Managing Social Service Staff for Excellence

An essential guide for those charged with supervision ofnonclinical staffin programs, agencies, and units within socialservice organizations"As someone who has worked in social service agencies, consultedwith hundreds of them, and who teaches social serviceprofessionals, Ms. Summers knows the issues faced by agenciesfirsthand. From this experience she has compiled a thoughtful andwell-organized text that identifies the principles of effectivesupervision."Samuel Knapp, EdD Director of Professional Affairs,Pennsylvania Psychological AssociationFrom the ForewordThe care of patients and clients of social service agencies isincreasingly being performed by paraprofessionals or professionalswith little experience. While there are many books written aboutgiving quality clinical supervision, there is very little onsupervising the least experienced frontline nonclinical andclinical staff to teach and promote positive and effectiveinteraction with clients, and provide staff support and trainingthat elevates quality care, improves job satisfaction, andminimizes staff turnover.Based on author Nancy Summers' many years of working withtroubled social service agencies, Managing Social Service Stafffor Excellence: Five Keys to Exceptional Supervision fills thisneed and offers numerous ideas for securing the best care for thoseserved by social service agencies.Common problems faced by agencies are examined with regard toemployee behavior and wellness, including staff teamwork, how tobuild healthy staff/client relationships, and the identificationand prevention of routine disrespect of clients and their needs.Diagnostic techniques are presented for identifying these problems,as well as remedies and prevention programs that can be put inplace without great expense.Filled with interviews and numerous case examples, ManagingSocial Service Staff for Excellence offers a step-by-stepprocess for: creating good preventive measures to counteractnegative practices that can occur; developing robust commitment andenthusiasm; and getting back on the right track after unfortunateincidents have taken place.

Foreword.Acknowledgments.Preface.Chapter 1 Key 1: Apply What We Know.Chapter 2 Key 2: Connect the Employee to the Mission.Chapter 3 Key 3: Build a Support Structure.Chapter 4 Key 4: Be a Leader.Chapter 5 Key 5: Promote Success.Chapter 6 Bad Apples and Underdogs.Chapter 7 Enmeshment: The Worst-Case Scenario.Chapter 8 How to Correct a Bad Situation.Chapter 9 Building a New Team.Chapter 10 Building and Maintaining the Foundation: TheAdministrators' Chapter.Appendix A: Sample Mission Statements.Appendix B: Ideas for Employee Handbooks and Orientation.Appendix C: Differences between a Professional Relationship anda Friendship.Appendix D: Consumer Survey.Appendix E: Consumer's Family Survey.Appendix F: How to Write Goals and Objectives for IndividualConsumers.Appendix G: Conducting a Mini Analysis.Appendix H: Online Resources for Administrators andSupervisors.References.Author Index.Subject Index.