Adapting to Changes:
Constant evaluation and planning allows programs to change as the needs of the agency change. (Note that the evaluation of the program is in relation to agency needs, maintaining the continuing connection to agency self-evaluation.) During the second year of CLP, strategic planning listening sessions were being conducted internally and externally to LCCS. One of the concerns heard repeatedly from staff members was that more orientation was needed for new workers. During the last two years, the agency had added many new social workers and was constantly recruiting new personnel. In addition, the agency, as part of its strategic planning and continuous improvement processes, had codified its values in the following PRIDE statement:
P is for Professionalism
R is for Responsibility
I is for Initiative
D is for Directedness
E is for Effectiveness
Given the need for improved orientation for new workers and the acceptance of agency-wide values, the decision was made to transition the CLP into the PRIDE orientation program. New staff members would spend one day in a training session devoted to each of the five value statements. The PRIDE program is offered twice a year to make sure that new workers become acquainted with the agency in a timely manner and understand from the beginning the values underpinning the agency’s work. In addition, new staff members can learn about the agency’s internal operations and begin to associate faces with names and job responsibilities. Forming a support network from the very beginning of employment was also a critical concern in developing the PRIDE program. (If you want to know more about this initiative between LCCS and LCCC, feel free to contact:
JanetSchrott@ChildrenServices.org, DonaldStarett@ChildrenServices.org, or
TMcCoy@LorainCCC.edu.)