540: Supervisor Training Series: Remote Module 5: Endings ...€¦ · PowerPoint Slide #5: Agenda (participants will not receive, display in screen share) The Pennsylvania Child Welfare

The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work

403 East Winding Hill Road Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Phone (717) 795-9048 Fax (717) 795-8013 www.pacwcbt.pitt.edu

540: Supervisor Training Series:

Remote Module 5: Endings and Transitions: Managing Staff Retention, Satisfaction and

Separation

Standard Curriculum

Developed by: Crystal H. Clark, Esq. & Lindsey E. Fund, Esq.

Thomas, Thomas & Hafer, LLP, Chuck Mazzitti and Maryann Marchi

For: The Pennsylvania Child Welfare

Resource Center

University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work

Remote Version

May 2020

Copyright © 2020, The University of Pittsburgh

This material is copyrighted by The University of Pittsburgh. It may be used freely for training and other educational purposes by public child welfare agencies and other not-for-profit child welfare agencies that properly attribute all material use to The University

of Pittsburgh. No sale, use for training for fees or any other commercial use of this material in whole or in part is permitted without the express written permission of The

Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center of the School of Social Work at The University of Pittsburgh. Please contact the Resource Center at (717) 795-9048 for

further information or permissions.

*All names and identities used in this module are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Acknowledgments The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center would like to thank the following people for their assistance in the development of 540: Supervisor Training Series: Module 5: Endings and Transitions: Managing Staff Retention, Satisfaction, and Separation. John Amato- Trainer Barbara Eubanks- The Diversity Task Force Cindi Horshaw – The Department of Public Welfare Evelyn Lopez- The Diversity Task Force Stephanie Maldonado- The Department of Public Welfare Charlene Templin – Trainer Tom Trafalski - Trainer Doug Waegel- Trainer

Especially

Members of the Supervisory Training Advisory Workgroup: Claudia Conrad - Huntingdon County Children and Youth

Services Dorothy Everhart - Consultant Deborah Gadsden - Family Design Resources Joy Glassmire - Potter County Children and Youth Services Cindy Pierson - Erie County Children and Youth Services The Resource Center would like to give a special acknowledgement to Lawrence Shulman who developed Interactional Helping Skills into a practical model for supervisors to use with their staff. The Supervisor Training Series uses the Interactional Helping Skills as a framework for approaching supervision. New supervisors are

recommended to purchase Shulman’s Interactional Supervision to use as a reference as they develop their supervision skills.

Acknowledgments (continued)

Marcia Martin, Ph.D. – Bryn Mawr College The Resource Center would also like to express its appreciation to all the dedicated child welfare and other related professionals that identified supervisor learning needs and provided feedback on the content. Their assistance helped to make this curriculum a reality.

Agenda for One-Day Workshop on 540: Supervisor Training Series: Remote Module 5: Endings and Transitions: Managing Staff Retention,

Satisfaction and Separation

30 minutes Section I:

Introduction 1

1 hour, 15 minutes Section II:

“Desired” Transitions 5

1 hour, 15 minutes Section III:

“Undesired” Transitions 16

15 minutes Section IV:

Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress: Why Do These Happen?

28

40 minutes Section V:

Assessing Risk and Impact 31

40 minutes Section VI:

Making a Secondary Trauma Action/Self Care Plan

37

1 hour

Section VII:

The Organizational and Supervisory Roles –

Building on Prevention and Intervention Strategies

41

15 minutes

Section VIII: The Next Step in

Professional Growth and Development

47

10 minutes Section IX: Evaluations

50

540: Supervisor Training Series: Remote Module 5: Endings and Transitions: Managing Staff Retention, Satisfaction and Separation

The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center 540: Supervisor Training Series Remote Module 5: Endings and Transitions: Revised May 2020 Managing Staff Retention, Satisfaction and Separation

Page 1 of 51 Page 1 of 57

Section I: Introduction Estimated Length of Time: 30 minutes Performance Objectives:

✓ none Method of Presentation: Lecture, small and large group discussion, large group activity Materials Needed:

✓ Laptop ✓ Screen ✓ Zoom room flow chart ✓ Managing zoom breakout rooms: Instructor Guide ✓ Instructor prepared word document: WIIFM ✓ Instructor prepared word document: Parking Lot ✓ PowerPoint Presentation: 540: Supervisor Training Series: Remote Module

5: Endings and Transitions: Managing Staff Retention, Satisfaction and Separation

✓ Handout #1: 540: Supervisor Training Series: Remote Module 5: Endings and Transitions: Managing Staff Retention, Satisfaction and Separation (PowerPoint Presentation) (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #2: Learning Objectives and Agenda (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #3: Idea Catcher (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ PowerPoint Slide #1: 540: Supervisor Training Series: Remote Module 5: Endings and Transitions: Managing Staff Retention, Satisfaction and Separation

✓ PowerPoint Slide #2: Learning Objectives (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ PowerPoint Slide #3: Supervisor Training Series (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ PowerPoint Slide #4: Roles of Supervisors (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ PowerPoint Slide #5: Agenda (participants will not receive, display in screen share)



Section I: Introduction

Trainer Note: Typically, all STS modules would be conducted in-person. To protect participants health and safety during this time with COVID-19, Modules in the STS courses have been revised to be conducted remotely by Zoom. Prior to participants joining the session, set up the Zoom breakout rooms following the Zoom Room Flow Chart, set up all instructor prepared Word documents needed for the session, and open the online Workshop Attendance Form.. Display PowerPoint Slide #1 (540: Supervisor Training Series: Endings and Transitions/Managing Staff Satisfaction, Retention, Separation) up on the screen before the class enters the zoom room. Prepare a word document for use when starting (WIIFCF) with the following questions:

What do I need to learn today about staff transitions? What do I need to learn today about burnout and secondary trauma?

Step 1: Greeting (10 minutes) Do: Greet participants as they join the session. Confirm with participants that they can hear you and see the shared screen. Troubleshoot any technical difficulties. Conduct a final sound and screen sharing check before proceeding. Do: Take attendance, making sure to get a verbal confirmation from participants that they are present. Review the 15-minute rule. Ask participants to notify you right away if they are late joining the session after any of the breaks or if for any reason they need to leave the session today. Share with participants that they will have a 15-minute morning break, 1-hour lunch break and 15-minute afternoon break during each training day. Do: Ask participants to have something ready to jot down a few important notes that they will need to refer to throughout the session. Provide the following and ask participants to take notes:

o Workshop ID number

Do: Explain that throughout our session today, you will display materials for participants to see on the screen. You may also put links or documents for them to access in the chat feature.

Facilitator Note: It is important to make note of attendance at the beginning of the day of this session and after each break. At the end of Day 1 of this module, attendance must be submitted to CWRC using the online Workshop Attendance Form located here: http://forms.cwrc.pitt.edu/attendance/

http://forms.cwrc.pitt.edu/attendance/



Review of Zoom guidelines:

Say: Let’s review some guidelines that will help us have a successful session using Zoom.

Do: Review Zoom Guidelines including:

• If you are participating in this call by yourself and you have headphones, we suggest using the headphones. This will help you hear better and eliminate echo and other sound issues.

• If you are participating in this call with others in the same room, make sure only one computer or laptop is signed into the Zoom session. This will prevent echo issues during this call.

• If possible, sit in a quiet room with the door closed. If you need to move to a quieter location, we’ll take a 15-minute break this morning and you can move at that time.

• If there is background noise around you and you are not speaking, please mute yourself until you are ready to speak. This will prevent everyone else from hearing the background noise.

o Ask participants to confirm they see the mute button and are able to mute and unmute themselves.

• We encourage and expect that each of you will participate in all the activities in this module, just as you would if we were together in person. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions and make contributions throughout the day.

• Ask participants to confirm they see and can use the chat feature at any time if needed.

Ask participants if they have any questions. Provide time for participants to respond and be sure to check the chat feature for any questions.

Step 2: Introductions (15 minutes) Introduce yourself making sure to include background and experience working with Child Welfare and/or Human Resources. Instruct participants that you will be asking them to introduce themselves. Give them some time to organize their response. *Can display on screen in a word document for reference while they organize their response.

o Ask them to share, the county they are from, the number of years in the field of child welfare, their current position, the number of years in a management/supervisory role, whether they have hiring/firing/disciplinary authority, and approximately how many employees they are currently responsible for supervising.



o Also ask them to complete “What’s In It For Children and Families” - what would they like to receive from this training?

After each person has presented their responses, list which responses will be covered during the training. If a response will not be covered during the training, write the comment on a blank Word document Trainer-Prepared (Parking Lot). Explain that this training will be trainer-led and participant-centered. Discuss that participants possess a great deal of knowledge and have experience working with employees with child welfare responsibilities. Step 3: Learning Objectives (1 minute) Refer participants to Handout #1 (540: Supervisor Training Series: Remote Module 5: Endings and Transitions: Managing Staff Retention, Satisfaction, and Separation). Explain that this handout contains copies of the PowerPoint slides. Display on screen PowerPoint Slide #2 (Learning Objectives) and refer to Handout #2 (Learning Objectives and Agenda, display on screen with screen share). Review the learning objectives with the participants. Step 4: Overview of STS Series (2 minutes) Display on screen PowerPoint Slide #3 (Supervisor Training Series) Briefly review the four previous modules and explain that this is the last module in the Supervisor Training Series. Congratulate participants for almost completing all 60 hours of the Supervisor Training Series. Tell them that after today, they will be certified child welfare supervisors. Display on screen PowerPoint Slide #4 (Roles of Supervision). Explain that the predominant supervisor roles that will be explored in today’s content will be the administrative role in the morning and the clinical role in the afternoon. Step 5: Agenda (1 minute) Display on screen PowerPoint Slide #5 (Agenda) and refer to Handout #2 (Learning Objectives and Agenda), and review the agenda, for the training stressing that throughout the training we will be exploring several different aspects of the employment relationship:

• Section I: Introduction

• Section II: “Desired” Transitions

• Section III: “Undesired” Transitions

• Section IV: Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress: Why Do These Happen?



• Section V: Assessing Risk and Impact

• Section VI: Making a Secondary Trauma Action/Self Care Plan

• Section VII: The Organizational and Supervisory Roles - Building on Prevention and Intervention Strategies

• Section VIII: The Next Step in Professional Growth and Development

• Section IX: Evaluations Ask participants if they have any questions about the agenda or learning objectives. Step 6: Idea Catchers (1 minute) Display on screen with screen share Handout #3 (Idea Catcher). Explain its use and encourage participants to jot down ideas they would like to remember as they progress through each session.




Section II: “Desired” Transitions Estimated Length of Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes Performance Objectives:

✓ Participants will be able to identify a new idea within a small group setting to take back to their agency in an effort to support workforce development and succession planning.

Method of Presentation: Lecture and small and large group discussion. Materials Needed:

✓ Laptop ✓ Screen ✓ Zoom room flow chart ✓ Managing zoom breakout rooms: Instructor Guide ✓ PowerPoint Presentation: 540: Supervisor Training Series: Remote Module



✓ Handout #3: Idea Catcher (revisited) (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #4: Identifying the “Right” Characteristics and the “Wrong” (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #5: Workforce Development (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #6: Leave of Absences (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #7: Ending a Working Relationship (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #8: Ending Script (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ PowerPoint Slide #6: What are “Desired” Transitions ✓ PowerPoint Slide #7: If People Want them, Why Worry? ✓ PowerPoint Slide #8: What Happens When More Than Internal One

Employee Wants a Position? ✓ PowerPoint Slide #9: What is Succession Planning?




✓ PowerPoint Slide #10: Benefits of Succession Planning ✓ PowerPoint Slide #11: We’re Talking About One Person, Right? ✓ PowerPoint Slide #12: CWEL Graduates’ Reported Increased Opportunities ✓ PowerPoint Slides #13-15: CWEL Graduates’ Reported Concerns ✓ PowerPoint Slide #16: CWEB Students ✓ PowerPoint Slide #17: Recommendations for Success from Successful

Organization ✓ PowerPoint Slide #18: Leaves of Absences ✓ PowerPoint Slide #19: The Americans with Disabilities Act ✓ PowerPoint Slide #20: How Do I Get Employees on Board with Helping Out

During a Leave? ✓ PowerPoint Slide #21: Responding in the Face of Voluntary Resignations



Section II: “Desired” Transitions

Step 1: What are “Desired” Transitions? (1 minute)

Trainer Note: Whenever possible, reinforce the applicability of the skills learned in the first four Supervisor Training Series modules to the topic under discussion.

Display PowerPoint Slide #6 (What are “Desired” Transitions). Identify the following transitions as “desired” transitions:

• Lateral transfers

• Promotions

• CWEB/CWEL enrollment and graduation

• Leaves of absence

• Retirement

• Other voluntary resignations If participants are not familiar with the acronym CWEL or CWEB, identify and explain these programs.

Trainer Note: CWEB stands for Child Welfare Education for Baccalaureates. CWEL stands for Child Welfare Education for Leadership.

Explain that what these transitions have in common is that they take place outside of the progressive discipline process. Step 2: Why Worry? (15 minutes) Pose the question to the large group: If these transitions are desired, why should we worry about them? Solicit responses by engaging participants in a large group discussion. Record the main reasons identified on the word document about why desired transitions do indeed warrant attention. Using PowerPoint Slide #7 (If People Want Them, Why Worry?), discuss any reason why organizations must worry about desired transition that were not identified by participants:

• Competition for open positions;

• Lack of respect for newly-promoted managers;

• Problems with transitioning from co-workers to bosses;



• Difficulties in identifying and planning ahead for natural transitions;

• Problems when transitions occur for the wrong reason; and

• Work place morale can be negatively affected. Step 3: Identifying Good Candidates for Promotion or Transfer (10 minutes) Ask participants how they think they should identify good candidates for promotion or transfer. Facilitate a large group discussion by soliciting responses. Ask participants to identify the “wrong” reasons to promote an employee. Facilitate a large group discussion by soliciting responses. Display on screen Handout #4 (Identifying the “Right” Characteristics and the “Wrong” Reasons for Promoting an Employee) and point out reasons that were not identified by participants. When discussing those reasons that employers should not use to promote or transfer an employee, emphasize that strategy to retention of a quality employee is not a good reason. Point out that most workers between ages 18-42 will hold an average of 11 jobs. (Pierret, 2008). Explain that there are times when more than one employee wants a position. Stress that having more than one qualified employee for open positions is a good dilemma to have. Unfortunately, this situation can sometimes cause hard feelings within an agency, especially when the individual not selected is perceived by staff as more competent. Ask participants to discuss how they have handled such situations in their agencies. Give them about 5 minutes to discuss. Ask for ways they or their agencies have managed such situations. Display PowerPoint Slide #8 (What Happens When More Than One Internal Employee Wants a Position?). Identify the following ways not already identified regarding ways an employer can handle the situation where more than one employee wants a position.

• Be clear about what you are looking for from the start;

• Be clear about what knowledge, skills, abilities, and personalities are important to the promotion;

• Be prepared to explain why you made your decision; and

• Support your choice. Stress that employers should be clear about what they are looking for from the start. Employees will then self-determine their eligibility beforehand, thus reducing the potential hard-feelings resulting from a failed promotion application. One of the most



important parts of the promotion process for the organization is to attend to the employees that unsuccessfully applied for promotion. While this can be awkward, the proper support to these employees is very important. These strategies might include not overly celebrating the promotion of the employee that was selected, ensuring that others understand the need to respect the feeling of employees that may have applied and not been selected, and offering individual meetings with the employees that were not selected, etc. Furthermore, explain that employers should be prepared to offer growth opportunities to the denied employee that will allow for improvement of knowledge, skills, and abilities before the next promotion decision has to be made. Employers must support their choice and not give in to the naysayers or undercut the promoted employee’s attempts to lead. Some agencies find that civil service regulations sometimes pose a barrier to being able to hire the right person for the right job at the right time in his/her career. Explain that sometimes it is a better choice to not fill an open position in situations where it is clear the available candidates do not have the required knowledge, skills, and values to be successful on the job. Sometimes it is worthwhile to wait until the civil service list identifies a candidate with potential to succeed. How to address this with applicants is also important and warrants discussions with employees. This can be even more challenging than someone else being offered the position, and requires extraordinary efforts to support the employees that were not promoted when the position is left unfilled. This is a huge challenge for many organizations. Brainstorm with participants what an applicant might be going through and generate ideas about how best to support them. Explain that sometimes it can help to explain to the employee that excellent casework skills and knowledge about child welfare did not automatically mean someone would be a good candidate for a supervisory position. Step 4: Succession Planning (3 minutes) Ask if anyone in the group has ever heard the term “succession planning”. If anyone can explain it, have them do so. Ask participants what their respective agencies do to implement succession planning. Display PowerPoint Slide #9 (What is Succession Planning?) Provide the following definitions of succession planning.

• In short, it means planning ahead for current employees’ transitions; and

• Succession planning is a key part of overall workforce development, and forces employers to find, assess, develop, and monitor the workforce in a thoughtful way that best facilitates the organizational strategy.

Display PowerPoint Slide #10 (Benefits of Succession Planning) and explain its benefits.

• Plans for future organizational needs before they become pressing;



• Allows for the identification of talented candidates instead of forcing the employer to use whomever may be on hand; and

• Allows for the development and mentoring of talent. With the assistance of PowerPoint Slide #11 (We’re Talking About One Key Person, Right?), stress that succession planning is not just about one departing leader. There may be multiple “key” positions in a unit whose loss would be significant, and for whose exit therefore, needs to be planned. Remind participants that the same skills a supervisor uses to develop an individual worker’s skills will be the same skills a supervisor will use for purposes of succession planning. The difference is that in succession planning, the additional performance standards of another position will be identified for development.

Trainer Note: In Module 3: The Middle/Work Phase of Child Welfare Supervision, a considerable amount of time was devoted to methods to developing the individual worker.

Additionally, for highly specialized units, cross training can be a beneficial succession planning strategy. Step 5: Workforce Development (7 minutes) Ask participants how many of their staff have expressed that they would like to remain in their current position indefinitely. Perhaps there are some staff that have found their “perfect job” and are so extremely satisfied that they have no desire to plan for the future. More than likely, most have staff that would like to have additional work experiences and have desires to grow in their careers. Point out that CWEB and CWEL students are a group of workers that warrant special attention. The CWEB and CWEL programs are part of a long term strategy to support Pennsylvania’s child welfare workforce development efforts. Point to the study by Cahalane and Sites that suggests that CWEL students are rated as knowledgeable and skilled in child welfare (2008). In addition, CWEL students generally rate themselves as extremely committed staff to the field of child welfare. Display PowerPoint Slide #12 (CWEL Graduates’ Reported Increased Opportunities). Many graduates report their CWEL experience as beneficial to their career development. Many credit CWEL as providing them increased opportunities to take on challenging assignments, opportunities to use their creativity, and opportunities for promotions. Display PowerPoint Slides #13-15 (CWEL Graduates’ Reported Concerns). However, for a number of CWEL students, the return to their agency upon completion of their degree is not rated as overly positive. Some of the concerns reported by these CWEL graduates are as follows:



• Lack of differentiation in job classifications among workers with and without graduate degrees;

• Lack of salary incentives;

• Hostile, skeptical and jealous reception workers sometimes face upon return to their agency after graduation;

• Difficulty of some in negotiating assignments that capitalize on the returning worker’s new skills and advanced training;

• Scarcity of opportunities for promotion in some (perhaps many) counties; and

• The sense that advanced educational achievement is not matched with respect and leadership opportunities.

The data suggests that the quality of supervision plays a key role in how the work environment is rated. It was thought that supportive and instructive supervision influences more positive ratings on the work environment. Point out that the research also drew some conclusions about the needs of CWEB students. Display PowerPoint Slide #16 (CWEB Students). One of the major differences between the CWEB and CWEL students is their commitment to the field of child welfare. CWEB students generally were younger, had less years of work experience, and reported less commitment to the professional field. This finding poses a challenge for supervisors to find ways to increase a CWEB student’s commitment to the field of child welfare. Explain that by considering the needs of these workers, a supervisor is also supporting smooth succession planning efforts in their agency. Step 6: CWEB and CWEL (15 minutes) Divide participants up in groups of three or four. If there are participants that work in agencies without CWEL or CWEB students, place them in a small group breakout room that do have these students at their agency. Ask participants to share ways their agencies have supported workers in career development. Ask them to share ways their agency has supported CWEB and/or CWEL students. Have them identify at least one idea they’d like to take back to the office to support their staff with known career goals, including CWEL and CWEB students. Display on screen Handout #5 (Workforce Development). Give handout to them in chat feature as a Word doc or have them keep answers in a notebook to review with whole group. Have them identify who else in their agency needs to be involved and by when each task will be done. Give participants about 8 minutes to complete the assignment.



Reconvene the large group and ask for each person to identify an idea that they had not considered before that they wish to take back to their agency to support workforce development. Display PowerPoint Slide #17 (Recommendations for Success from Successful Organizations). Summarize that a supervisor can support succession planning and workforce development efforts by always considering the following:

• Smooth transitions;

• The ‘right’ developmental assignments;

• Meaningful appraisals and feedback;

• Appropriate selection criteria; and

• A range of good choices. Step 7: Leaves of Absences (5 minutes) Display PowerPoint Slide #18 (Leaves of Absence). Explain that there are two types of leaves of absence that will be discussed. They are the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Display on screen Handout #6 (Leave of Absences). Briefly review the requirements for FMLA. At times an employee may be incapacitated and not able to perform job duties due to mental health issues or drug or alcohol abuse or dependence. In these cases, a corrective action plan should be clearly documented as discussed in Module 3: The Middle/Work Phase of Child Welfare Supervision. Explain that it is important for supervisors to know that FMLA should be required in such situations where an extended treatment is required. Supervisors should be working closely with their supervisor and Human Resources Department in such situations. The objective is for the employee to get the needed treatment and assume job responsibilities as soon as possible. Introduce The Americans with Disabilities Act. Display PowerPoint Slide #19 (The Americans with Disabilities Act). Explain the following:

• Employers are obligated to provide employees with reasonable accommodations that will allow them to perform the essential functions of their jobs notwithstanding the fact that they have a disability.

• There is no “per se” limitation on how long an employee can be on leave pursuant to the ADA.

Explain that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has taken the position that modified hours and/or leaves of absence can constitute a reasonable accommodation, and that these adjustment can be either permanent or lengthy.



Trainer Note: Participants covered the Americans with Disabilities Act in Module 4: Managing Diversity through the Employment Process.

Explain that this section is meant to provide participants with a broad overview. Explain that the following supervisor training addresses these topics more thoroughly. 540: Supervising through HIPAA, FMLA, and ADA and Privacy Enter the name of this training in the chat feature. Step 8: Managing Leaves Within the Unit (5 minutes) Solicit input from the participant on what impact such leaves have on the employees remaining in the workplace. Offer practical suggestions for motivating employees still in the workplace to assist during leave periods while displaying PowerPoint Slide #20 (How Do I Get Employees on Board with Helping Out During a Leave?).

• Tell other employees that the worker is on permitted leave;

• Be clear and honest with employees about the need for assistance and the reasons for it;

• Give details regarding how long the “extra work” is expected to last;

• Ask them to put themselves in the shoes of the employee on leave;

• Let staff see that you are willing to put in extra work; and

• Appeal to the sense of teamwork. Emphasize the importance of building positive relationships with staff before a supervisor faces this situation. Remind participants that positive relationships are built through the use skills covered in the first four modules of the Supervisor Training Series. Some of these skills include Interactional Helping Skills, the Strength-Based, Solution-Focused approach, reflective supervision, critical thinking skills, and adult teach/learner strategies. Step 9: Voluntary Resignations, Promotions, and Transfers (10 minutes) Display PowerPoint Slide #21 (Responding in the Face of Voluntary Resignations). Discuss the initial steps that must be taken in responding to an employee’s voluntary resignation, promotion or transfer. They are:

• Assess the reasons (stated and unstated) to determine how a resigning employee should be permitted to work for the remaining “notice” period;

• Determine early how client contact will occur and who will be responsible for making those calls; and



• Have a timeline ready for the transition, with specific steps about how the departure will be handled.

Ask participants for things a supervisor can do when a worker turns in a resignation. Engage participants in a discussion while soliciting answers. Display on screen Handout #7 (Ending a Working Relationship). Identify and discuss those steps that were not identified in the discussion that are necessary for a successful transition when ending a positive relationship. When an upcoming ending or transition will occur, it can always help to announce the ending or transition at a staff meeting. The employer should have an honest conversation with the departing employee regarding both the dynamics of the worker-client process, as well as the dynamics of the supervisor-worker relationship. How would this affect the clients? How was this affecting the supervisor? How was this affecting the departing worker? Staff will be more comfortable expressing their feelings about the ending or transition when the supervisor does the same. Just as the supervisor engages staff in welcoming a new employee, the staff should be engaged in endings and transitions. This will help staff to feel a sense of closure when they lose a colleague. Too often, a superficial good-bye party is held that leaves staff sensing lose ends. Explain that good-byes are difficult for everyone, but they are needed. When transitions are dealt with honestly within an agency, the parallel process occurs allowing staff to facilitate honest endings with families. Proper good-byes are especially needed for children and families for whom many have experienced loss of important people in their lives without proper closure. When the new worker is identified prior to the worker’s departure, the transition can be smoothed by having the departing worker introduce the new worker to the family. Explain that sometimes exit interviews are conducted formally by the administrator or the Human Resources Department. The purpose is for the organization to learn more about what is going well for employees and what are the sources of employee dissatisfaction that results in resignations. The information gained in these interviews can help inform an agency’s retentions strategies. Step 10: Strained Relationships (10 minutes) Explain that, unfortunately, there are times when an employee chooses to voluntarily resign and the relationship is strained with either the supervisor or organization. Identify the same steps necessary for a successful transition when ending a negative relationship as for a positive relationship. However, engaging the worker in this process can be more challenging. Stress that honesty with the departing employee is necessary. By having honest conversations, supervisors and workers may refrain from



repeating the same mistakes in the future. The supervisor should not be defensive or angry during this discussion. Ask for any participant to share their feelings about an employee who departed where the relationship was strained and how they managed the departure. Tell participants that they will hear a conversation between a supervisor and a departing worker whose relationship has been strained. Ask for two volunteers to read a script and decide who will play which role. Display on screen Handout #8 (Ending Script).

Trainer Note: The script is adapted from Shulman, L. (2010). Interactional Supervision. pp. 158-160.

Have the volunteers read the script. Ask all other participants to mute themselves. Ask participants for their reactions to this exchange. Point out that the supervisor practiced the skill of containment when the worker said she “had it in for me from the start”. Instead, of becoming defensive, she asked her to elaborate on the statement. Also, point out how the supervisor used the skill of making the demand for work in relation to tying up loose ends on the caseload. Ask participants how the parallel process applies to the ending skills. If participants do not respond, ask them how their caseworkers are guided and supported to provide closure to families on their caseloads. Explain that often child welfare professionals will skip over providing closure with families on their caseloads unless they can see the skills modeled for them. Step 11: Summary of Desired Transitions (2 minutes) Explain that the supervisor can serve to set the tone for the unit during any transition. Emphasize that positive and smooth transitions are always preferable to negative and abrupt transitions. Answer questions participants may have about transitions. Remind participants that their Human Resources Department is a resource with which supervisors need to consult with during transitions. Step 12: Idea Catchers (2 minutes) Give participants 2 minutes to record any new ideas on their notebook page for Handout #3 (Idea Catcher).




Section III: “Undesired” Transitions Estimated Length of Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes Performance Objectives:

✓ Participants will identify with a small group setting, at least three considerations to make prior to an employee’s termination, suspension, or demotion based on laws, statutes, and progressive discipline policy.

Method of Presentation: Lecture, small and large group discussion, large group activity Materials Needed:

✓ Laptop ✓ Screen ✓ Zoom room flow chart ✓ Managing zoom breakout rooms: Instructor Guide ✓ Poster #1: Performance Management Cycle ✓ PowerPoint Presentation: 540: Supervisor Training Series: Remote Module




✓ Handout #9: Sample Progressive Discipline Policy (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #10:Questions to Ask Prior to Terminating, Suspending or Demoting an Employee (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #11: Sample Neutral Reference Letter (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ PowerPoint Slide #22: What are “Undesired” Transitions? ✓ PowerPoint Slide #23: Corrective Action Plan ✓ PowerPoint Slide #24: The Importance of Being Ernest ✓ PowerPoint Slide #25: The General Rule for Employment ✓ PowerPoint Slide #26: Common Law vs. Statute ✓ PowerPoint Slide #27: Legal Protections ✓ PowerPoint Slide #28: How Do They Affect My Decisions? ✓ PowerPoint Slide #29: Human Resources Trainings




✓ PowerPoint Slide #30: Sample Progressive Discipline Policy ✓ PowerPoint Slide #31: The Legitimate, Nondiscriminatory Reason ✓ PowerPoint Slide #32: What is HIPAA? ✓ PowerPoint Slide #33: Protection and Confidentiality of Medical Information ✓ PowerPoint Slide #34: My Employees Keep Asking What Happened to John

Doe… ✓ PowerPoint Slide #35: No One is Talking to Me, But They are Talking to

Each Other ✓ PowerPoint Slide #36: Managing Gossip ✓ PowerPoint Slides #37-38: What Happens If I Get a Reference Call



Section III: “Undesired” Transitions Step 1: What are “Undesired” Transitions? (5 minutes) Explain that the second half of the morning will be spent discussing “undesired” transitions. Using PowerPoint Slide #22 (What Are “Undesired” Transitions?), identify the “undesired” transitions in the workplace:

• Disciplines;

• Demotions;

• Negative Performance Evaluations;

• Suspensions; and

• Terminations. Explain that in a perfect world, no one would ever have to be fired. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world, and there are many reasons that employees may ultimately have to be let go. Whether performance-related, attitude-related, economically motivated, or for any other reason, involuntary terminations happen, and it is naïve to ignore the possibility or fail to prepare in advance for the eventuality. Refer to Poster #1 (Performance Management Cycle). Point out that in the performance evaluation stage, if performance is unsatisfactory, a corrective action plan is instituted as part of the performance management cycle. (The exception might be when a policy violation is committed serious enough to warrant skipping of a corrective plan and going directly to a more severe disciplinary measure.) Display PowerPoint Slide #23 (Corrective Action Plan). Review the criteria for corrective plans:

• Created for employees who are not meeting minimum standards.

• Includes measurable goals for improvement.

• Require additional follow-up to monitor progress.

• Require interim evaluations.

Trainer Note: The criteria for corrective action plans were reviewed briefly in Module 3:

The Middle/Work Phase of Child Welfare Supervision. In addition,

coaching interventions and documentation techniques were explored in

Module 3.

Explain that the same coaching skills learned in Module 3: The Middle/Work Phase of Child Welfare Supervision continue through the implementation of a corrective action plan. The roles of supervision continue to be administrative, clinical, and educational and the intervention is informed by the worker’s gaps. Many times, this extra intervention is enough to help a worker improve performance to the acceptable level.



Remind participants that in Module 3, they learned the importance of documentation of coaching efforts. Explain that documentation becomes increasingly more important when more intensive coaching and disciplinary interventions are warranted. Using PowerPoint Slide #24 (The Importance of Being Earnest) and discuss the importance of being earnest in the workplace.

• Identifies undesirable behavior and gives an employee the opportunity to correct it;

• Serves as notice to the employee that their position may be in jeopardy if behavior does not change; and

• Allows the employee to foresee termination, suspension, or demotion. Explain that while no one wants to be the subject of a disciplinary write-up or a negative performance evaluation (or be terminated), there is legitimate reason for their existence – to identify undesirable behavior and give an employee the opportunity to correct it and therefore, become a better employee. When viewed in this light, these “undesirable” transitions are more positive and constructive. Stress the legal pitfalls of negative actions. Unfortunately, it is not just the practical impact of the discipline, negative evaluation, termination, suspension, or demotion that supervisors have to worry about. There may be legal issues which can arise as well. When the legal issues pop up, it is particularly important that you have been honest and open about all of the potentially negative actions taken, as they will be your biggest defense against any legal action that may be taken against the agency. Step 2: Employment Laws (3 minutes) With the assistance of PowerPoint Slides #25 (The General Rule for Employment), discuss the general rule for employment law in Pennsylvania. Explain that while employment relationships are generally “at will,” there are a wealth of federal, state, and local statutes and ordinances which prohibit employment decisions which are based on “protected classifications”. The major statutes are listed on PowerPoint Slide #26 (Common Law vs. Statute).

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

• The Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA)

• The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA)

• The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

• The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA)

• The Pennsylvania Whistleblower Act (PWA)

• The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act (PWCA)



• The Civil Rights Act

• Civil Service Laws

• Labor Laws Explain that this training will not explore each and every law and statute relating to employee termination, suspension, and demotion. However, this list is being shown in order to emphasize to supervisors the importance of working closely with their managers and their Human Resources Department who are very familiar with these laws and statutes. In addition, explain that some agencies have union contracts that outline just cause for disciplinary actions. In addition, some agency personnel policies include specific requirements for disciplinary action and grievance procedures for employees that disagree with the action taken. It’s imperative that a new supervisor become familiar with these. Step 3: Protected Classifications (10 minutes) Remind participants that there are protected classes of individuals that require special consideration in the employment process. Ask participants to identify the protected classes of people discussed in Module 4: Managing Diversity Through the Employment Process. Display PowerPoint Slide #27 (Legal Protections). Point out any group of individuals that were not identified by the group.

Trainer Note: The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Affirmative Action, and Equal Opportunity Employment, and the Americans with Disabilities Act were explored in Module 4: Managing Diversity Through the Employment Process.

Some of them are:

• Gender;

• Race;

• An employee with a disability;

• Age;

• Sexual Orientation;

• Religion;

• An employee on FMLA;

• A pregnant employee;

• Whistleblower (an employee who makes a good faith report or is about to report, verbally or in writing, to the employer or appropriate authority an instance of wrongdoing or waste by an employer.)

Stress that this does not mean that an employer cannot terminate someone who is protected by one of these statutes. It does mean, however, that employers should have evidence ready to support the reason for termination, suspension, or demotion. Typically, the way to create the evidence is to implement progressive discipline.



Display PowerPoint Slide #28 (How Do They Affect My Decisions?). Explain how these statutes and laws affect an employer’s decision.

• Decisions based on an employee’s membership in a protected class are prohibited under these statutes.

• Supervisors must be conscientious as to the reasons and support for each and every corrective or disciplinary action, as well as all termination, suspension, or demotion decisions.

Display PowerPoint Slide #29 (Human Resources Trainings). Inform participants that there are additional trainings available from the Child Welfare Resource Center on such topics of employment law. They include:

• 501: The Employee Performance Review Process

• 533: Beyond the Evaluation: Managing Performance to Increase Caseworker Retentions and Job Satisfaction

• 533: Supervising Difficult Employees

• 534: Employee Performance Evaluation

• 535: Management of Conflict

• 540: Supervising through HIPAA, FMLA, and ADA and Privacy

• 540: The Disciplinary Process

• 703: Legal Issues to Consider in Making Hiring Decisions

• 703: The Employee Review Process

• 704: Legal Issues to Consider in Making Firing Decisions Step 4: Progressive Discipline (15 minutes) The Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process recognizes that everyone has performance gaps. Refer to Poster #1 (Performance Management Cycle). The performance management cycle explored in Module 3: The Middle/Work Phase of Child Welfare Supervision is a model that supports staff in developing their knowledge and job skills. Sometimes, all the coaching and supervisory support is not enough to remedy an employee’s performance issue and bring it up to an acceptable level of performance. When significant performance issues remain after the use of coaching and the other supervisory strategies discussed in Module 3: The Middle/Work Phase of Child Welfare Supervision, or an employee violates a major agency policy, it is time for progressive discipline to begin. Explain that each agency should have its progressive discipline policy available to employees. Ask participants how many of them brought with them their agency’s policy.

Trainer Note: Participants were to locate, review, and bring with them to the training a copy of their agency’s progressive discipline policy.



Ask them to generally describe any steps in their policies. If anyone in the room is not familiar with their agency’s progressive discipline policy, encourage them to seek it out back at the office.

Trainer Note: If all participants brought in their policy as pre-work, PowerPoint Slide #30 and Handout #9 may be skipped.

Display PowerPoint Slide #30 (Sample Progressive Discipline Policy). Explain that the slide contains a sample of the steps of an agency’s progressive discipline policy. This sample was chosen because it is basic and most policies include at least these three steps. Some organizations may include other actions such as suspensions or demotions under certain circumstances. The following progressive disciplinary system will be imposed when an employee violates an agency rule or policy or has a significant performance problem:

(1) VERBAL WARNING: The [agency] will provide a verbal correction to the employee to correct the deficiency, violation, or non-compliance. A written record of this correction will be placed in the employee’s personnel file.

(2) WRITTEN WARNING: If the verbal warning proves ineffective in correcting the situation, [the agency] shall give the employee a written warning clearly identifying the deficiency, noncompliance, or violation, and steps required for correction. The employee will be asked to sign, indicating receipt of a copy of the written correction, and a copy will be placed in the employee's personnel file.

(3) TERMINATION: When all other means of discipline have been used, or when the offense justifies such action, the employee may be terminated.

Display on screen Handout #9 (Sample Progressive Discipline Policy). Have participants record in notes for future reference. Explain that one of the most important things for a supervisor to do during a time of progressive discipline is to document in detail all conversations held with an employee. Should a situation ever get to litigation, it is imperative that the supervisor be able to recall specific instances where topics were discussed. Stress the importance for participants to inquire into their respective agency’s policy regarding progressive discipline. Also, explain that many agencies’ policies are informed by union contracts that identify just cause for disciplinary action. In addition, many agencies have personnel policies that may include specific requirements for disciplinary action and grievance procedures for employees that disagree with an action taken.



Step 5: Considerations to be Made Before Termination, Suspension, or Demotion (10 minutes) Organize participants into breakout rooms. Assign each group a protected class. Ask participants to consider the rights of employees of the protected class and the major steps in a progressive discipline policy. Ask groups to discuss and record those issues that an employer should consider prior to termination, suspension, or demotion in order to avoid allegations of harassment or discrimination lawsuits. Give groups about 5 minutes to discuss. When they are finished, bring back into large group. Step 6: Large Group Discussion (15 minutes) Give each group an opportunity to present what is on their paper and to summarize their discussions. Provide motivational and constructive feedback as appropriate. Solicit comments from other groups. Display on screen Handout #10 (Questions to Ask Prior to Terminating, Suspending or Demoting an Employee). Cover any points not already made by participants. Encourage participants to record in nots and keep notes handy to use as a future reference. Stress that these questions are similar to those, which a court might ask in reviewing your decision should you find yourself the subject of an employment lawsuit. Display PowerPoint Slide #31 (The Legitimate, Nondiscriminatory Reason). Explain that the way to avoid lawsuits is to make termination, suspension, or demotion decisions for legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons. These include the following:

Attendance problems; Performance issues; and Other disciplinary issues.

Step 7: Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act (HIPAA) (5 minutes) Explain that next confidentiality concerns in the workplace will be discussed. With reference to PowerPoint Slide #32 (What Is HIPAA?), discuss what the Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act (HIPAA) is:

• HIPAA is a federal law that sets rules and limitations on who can disclose what medical information regarding individuals and when.

• Medical information includes any record/letter regarding mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, physical therapy, hospital visits, doctor visits, etc.

Ask participants to provide input on how to minimize privacy claims. Display PowerPoint Slide #33 (Protection and Confidentiality of Medical Information).



Explain the parameters around confidentiality and storage of medical records as a way to minimize privacy claims:

• Medical information must be kept confidential even if it does not contain a medical diagnosis or treatment course or is not generated by a health care professional.

• Keep medical information in a separate file from regular personnel files that are only accessible to designated officials.

Ask participants if they know where in their office they keep medical information on employees? Step 8: Communicating With Your Employees (5 minutes) Pose the question to the group: How do you or would you manage to maintain your unit’s functioning after a termination, suspension, or demotion? How have they managed gossip in their own workplace? Do any agencies have policies on employee gossip? Have these policies worked? Solicit answers from the group. Discuss how to manage gossip following an employee’s termination. Explain that how you can respond depends on an employer’s policy. Ask participants if they were able to locate, review and bring with them their agency’s

policy on the disclosure of information about previous employees.

Trainer Note: As pre-work, participants were to locate, review, and bring to the training

their agency’s policy (if one exists) on the disclosure of information about

previous employees. Such a policy may identify requirements for

providing employment verification and professional references to a

previous employee’s prospective employer and explaining to remaining

employees the nature an employee’s separation status.

For those participants who did not complete their pre-work, encourage them to find out their agency’s policy regarding disclosing disciplinary actions including terminations to others that do not need to know. When there are policies in place, most supervisors can explain that there could be a range of possibilities regarding the employee’s departure; but that we have to respect an employee’s privacy as we would expect other’s to respect our privacy regarding these matters. Then the focus should be on helping staff move past the issue and focus on repairing or improving workplace cohesion.

Trainer Note: If all participants can identify their agency policy regarding the disclosure of information concerning a terminated employee, PowerPoint Slide #34 may be skipped.



Display PowerPoint Slides #34 (My Employees Keep Asking What Happened to John Doe…). In agencies where there is no disclosure policy, some find the following guidelines helpful:

• Do not shy away from the question – uncertainty and a lack of communication fosters gossip that may be worse than the actual truth. Tell others that the employee was terminated/demoted/suspended because of a violation of a policy.

• Be sensitive to how any information you may give regarding the separation could impact the departing employee’s reputation and/or feelings toward the agency; and

• Do not give the “whole” truth with all the gory details. Display PowerPoint Slides #35 (No One is Talking to Me, But They Are Talking to Each Other). Identify the “root problems” that foster gossip in the workplace:

• Lack of communication from management, whether it involves good or bad information;

• Employee ignorance of the consequences of gossip;

• Lack of respect for management, and/or enforcement of rules by management.

• Competition among employees;

• Cliques that are allowed to form and congregate regularly;

• Hesitance by employees to complain about the effects of rumor-mongering; and

• Uncertainty in the workplace. Display PowerPoint Slides #36 (Managing Gossip). Identify ideas for managing gossip in the workplace.

• Define what gossip means to your agency, and impose rules based on that definition;

• Reinforce the policy regarding gossip in the workplace regularly with employees;

• Use performance appraisals to address questions of gossip that do not reach the disciplinary levels;

• Assign more work;

• Educate employees on how they prevent rumors about themselves; and

• Go through the DAPIM™ process and address the “root problems.” (APHSA, 2009).

Trainer Note: Participants explored the DAPIM™ process in Module 2: Living the Mission of Child Welfare.

Step 9: Giving Professional References (5 minutes) Explain that at one point in the future, they will probably receive a request for a professional reference for an employee that either voluntarily resigned or was terminated. Ask participants if they have ever given a reference. Ask them how they



handled it. Explain that this topic often invokes much confusion about what an employer can tell a prospective employer. Inform participants that some organizations have specific policies around who can give a professional reference and what can be told. Ask participants if they were able to locate, review and bring with them their agency’s policy (if one exists) on giving of professional references. Ask for volunteers to summarize their agency policy.

Trainer Note: As pre-work, participants were to locate, review, and bring to the training

their agency’s policy (if one exists) about providing employment

verification and professional references for a previous employee.

If all participants can identify their agency policy regarding providing

professional references, PowerPoint Slides 37-38 and Handout #11

may be skipped.

For participants who were not able to determine their agency policy, encourage them to go back to their agencies for more guidance. Explain that as far as the law goes, there is some guidance that can be provided. Display PowerPoint Slides #37-38 (What Happens If I Get a Reference Call?). Review what an employer should do if he/she does not have a policy and receives a reference call. Explain the following:

• Employers are immune from defamation claims for providing information to a prospective employer regarding job performance, unless the employee can show by clear and convincing evidence that the employer:

Disclosed information that they knew was false or should have known was false;

Knowingly disclosed materially misleading information; Recklessly disclosed false information; or Disclosed information the disclosure of which was prohibited by law.

• Confirm dates of employment, job title, and rate of pay.

• Eligibility for rehire.

• Negotiate with the employee regarding a standard reference letter to be provided in response to a reference request (for situations where an employee would not receive a positive reference).

This means that an employer can disclose why the employee no longer works there, and their eligibility for rehire, as long as it relates to the employee's job performance. For instance, if the employee was terminated because he was absent 12 days in a row, that could be disclosed. However, if the employee resigned because he was having medical issues, that should not be disclosed. As for another example: an employee's personal life should not be discussed. Explain that employers are always free to decide to just give a neutral recommendation instead of discussing a former employee's job performance. Often, that the employer



will only provide a neutral recommendation is a standard term of a settlement agreement. Display on screen Handout #11 (Sample Neutral Reference Letter) for future reference. Step 10: Idea Catcher (2 minutes) Give participants about 2 minutes to record ideas in notebook for Handout #3 (Idea Catcher).




Section IV: Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress: Why Do These Happen? Estimated Length of Time: 15 minutes Performance Objectives:

✓ none Method of Presentation: Lecture, small and large group discussion, small group activity Materials Needed:





✓ Handout #12: Burnout and SecondaryTrauma, Defined (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ PowerPoint Slide #39: Roles of Supervision ✓ PowerPoint Slide #40: Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress – What’s

the Difference? ✓ PowerPoint Slide #41: Endings and Transitions/Managing Staff Retention,

Satisfaction and Separation ✓ PowerPoint Slide #42: What is This? ✓ PowerPoint Slide #43: Why Does this Happen?



Section IV: Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress: Why Do These Happen? Step 1: Burnout and Secondary Trauma Defined (5 minutes) Stress that the remainder of this module is not only educational, but should produce two other results: 1) it should lead to an examination of their own experiences with secondary traumatic stress, and 2) it should stimulate thinking about what an agency can do to develop systems and strategies designed to help their employees cope with these issues. Display PowerPoint Slide #39 (Roles of Supervision). Explain that the role of the supervisor around these tasks are primarily clinical and administrative. Explain that traumatic stress is now considered to be an “occupational hazard” of doing child welfare work. There is both primary stress and secondary stress. The symptomatology of each is relative to the individual, that individual’s history of trauma, and the nature of the event. Explain the difference between primary and secondary traumatic stress. For example, witnessing the aftermath of severe child abuse, for example, is secondary; but if that particular caseworker also has his or her own history of trauma, the degree to which that caseworker is impacted and develops trauma symptoms could well fit the definition of primary traumatic stress. On the other hand, having a gun pointed at you in the field is certainly a primary traumatic stress. While the supervisor needs to be knowledgeable and watchful for both primary and secondary traumatic stress in staff, secondary trauma is more widespread among child welfare staff because exposure is ongoing. The ongoing exposure to secondary traumatic stress creates symptoms that resemble other conditions, and therefore are likely to be overlooked or assessed as some other problem. Many professionals in the field of trauma may choose to use other terms when describing secondary trauma such as vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, critical incidents etc. It may appear that there is professional disagreement over which terms are most current or accurate. The preferred term is traumatic stress and that will be the term that is used in the training content and discussions. Explain that some of the tools or handouts that will be used during the training might have differing terms than our preferred term because many of the tools used in the field use different terms. Ask the class to define burnout and then secondary traumatic stress. List responses for these definitions in a Word document while sharing screen, separately listing all of the definitions for “Burnout” and “Secondary Trauma”. After all participants have had a chance to respond, post the flip chart pages to the wall in front of the class for everyone to see. Display PowerPoint Slide #40 (Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress - What’s the Difference?).

• Both issues have similar roots. Both issues involve the cumulative effects of stress. Both issues elicit similar responses from affected employees.



• While secondary traumatic stress deals with secondary exposure to clients’ trauma, burnout adds the daily stressors of functioning in the overall workplace.

Display on screen Handout #12 (Burnout and Secondary Trauma, Defined), and compare that to the classes’ answers. Identify similarities in definitions and work through any possible misunderstandings. Display PowerPoint Slide #41 (Endings and Transitions/Managing Staff Retention, Satisfaction and Separation). Read the quote by Abraham Maslow:

“The fact is that people are good. Give people affection and security, and they will give affection and be secure in their feelings and their behavior. “

Ask the participants what relevance, if any, they see from the quote to their own employees, worksites, and staff retention and satisfaction. Step 2: What Does It Look Like? (3 minutes) Display PowerPoint Slide #42 (What is This?). Explain that the rest of the session will focus on dealing with exposure to cumulative secondary traumatic stress. By focusing on the appropriate response to this issue, we can also address many of the conditions that contribute to burnout, thereby getting additional benefit from a singularly focused exercise. Review the idea that most likely our exposure to secondary trauma is a cumulative process that produces changes in the physical, spiritual and psychological arenas of employee’s lives. Over time, employees exposed to secondary trauma will build emotional walls around themselves for protection, they will change the way they interact with their clients, and their effectiveness as case workers will be compromised and diminished. The effects of ongoing exposure to secondary trauma damage not only the life of the affected employee, but their families, significant others and clients as well. The overall quality and quantity of work produced as county employees diminishes as well. Step 3: Why Does This Happen? (5 minutes) Display PowerPoint Slide #43 (Why Does This Happen?) Explain why secondary trauma happens.

• Secondary trauma occurs because your employees care about those they serve. The employees feel committed to and responsible for helping those they serve.

• Secondary trauma occurs because the employee’s long-held beliefs about institutional justice, religion and/or personal vulnerability are placed under attack.



Trainer Note: In Module 3: The Middle/Work Phase of Child Welfare Supervision, participants explored reflective supervision as a strategy to secondary trauma.

Remind participants that in Module 3: The Middle/Work Phase of Child Welfare Supervision they were introduced to the prevalence of secondary trauma symptoms in child welfare professionals. Remind participants that they also discussed the relationship between the functions of mirror neurons and possible implications for developing secondary trauma stress. They explored reflective supervision as a strategy to prevent secondary trauma. Explore the concept that people drawn to the helping professions generally have a strong interest in helping others, in making a difference in their lives, and working with people directly. Ask the participants how many of them believe they choose this profession because of something in their background – traumatic or not. Elicit opinions from the participants about the influence this may have on career choices. Further explore the idea that passion for this work puts employees at greater risk for suffering from exposure to secondary trauma. An appropriate analogy is that “something must first burn before it can burn out”. Further explore the roots of transition that occur because of secondary trauma. Starting early in our lives we believe that our parents can protect us from any harm, that the world is a fairly safe place, and that nothing terrible ever happens. This personal and worldview changes with time, but we rarely relinquish completely the belief that the world is a fair and safe place in which to live. Justice and good always prevail. As far as safety, few young people have life experiences that convince them of their own vulnerability and mortality. When bad things do happen, it is usually to other people, and is the rare exception to the rule. Working with traumatized clients on a regular and repeated basis opens our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to the truth that there is a great deal of cruelty and suffering in the world, and it usually cannot be prevented. When exposed to this new reality for a long period of time, it is very easy to become disillusioned with humanity. Ask the class for any volunteers to relate personal or work experiences that they now see as having exposed them to secondary trauma. Be careful to distinguish between single events (critical incidents) and ongoing secondary trauma. Ask what they may have done to cope with or transform the ongoing secondary trauma. Make a list of their responses, for use later in the module. Step 4: Idea Catcher (2 minutes) Give participants 2 minutes to record ideas in notebook for Handout #3 (Idea Catcher).




Section V: Assessing Risk and Impact Estimated Length of Time: 40 minutes Performance Objectives:

✓ Participants will be able to assess their individual quality of life in relation to burnout, compassion satisfaction, and vicarious (secondary) trauma using the PROQOL Scale.

Method of Presentation: Lecture, small and large group discussion, individual activity. Materials Needed:




✓ Handout #3 (Idea Catcher) (revisited) (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #13: Signs and Symptoms of Vicarious Trauma (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #14: Employee Work Performance Stress Indicators) (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #15:The Professional Quality of Life Scale (PROQOL) Scale (Provide to participants as a Word Doc.)

✓ PowerPoint Slides #44-45: Who is Most at Risk? ✓ PowerPoint Slide #46: The Impact of Secondary Traumatic Stress ✓ PowerPoint Slide #47: How Exposure to Secondary Traumatic Stress

Affects Others ✓ PowerPoint Slide #48: Assessing the Impact on Those that Support Us ✓ PowerPoint Slide #49: Assessing Risk and Impact



Section V: Assessing Risk and Impact Step 1: Who Is At Risk? (5 minutes) Display PowerPoint Slides #44-45 (Who is Most at Risk?). Start the discussion by noting that not everyone exposed to secondary traumatic stress responds the same way. Some employees are able to successfully transform the secondary traumatic stress, while others seem much more susceptible to adverse effects from it. What can account for these differences? Review the information listed on the slides.

• People who tend to avoid problems or difficult feelings;

• Employees who have personally experienced trauma;

• People whose work is their whole life;

• People with no strong social support network;

• People with increased exposure to intense traumatic stress (primary or secondary);

• People without a strong sense of purpose, hope or meaning in their lives;

• People experiencing high levels of stress/other problems in their lives;

• Inexperienced humanitarian workers; and

• Those who actively engage children and families in their casework. Discuss with the class the importance of balance in relation to work and personal lives, and how a solid physical, emotional and spiritual foundation can help in dealing with secondary trauma exposure. Step 2: Impact of Secondary Traumatic Stress (5 minutes) Display PowerPoint Slide #46 (The Impact of Secondary Traumatic Stress).

• Physical / Psychological Symptoms

• Worldview – frame of reference changes

• Behavioral and relationship changes

• Job Performance Begin this section by reminding participants that secondary trauma is a process that over time impacts every aspect of their being. This would include the physical self, psychological self, and views and belief systems. When secondary trauma is viewed in contrast to other stress related and trauma induced injuries, there are many commonalities. A lot of the same effects from long term exposure to secondary trauma are the same as those that are seen in people that suffer from primary traumatic stress and those that have been placed under a great deal of stress, either physically or psychologically. Remind participants that in Module 3: The Middle/Work Phase of Child Welfare Supervision, they learned about mirror neurons that are activated in the brain when someone hears or sees another person’s stress or trauma. Some of the physical



and psychological symptoms that appear as a result of exposure to secondary trauma are also seen in people suffering from addictions, as well as those exposed to other long term disease processes. The evidence of these changes lends great weight to the fact that we are dealing with a very real issue and not just a perceived issue when it comes to secondary trauma. Explain that new child welfare professionals learn about secondary traumatic stress in Charting the Course: Module 10: Making Permanent Connections: Outcomes for Professional Development. Step 3: Signs and Symptoms (5 minutes) Display on screen review the information listed on Handout #13 (Signs and Symptoms of Vicarious Trauma). Begin by talking about the changes that are apparent in the world view or frame of reference for someone that is suffering from secondary trauma, highlighting the three areas listed on the sheet: 1) changes in spirituality, 2) changes in identity and 3) changes in beliefs related to major psychological needs. Entertain some discussion with the class about any points of reference they may have, or any experiences they may have with these changes that they’ve seen in themselves or coworkers as a result of exposure to secondary trauma. Review the information in the second section of the handout under “Physical and Psychological Symptoms,” being careful to give an opportunity to the participants to again offer samples and examples of their experience with these issues at work and personally. Finish the review of Handout #13 (Signs and Symptoms of Vicarious Trauma) by looking at the last section “Behavioral Relationship Signs.” Note that although these symptoms are very common with secondary trauma, they may be due to other problems that the person is having such as addiction issues, family issues, financial pressures and other personal problems. The other point that needs to be made here is that not everyone experiencing difficulties due to secondary trauma will experience all of the symptoms that are listed on this sheet. One person may have more physical and psychological issues as a result of secondary trauma while another might have more difficulty in behavior and relationships. While this is a list of the most common things seen in people exposed to secondary trauma, it in no way means that each person will have the same experience as a result of their exposure to secondary trauma. Remind participants that in Module 4: Managing Diversity Through the Employment Process, they discussed the wide range of ways workers interpret the world based upon their culture. Step 4: Employee Work Stress Indicators (5 minutes)



Display on screen and review Handout #14 (Employee Work Performance Stress Indicators). One of the areas that does not receive as much attention as it should is the impact of secondary trauma on the employee’s ability to perform at an optimum level on the job. Because exposure to secondary trauma is a process that is cumulative over time, it can increase the number of job related problems that affect the employee’s ability to perform satisfactorily. Potential problems are broken down into several categories on the handout. This stress indicator checklist can be a valuable tool for supervisors to use when assessing the impact of trauma or other stressors on their employees. As the number of problems rise, the supervisor can decide whether support or intervention is indicated. The checklist categories should be reviewed as they are broken down, and they are: 1) absenteeism and other attendance problems, 2) changes in personal habits, 3) productivity and other performance problems, 4) changed relationships with co-workers and customers, 5) safety and judgment and 6) fitness for duty. Those six areas are the ones where the impact of ongoing exposure to secondary trauma may manifest most readily at work. By focusing on these performance stress indicators, the supervisor has a legitimate reason to intervene when an employee’s performance starts to suffer. Because these indicators are all job performance related, the employer or supervisor is within their rights to intervene when any of these indicators cause the employees performance to suffer over a period of time. This intervention can take the form of support for the employee’s utilization of secondary trauma resources that are offered by the organization, or, if necessary, for disciplinary action should the employee be resistant to any efforts for them to get help. Since exposure to secondary trauma can happen over a period of time and be cumulative, it is possible that the employee who is suffering does not realize that they need to do some work to help transform their secondary trauma. The employer/supervisor is in an excellent position to offer support and help and to direct the employee towards resources that are available on the job. Step 5: Impact on Those That Support Us (5 minutes) Display PowerPoint Slide #47 (How Exposure to Secondary Trauma Affects Others). This slide identifies three areas of an employee’s life that are affected when an employee suffers from secondary trauma

• The employee’s family

• The friends, and

• Work and co-workers It’s important to identify the impact of secondary trauma on the employee. But it is just as important to look at the impact that secondary trauma has on those important relationships that the employee has in their lives, whether they be personal or primary, secondary or work related. As we noted in the last section, the cumulative impact of secondary trauma manifests itself in a decreased ability of the employee to effectively



and efficiently perform their work functions. In a similar fashion, secondary trauma’s cumulative effects will also diminish the employee’s ability to function in relationships at home. Some of the ways in which secondary trauma may impact significant relationships with family and friends include:

• attempts at self-medication with alcohol or drugs to deal with the psychological or physical pain created by secondary trauma;

• attempts to provide an emotional layer of insulation between themselves and others by physically or emotionally withdrawing from relationships with family members or friends; and

• changes in the dynamics of a relationship because the employee experiences a loss of compassion, spiritual belief or faith.

These changes affect the relationship because they introduce new factors that replace what were once commonly held values and beliefs. Display PowerPoint Slide #48 (Assessing the Impact on Those that Support Us). Explain that one of the best ways to find out what the impact of secondary trauma is on one’s family, friends and coworkers would be to ask them directly. Some of the questions that can provide insight would be: 1) have you noticed the way I behave and appear to be different when I’m under pressure, 2) do I seem to be acting that way increasingly more and more of the time, 3) what ways do you think my work is impacting me during the last week or year, 4) and from your point of view, how does this impact you or other people that I care about. Answers to those questions may go a long way towards giving us information about the impact it’s having on our relationships. To determine the impact of secondary trauma on relationships with coworkers, a two pronged approach is indicated. First, use the checklist provided in Handout #14 (Employee Work Performance Stress Indicators) and then couple that information with feedback from coworkers or customers about the behavior of the employee. Step 6: The Professional Quality of Life Scale (13 minutes) Conclude this section by displaying PowerPoint Slide #49 (Assessing Risk and Impact) and referring participants to Handout #15 (Professional Quality of Life Scale (PROQOL) Scale, *they received this as a Word doc). Relate the following to the participants: In order to effectively supervise and manage employees that may be susceptible to secondary trauma, supervisors need to be acutely aware of the impact secondary trauma has had or is having on them personally. If supervisors are to effectively manage using parallel process, then the supervisor has to have a clear understanding of whether or not secondary trauma has seriously affected their ability to perform their own job duties in an effective and efficient manner. Explain that the PROQOL Scale is a simple test of 30 questions developed by Hudnall Stamm in 2009 to assess quality of life in relation to burnout, compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue (secondary trauma). For each question asked on the first sheet of the scale, respondents are to answer with a response numbered from 1 through 5, with 1 equaling



never, 2 equaling rarely, 3 equaling sometimes, 4 equaling often, and 5 equaling very often. Ask participants to answer the 30 questions on Handout #15 (Professional Quality of Life Scale (PROQOL) Scale, *they received this as a Word doc). After all 30 questions have been answered to the best of the participants’ abilities, direct them to page three, and instruct them to self-score their test based on the answers that they provided on the first page. For the Compassion Satisfaction Scale they will need to provide their responses to questions 3, 6, 12, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 27, and 30. Total those answers and put that in the space at the bottom of that section. For the Burnout Scale, they will be putting the answers that they have for questions 1, 4, 8, 10, 15, 17, 19, 21, 26, and 29 in the spaces on the left. However, for those answers marked with a star, they will need to reverse the scores and put them on the right. Reversing means 0 = 0, 1 = 5, 2 = 4, 3 = 3, 4 = 2, and 5 = 1. Next the participants should total the number of scores on the left. (For the starred questions they would use the numbers in the right column.) Therefore, in the second section, “Burnout,” the participants will be adding up questions 8, 10, 19, 21, and 26 on the left side to the answers for 1, 4, 15, 17 and 29 on the right side. This will give them a total that they would put at the bottom of that section. Take that score, compare it to the chart on the right to determine whether or not you have low, average or high potential for burnout. The same process used for the first section, “Compassion Satisfaction Scale” is used for the “Secondary Trauma Scale” at the bottom of the page. Ask participants to list their answers for number 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 23, 25, and 28. Adding those scores together will give them a total. The results would be on the right. When the participants have finished doing the scoring, they should go back to Page 2 and put their scores in the appropriate section for Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress. They can then see, given those scores, where they stand in terms of how these three issues are affecting them personally. Conclude this section by asking people to make a note if they find themselves having a high degree of burnout or a high degree of secondary traumatic stress. If their test scores indicate that any of these issues are a concern, they may want to consider doing some additional work by developing their own action plan for dealing with secondary trauma, or by availing themselves of some of the work site or professional resources that we will identify in Section VII and Section VIII. Step 8: Idea Catcher (2 minutes) Give participants 2 minutes to record ideas in notebook for Handout #3 (Idea Catcher).




Section VI: Making a Secondary Trauma Action/Self Care Plan

Estimated Length of Time: 40 minutes Performance Objectives:

✓ Participants will begin to create a Secondary Trauma Action/Self Care Plan. Method of Presentation: Lecture, small and large group discussion, small group activity. Materials Needed:

✓ Laptop ✓ Screen ✓ Zoom room flow chart ✓ Managing zoom breakout rooms: Instructor Guide ✓ DVD, Vicarious Trauma: Resilience Man. ✓ PowerPoint Presentation: 540: Supervisor Training Series: Remote Module




✓ Handout #13: Signs and Symptoms of Vicarious Trauma (revisited) (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #14: The Employee Work Performance Stress Indicators (revisited) (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #16: Trauma Management Strategies (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #17: Making a Vicarious Trauma Action Plan (Provide to participants as a Word Doc.)

✓ Handout #18: The Self-Care Assessment Worksheet (Provide to participants as a Word Doc.)

✓ PowerPoint Slide #50: Making a Secondary Trauma Action/Self Care Plan ✓ PowerPoint Slide #51: Strategy for Making a Secondary Trauma Action/Self

Care Plan ✓ PowerPoint Slide #52: Employee-Driven Change



Section VI: Making a Secondary Trauma Action/Self Care Plan Step 1: Intervention Strategies (13 minutes) Begin this section by displaying PowerPoint Slide #50 (Making a Secondary Trauma Action/Self Care Plan). As indicated in the slide, there are three areas of focus when developing an action/self-care plan. They are: 1) working with and changing the external locus of control, 2) working with and changing the internal locus of control and 3) seeking out and utilizing or developing support systems to help with ongoing management of secondary trauma symptoms. One of the most important things individuals impacted by secondary trauma can do is to move from a position of victimization to one of regaining control over their life, their work and their environment. This returns a sense of hope and meaning to the person affected by secondary trauma. The objective is to increase resiliency in this situation to counter a process that wears the person down physically, psychologically, and spiritually. The framework for accomplishing the goal of transforming these three areas of focus is laid out on Handout #16 (Trauma Management Strategies). Explain the need for focus on these three areas as a way to transform secondary trauma and develop an action plan for self-care. (Headington Institute, 2011). Review the strategies listed under the three areas:

• Change the external circumstances that are provoking stress and trauma reaction. Sometimes these circumstances are in our control, others are not.

• Work to alter the internal approach or internal locus of control. Explain that stress never occurs without our cooperation. Our response to stressors from hot spots ultimately determines the level of stress we experience. Often we have more control over ourselves and our reactions than over the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

• Search for Support. Then use support to develop and utilize it to sustain the secondary trauma action self-care plan. Even if you have tried to change the situations and you’ve already done as much as you can to take care of yourself and go it alone, there is still more you can do. Our environment is full of resources that can support us during times of stress – if we only seek them out and take advantage of their strength.

Ask the class if they have any input, observations, and insights about these strategies. Ask for additional information that the class might offer as relevant to the process of developing support systems that can be helpful in transforming secondary trauma. Because these lists are not exhaustive, nor complete, the class’s experience and insight can be helpful in building uniquely suited support systems for each of their individual organizations and work sites.



If time allows, play the following Video: Vicarious Trauma: Resilience Man. It lasts about 2 ½ minutes. Ensure that “Share Computer Sounds” is enabled in Zoom by clicking on the green “Share Screen” icon, then making sure the box in the lower left corner of the pop-up window says “Share computer sound” is checked. Once this is complete, open this link on the shared Zoom screen to watch the video: Vicarious Trauma: Resilience Man. It lasts about 2 ½ minutes. https://pitt-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/jas616_pitt_edu/EVJRSNzd-fhHkjZZx9DEJW4BzBDkoBMCOvq45KnhwPWVRA?e=UcrOaf Step #2: Making a Secondary Trauma Action/Self Care Plan (20 minutes) Display PowerPoint Slide #51 (Strategy for Making a Secondary Trauma Action/Self Care Plan). Note that when we couple our understanding of the impact of secondary traumatic stress with our understanding of the options for coping, we can begin to develop a plan for effectively dealing with this issue. Participants will be completing both Handout #17 (Making a Vicarious Trauma Action Plan, they received this as a Word doc) and Handout #18 (The Self-Care Assessment Worksheet,*they received this as a Word doc). Point out that these tools can be useful in helping employees who experience secondary trauma come to grips with it and develop a plan for effectively coping with it, transforming it and increasing resiliency. Note that it is important for supervisors to have a clear understanding of the instruments given to employees in counseling to use when dealing with these issues. Therefore, the participants will be starting to develop their own secondary trauma self-care plans as a means of familiarization. These plans can be expanded, revised and revised every few months or as needed. Ask the participants to take out Handout #17 (Making a Vicarious Trauma Action Plan, *they received this as a Word doc). Tell them to answer the questions for each category: 1 – personal life stress factors: 2 – work related stress factors: and 3 – cultural stress factors that may be impacting their lives. Inform the participants that they may want to refer back to notes from Handout #13 (Signs and Symptoms of Vicarious Trauma) and Handout #14 (The Employee Work Performance Stress Indicators) as reference material for answering the questions on the Vicarious Trauma Action Plan. Allow the participants 10 minutes to complete the Handout #17 (Making a Vicarious Trauma Action Plan), answering all the questions in sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. At the end of 10 minutes ask the class to please stop working. Ask the participants to take out Handout #18 (Self-Care Assessment Worksheet, *they received this as a Word doc), and ask the participants to answer each question on all three pages. Participants should decide their answers using a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 = it never occurred to me; 2 = never; 3 = rarely; 4 = occasionally; and 5 = it frequently happens. Allow the class 5 minutes to complete this exercise. Tell

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participants not to labor over their answers, but should respond rather quickly with the first answer that comes in to their heads. When the participants have finished answering the questions, they should select the lowest rated answer from each of the sections, (physical self-care, psychological self-care, emotional self-care, spiritual self-care and workplace for professional self-care) and resolve to incorporate them into the Vicarious Trauma Action Plan that they have developed. When participants have completed the activity, ask the class if any of them had acquired new insights about the impact that secondary trauma had on them personally or had reminded them of situations in their lives where the effects of secondary trauma had impacted their relationships with other people, their ability to work or their spiritual well-being. These examples can be very powerful testimonies to the class about the need for identifying, working with, and changing (transforming) secondary trauma. Encourage participants to expand or complete their self care plan after the training. Step 3: Employee-Driven Change (5 minutes) Conclude this section by displaying PowerPoint Slide #52 (Employee-Driven Change). To wrap up this section, tell the participants that in order to manage and transform the effects of secondary trauma it is necessary to maintain a long-term strategy for dealing with this issue. Whatever we pay attention to, benefits the most from our efforts. If we accept that concept, then having an ongoing awareness of trauma will help keep it in the forefront of our minds. This will allow us to identify and cope with this issue in our personal and employment lives. An important part of our long-term strategy will be having balance between work and personal life. Employees who maintain connections to family, friends, trusted co-workers, their belief systems and things that have great meaning and value in their lives are usually better able to prevent and address secondary traumatic stress. Explain that when an employee exhibits a shift in life balance, emotional stability, cognition, physiology and/or identity, it has the potential to affect the quality and quantity of work. The supervisor can help the employee review the secondary trauma management system that the employee is using. The employee can then readdress the action plan or utilize some of the other structural supports that are in place at work and in the community. Step 4: Idea Catchers (2 minutes)

Give participants 2 minutes to record ideas in notebook for Handout #3 (Idea Catcher).




Section VII: The Organizational and Supervisory Roles – Building on Prevention and Intervention Strategies

Estimated Length of Time: 1 hour Performance Objectives:

✓ Participants will brainstorm in a small group setting what a trauma-informed workplace might look like in their agency by drafting a desired future state for their unit or agency.

Method of Presentation: Lecture, small and large group discussion, small group activity. Materials Needed:





✓ Handout #19: Responsibilities Questionnaire (Provide to participants as a Word Doc.)

✓ Handout #20: Defining a Trauma-Informed Workplace (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ PowerPoint Slide #53: Organizational Responsibilities ✓ PowerPoint Slide #54: Trauma-Informed Care ✓ PowerPoint Slide #55: The Supervisory Role – Prevention and Intervention

Strategies



Section VII: The Organizational and Supervisory Roles – Building on Prevention and Intervention Strategies Step 1: Organizational Responsibilities (5 minutes)

Begin this section by displaying PowerPoint Slide #53 (Organizational Responsibilities). Review with participants, the three-pronged approach to dealing with trauma. They are:

Individual (employee) self-care; Organizational/Agency support; and Worksite models and systems that address and mitigate this issue.

In Sections IV and V, educational aspects of secondary trauma were explored. The goal was to understand what it is and why it happens, and how to assess the risk and impact of secondary trauma on humanitarian workers.

Explain that participants in this section, will look at the role of the organization. Specifically, they will explore the role of the supervisor in creating a work environment that allows employees to recognize, address, and transform trauma so that they can function at their best. Point out that the employing organization is responsible for providing a safe, comfortable, and well equipped work area for its employees so that they may perform their job duties in an effective and efficient manner. Just as organizations are responsible for creating a work site conducive to performing work, trauma-informed social service agencies are tasked with the additional responsibility of creating a work site that allows the employees to effectively deal with trauma. Display PowerPoint Slide #54 (Trauma-Informed Care). Explain that trauma-informed care is an approach to engaging people with histories of trauma that recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role that trauma has played in their lives. (National Center for Trauma-Informed Care). This means that the trauma-informed agency will ensure that its employees are: 1) trained and educated about trauma (primary and secondary); 2) have access to personal self-care resources in dealing with trauma; 3) and have a work atmosphere that provides trauma support services. This will allow the employees to deal with trauma on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis. If the work environment is simply oriented towards production and task, focusing on paperwork or how many cases are being handled, processed, and closed successfully, then the work site is going to be another source of stress rather than a place where the employees can successfully deal with trauma. If the work site promotes competition among staff members rather than cooperation, this too will be counterproductive to any effort at dealing with trauma.



Step 2: Responsibilities Questionnaire (10 minutes) Explain that the next activity will help participants determine how well they understand where the responsibility lies for creating a workplace that encourages employees to learn about, confront, and manage trauma, especially secondary trauma. Refer participants to Handout #19 (Responsibilities Questionnaire, *they received this as a Word doc). Explain that this questionnaire is designed to stimulate thinking about who in an organization is responsible for establishing a workplace culture conducive to helping employees recognize and manage trauma. Explain that all items are important, but given that each agency operates differently, participants may respond differently to the questions. Give the participants 10 minutes to complete the questionnaire. Step 3: Organizational Culture (10 minutes) Explain that organizational culture is something that is developed from the top down. It can be the policy of the agency or the county on how that culture is developed. Even if there is no clear direction, a culture will develop, for better or worse. Agency leaders need to encourage a culture that supports addressing and dealing with trauma. They can do this by creating an environment that endorses, nurtures and supports these efforts. Some of those efforts can be simple things like making sure there is a separate break room that is away from the clients. This can serve as a place for the staff to retreat to so that they can get away from the ongoing stresses and pressures of the job. By providing such things as comfortable furniture, coffee, and perhaps healthy snacks, the agency would encourage and support staff work environmental systems. Another area where agency administrators and supervisors can be supportive is in the development and implementation of policies and procedures of the agency. Those who work for any government agency for any period of time may find that the rules, regulations and requirements handed down by Federal and State government can sometimes appear rigid and confusing. To counter this, the employer should strive to make sure that they do not add to this frustration and confusion by layering unnecessary work policies and management directives onto employees. To do so would simply add to their stress rather than help to reduce it. Agency management can review their policies and procedures to make sure that they are supportive of the employees and not contributing to the stress. Recognize that finances are a huge consideration in county agencies. However, it does not help reduce the effects of trauma when individual child welfare professionals are sent into unsafe situations, sometimes in the middle of the night by themselves. Concerns for staff safety and safe working conditions need to be addressed if agencies are going to create a working environment conducive to transforming trauma. These steps, combined with ongoing education and advocacy, can help produce the desired results.



Another area of concentration for the agency is the issue of providing a system of secondary trauma management services to its employees. No respectable therapist or caseworker would blame the victim of abuse for their situation. Agencies concerned with staff retention and satisfaction take the same approach with its employees when they are exposed to secondary trauma. Employees need access to the education necessary to understand this issue, but also access to employer provided support systems and resources. It is always best when any effort is planned and well-coordinated from the top-down. However, often the best ideas originate at the worker level and/or supervisor level and work their way up through the organization. Step 4: Organizational Responsibilities (15 minutes) Ask participants to get out Handout #19 (Responsibilities Questionnaire, they received this as a Word doc). Have the participants consider which tasks they might be able to implement within their units without higher level coordination. Have participants identify such items by checking boxes on the right hand side of the handout under the heading “Works For Me”. When the information from both slides has been presented, facilitate a large group discussion by asking the following discussion questions of the group:

1. How much influence does a supervisor have over the agency’s organizational

culture? 2. What might a supervisor do to increase his/her influence? 3. What strategies might get the administration’s attention on these issues? (example: employer liability, saving money on staff turnover, etc.)

Also, point out the benefits of using humor in the workplace as a stress reliever. Ask participants for their ideas about if and when they feel it is appropriate to use humor about clients. Ask them to consider when it crosses the line from acceptable when used by staff that really does care about their clients to unacceptable and reflecting an uncaring and at times cruel attitude towards families they serve.

Step 5: Defining a Trauma-Informed Workplace (18 minutes) Explain that the next activity will help participants begin to define what a trauma-informed workplace might look like in their agency or unit. Display on screen Handout #20 (Defining a Trauma-Informed Workplace). Have participants consider whether their respective agency has a desired future state around a trauma-informed agency or has already done work around developing a trauma-informed agency.



Divide the participants into small groups of four or five in breakout rooms. Have participants work together whose agencies have already completed organizational efforts on a trauma-informed workplace. Have them discuss and complete question A for their unit.

Place participants whose agencies have not done organizational work around a trauma-informed workplace in another group or groups. Ask them to discuss and complete question A for their agency.

Have groups document their Desired Future State. Tell the participants that they could use the information from Handout #19 (Responsibilities Questionnaire) to inform their discussions. Participants working on the Desired Future State for their unit should pay particular attention to the checked items under the “Works for Me” column.

Trainer Note: Question A is: When I think about a trauma-informed workplace, the Desired Future State for my agency/unit (circle one) is:

Participants explored developing a Desired Future State and studied

performance capacity and performance actions while studying the American Public Human Services Association’s DAPIM™ framework in Module 2: Living the Mission.

Before the groups start working, display PowerPoint Slide #55 (The Supervisory Role – Prevention and Intervention Strategies).

The supervisor’s role will begin with:

• developing a vision of how the employees will deal with trauma; personally and agency-wide, on an ongoing basis;

• designing and building the systems needed to make that happen; and

• creating a safe and trusting environment for the employees that incorporates the parallel process.

After 10 minutes, re-convene the large group and ask them to review their answers for question A. Solicit a volunteer from each group to report back on their results.

After all of the groups have presented, point out overall similarities, and any distinct differences in the reported plans. If time allows, have the large group discuss how the parallel process can be instrumental in the supervisor’s efforts to address secondary trauma. Refer participants to item B on Handout #20 (Defining a Trauma-Informed Workplace). Explain that now that participants have begun to think about what a trauma-informed workplace might look like in their agencies/units, encourage participants to take this handout back to the office and discuss their preliminary desired



future state with their supervisors. Encourage them to consider completing item C with their colleagues back at their agencies. This item asks them to identify the following items to support a trauma-informed workplace. :

• Performance Capacity: Employee Knowledge and Skills (workforce capacity).

• Performance Actions: Actions driven by policies, processes and protocols.

Remind participants that agency change does not occur in a vacuum. Developing a trauma-informed workplace takes time and commitment from all agency leaders. As agency leaders continue to recognize the toll trauma takes on an agency’s achievement of outcomes for children and families, many are making efforts to institute trauma-informed workplaces. An agency may find the DAPIM™ framework helpful in planning such efforts. Step 6: Idea Catchers (2 minutes)

Give participants 2 minutes to record ideas in notebook for Handout #3 (Idea Catcher).




Section VIII: The Next Step in Professional Growth and Development Estimated Length of Time: 15 minutes Performance Objectives:

✓ Participants will begin to create their individual professional development plan with planned tasks in each of the three roles of supervision (administrative, educational, and clinical).

Method of Presentation: Lecture, individual activity. Materials Needed:

✓ Laptop ✓ Screen ✓ Zoom room flow chart ✓ Managing zoom breakout rooms: Instructor Guide ✓ Pre-work ✓ PowerPoint Presentation: 540: Supervisor Training Series: Remote Module



✓ Handout #3 (Idea Catcher) (revisited) (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #21: Roles of Supervision (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ Handout #22: My Personal Professional Development Plan (participants will not receive, display in screen share)

✓ PowerPoint Slide #56: The Next Step in Professional Growth and Development

✓ PowerPoint Slide #57: The Learning Cycle ✓ PowerPoint Slide #58: Can You See Where this Will Lead? ✓ PowerPoint Slide #59: Putting the Notion into Motion – Establishing

Timeframes and Responsibilities



Section VIII: The Next Step in Professional Growth and Development Step 1: Professional Development Plans (15 minutes)

Congratulate participants on getting to the last Section of the Supervisor Training Series. Explain that they are almost certified. Explain that one of the final activities is for them to create a Professional Growth and Development Plan. Display PowerPoint Slide #56 (The Next Step in Professional Growth and Development). Having built the foundation for being an effective supervisor, what do you see as the next step in your professional development?

Display on screen Handout #21 (Roles of Supervision) and Handout #22 (My Personal Professional Development Plan). Also, have participants refer to their notebook for Handout #3 (Idea Catcher) and instruct them to take out their Pre-work which consists of bringing back to the training, their previous Action Plans from the four previous STS modules.

Lead the group in reviewing the three roles of supervision that have been explored over all five STS modules. Ask the participants how increasing their personal knowledge and skill can improve 1) their effectiveness as a supervisor; 2) their relationship with their employees; and 3) their ability to identify and implement new strength-based strategies in their workplaces. Display PowerPoint Slide #57 (The Learning Cycle). Explain that by now, they should have implemented, if not completed the items on their four previous Action Plans and received feedback from their supervisors. Remind participants that as new knowledge and skills are successfully applied, new learning needs are identified which sets the learning cycle in motion again.

Trainer Note: Participants studied the learning cycle in Module 3: The Middle/Work Phase of Child Welfare Supervision.

Ask participants to consider what knowledge and skills on which they need to build in order to become a more effective supervisor. They should also consider Handout #3 (Idea Catcher) as they decide what they’d like to incorporate into their professional development plan. Display on screen and instruct participants to work independently on Handout #22 (My Personal Professional Development Plan). Display PowerPoint Slide #58 (Can You See Where This Will Lead?) for the first 5 minutes of the exercise that lists the first series of questions on the plan:

• When you achieve these goals, what personal and worksite results will you see as a supervisor?

• How will accomplishing these goals impact your working relationship with your employees?



• Will accomplishing these goals create a launching pad for the next step in your professional development?

Display PowerPoint Slide #59 (Putting the Notion into Motion – Establishing Timeframes and Responsibilities) that lists the last series of questions on the plan:

• Who is responsible for making this happen?

• What specifically needs to be done?

• When will this goal start (date), and when will it be accomplished (end date)?

• Where must I go to accomplish this goal?

Inform participants that they should be at this point in the exercise. Give participants an additional 5 minutes to complete this exercise.

Point out the parallels in this activity between supervisors helping their employees with personal professional development plans who in turn are helping families with their plans to safely care for their children. Identify for participants other training opportunities available for supervisors through the Resource Center. In addition to trainings made available on-calendar there are supervisor quarterly practice sessions and annual supervisor events. Topics for these sessions are identified by supervisors who are members of the Supervisory Advisory Workgroup.

Step 2: (optional) (5 minutes) (Time is not included in total time.)

After the participants have finished their Personal Professional Development Plans, Ask the participants to identify two people in the large group who they feel enhanced their learning experience. – The first person, by something they said, a question they asked, an insight offered, etc. The second person should be the one in the large group that inspired them the most during the session. This person should be someone who gave them hope as a new supervisor, and/or raised their awareness of the great value of this work. Can keep a list of names on the whiteboard feature in zoom. You may be surprised at the results of this exercise.




Section IX: Evaluations

Estimated Length of Time: 10 minutes Performance Objectives:

✓ none Method of Presentation: Individual activity Materials Needed:

✓ Laptop ✓ Screen ✓ Zoom room flow chart ✓ Managing zoom breakout rooms: Instructor Guide ✓ Instructor Prepared flip charts: WIIFM (revisited) ✓ Evaluations ✓ Handout #23: References (participants will not receive, display in screen

share) ✓ PowerPoint Slide #60: Congratulations!



Section IX: Evaluations

Step 1: WIIFM Review (3 minutes) Review the What's In It For Children and FamiliesFamilies activity completed earlier in the training to highlight key learning points and determine if there are any remaining issues to address or to other training or resources to refer participants. Step 2: References and Congratulations (2 minute) Display on screen Handout #23 (References) for information on resources used while developing the curriculum. Display PowerPoint Slide #60 (Congratulations!). Congratulate participants on becoming certified supervisors. Encourage the cohort to exchange contact information in order for the cohort participants to remain a source of support to each other. Step 3: Evaluations (5 minutes) Distribute the evaluation form and ask participants to complete it. When complete, collect all evaluation forms for submission to the Resource Center.

540: Supervisor Training Series: Remote Module 5: Endings ...€¦ · PowerPoint Slide #5: Agenda (participants will not receive, display in screen share) The Pennsylvania Child Welfare

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