How do I shift my staff towards family based care?
During the pandemic, you may have seen staff step in new ways to become para-social workers, community organizers or public health advocates. These are new skills that can be built upon as you shift towards family based care.
While many organizations let go of staff because of COVID-19, the post-pandemic world presents opportunity to re-purpose staff and add new employees.Â
New roles for staff
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SOCIAL WORKERS
Child welfare organizations need trained and qualified social workers. Consider having your social worker provide training and oversight for new para-social workers from within the organization or investing in professional training for staff that are switching over to social work. -
FOSTER AND ADOPTIVE FAMILIES
Many caregivers lovingly care for children in the children’s home with devotion. Such staff would be ideal for getting approved as foster and adoptive parents for children that are not able to safely reunify to their biological family. -
FAMILY STRENGTHENING STAFF
The pandemic brought up needs in healthcare, food distribution and education that your staff would have been addressing. These are family strengthening components that can be continued after the pandemic to reach children and families in the community. -
STREET EDUCATORS AND OUTREACH STAFF
Those staff that were adept at sharing public health information and interacting with community members could continue that while sharing other types of information. They could also engage street dwelling children and youth that are in need of a transitional rehabilitation center on their way to family.