community Living waiver. The Case Manager informs you JW has been offered a position working 20 hours per week in dietary at the local hospital. Vocational services were agreed to at his last Person-Centered Service Planning meeting. JW will be earning $10.00 per hour and his employer requires a direct deposit into a bank account. What documentation does JW need to provide to his employer?
What process does the GSSW need to follow regarding the direct deposit requirement of the individual’s paycheck?
Ask the Case Manager to obtain the documentation from the employer required for direct deposit of JW’s paycheck.
How long does the GFSOS and GSSW have to complete the budget process for JW upon receipt of the funds from the employer or notification of KYGFIS message for an update or work allowance?
Three (3) working days.
Scenario 2:
After a serious car accident at age 20, Jamal has been receiving services through the Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) waiver for the past two years and living in a house with his grandmother. The ABI waiver is for adults with an acquired brain injury who can benefit from intensive rehabilitation services. The services are designed to help participants re-enter the community and function independently. As a result of his cooperation with his Team, and the services provided through the ABI waiver, Jamal no longer requires the services and plans to enroll at the local community college in the Fall.
What are the steps the GSSW will take to create his new budget to include expenses related to attending the community college?
Determine Jamal’s monthly income and expenses.
Determines other expenses of the individual under guardianship that are not on a monthly basis.
Uses the budget worksheet (DAIL-GForm-9, Budget Request Form) to:
Calculate monthly amounts for these expenses; and,
Calculate a net amount.
Send the completed budget to the GFSOS for review and approval.
How often is the budget reviewed?
The budget is reviewed at least annually or when needed.
There will be instances where Guardianship is asked to help an individual or agency take over guardianship, also known as becoming a successor guardian. Tip sheets are available to help anyone interested in becoming a successor guardian, and the GSSW is able to help the interested party complete filings with the court. The GSSW may need to testify and DAIL may retain some level of responsibility with the individual under guardianship.
