Referral Never Mind if You

¶ … Referral Never mind if you fall far short of the thing you want to do, -- encourage your effort. If no one else will say it to you, say it to yourself. Not so bad." It will make the next effort easier and better." (Robinson, 1926, 1996) What I Do Stop! my mind screamed, as several gunshots rang out. In the distance I saw a young woman running for safety. And then, from the corner of my eye, I saw Ben (name changed), one of my few friends, also running.

The difference between where Ben and the young woman were running, however, changed my life.. forever. What the young woman ran away from, Ben ran straight to. Without regard for what would happen to him, Ben flung his body over the baby buggy the woman had left in the path of the flying bullets. Ben did not die that day, but his legs were hit several times by bullets. After surgery, however, his wounds healed, leaving him with only scars.

The memory of how Ben saved the life of a baby he did not know, with no thought of himself helped me to begin to come out of myself and stirred the desire to try to help others. Stop! denotes another time my mind screamed out.. this time, in pain. Because I was too little to defend myself.. because the "men" wanted to hurt and humiliate me.. because they could not stop themselves.. whatever the reason, I may never understand.

I do know, however, that being raped before I was 11 years old left the kind of scar that even though the human eye can't see it, it never completely fades. This incident also impacted my life. Initially, not for good. For more than 20 years, after being raped, I isolated myself from what I considered to be a cruel world. For years, I kept what happened locked inside me. After I met my wife, however, and she encouraged me to share my life with her, I began to receive counseling.

In the process of healing, I decided to follow through with what I had decided to do with my life after Ben saved the baby's life. I wanted to help others. Stop! defines the message I try to impress upon clients I currently work with as Case Manager/Retention Specialist at Catholic Family Services.

As I help clients stop and look at their lives where they are now, I also encourage them to Go! To begin to head toward something better in their lives; to set goals; to set out to reach those goals. As Case Manager / Retention Specialist, I sometimes do not see positive results from trying to help people. Many times, however, I do. One recent "success" story brings a smile to my mind.

Marcia (name changed), a young female client, who had just been accepted into our program, was struggling to stay off methadone. Marcia had a son, she told me. He son, however, had been taken in State custody, because at the time, Marcia could not quit using methamphetamines or what is commonly known as "meth." To help Marcia get "clean," I arranged for her to enter a drug treatment program. After getting off methamphetamines, Marcia began to attend counseling sessions. Through my work, I helped her secure a full time job.

Within a year and a half, Marcia regained custody of her son from DCFS. One day recently, while working at my desk, Marcia came to my door wearing the biggest smile I had seen in a long time. "You helped me," she said. "You helped me get my son back." Knowing that I can help make a change in someone's life encourages me. At one time in my life, I didn't care about people, not having love from father, who was an alcoholic, also scarred me inside.

Gradually, however, this scar, as the one from the rape, began to fade. From 2001 to 2002, my duties as Assistant Project Coordinator / Team Leader at Catholic Family Services, also in Hartford, Connecticut included assisting the project coordinator in the administration of case management services. I also communicated regularly with program funding sources and reviewing all program referrals. Part of my duties here were to maintain an accurate Master Referral Log and assure cases were opened and closed in consistency with operational procedures.

Another major portion of my work was to assist with monitoring, collecting and reporting of clear and accurate data. While working face-to-face with Clients, I communicated assessment results to them and provided vocational and supportive counseling. I provided daily supervision for case managers to ensure program policies and protocols were adhered to. I also assisted in the daily supervision of team leaders to assure the Jobs Firs Employment Services program operations and protocols were followed. In addition, I provided Project Coordinator with weekly case counts and other required reports.

I coordinated and facilitated effective relationships with the Regional Board, Department of Social Services and Department of Labor. I maintained a solid understanding of JFBS contract and federal and state TANF regulations and administered training schedules for new hires. I assisted in the recruitment and the interviewing of applicants and assumed the lead role and responsibilities to assure the program continued to operate as expected in the absence of the supervisors.

During my employment from 1997 to 2000 at Capital Region Workforce Development Board, I was progressively promoted from Intake Specialist to Supervisor. I provided guidance and resources for staff development, while I ensured compliance with all applicable federal, state, local regulatory and professional standards including JTPA, WTW and WIA regulations CRWDB policies and procedures. A ensured internal programs were consistent and complied with federal, state and local organizations, service providers, CT Works, staff and affiliated organizations.

I assisted in the planning and implementation and recruitment strategies including brochures, advertisements, press releases and presentations. I also provided input for program planning and ensured that contractual obligations with service providers and venders were fulfilled on an efficient and effective manner. Where My Learning Occurred My learning in/of the Dynamics of Case Management occurred in each of the three, aforementioned places of employment, noted again in the following: 1.

My first learning experience related to Dynamics of Case Management occurred while I worked at Capital Region Workforce Development Board in Hartford, Connecticut. During this time I began to learn the answer to the question posited by Gursansky, Harvey & Kennedy (2003, p. 140): "Who are case managers?" The short and simple answer to this question," these researches state, "is that case managers are drawn from the health, human and social service employees of the past." (Ibid.) I may not completely agree with this "expert" answer.

On the other hand, I am not sure the definition of Case Manager can be so easily, neatly explained, just as Client embodies a myriad of meanings.

I do agree, however, that "Databases are critical (that) the compilation and maintenance of a dynamic directory of complementary and alternative services can save untold time and frustration." (Ibid, 65) Although in some lines of work or service, forms and records may be considered a drudging chore, I learned that clear, understandable statements of eligibility criteria, user-friendly intake forms and the ensuing establishment of an accessible database can help transform case management, as well as the an organization's probability to mark and utilize its services efficiently and with best results.

Instead of learning to dread the assessment, during the time, I learned to agree with the assessment that the assessment qualifies as "the bedrock of the helping process." (Ibid.) During the assessment, vital information is gathered. At this time, the case manager he/she ensures he/she obtains an adequate data foundation to use to make decisions about how to best work with and assist a client. 2.

My work from 2001 to 2002 was at Catholic Family Services, also in Hartford, Connecticut, Ken Fracaro, a free-lance writer, who also has front-line supervisory experience in major industrial firms, relates some of the points I learned to practice during this particular employment tenure, related to Dynamics of Case Management: Develop personal relationships. Know your job well. Be reliable. Develop credibility. Treat others honestly. Be fair with everyone. Keep your promises. Show genuine empathy. Be open to new ideas. Develop an enthusiastic attitude. Strive to be an optimist. 3.

I began a new position in 2003, but continued to work at the Catholic Family Services full-time, while steadily gaining more knowledge of Dynamics of Case Management. During this time, I study and learn more about interviewing, in order to strengthen and enhance my intake and assessment skills. Although Mcdongough (2005) relates interviewing techniques geared for use in the law enforcement realm, some, but not all, of the following techniques "fit" with my work in case management. Kinesics, and the Nine Step Approach, developed by John E.

Reid & Associates, emerged to become two widely accepted interviewing techniques. Mcdongough (Ibid.) utilizes both and states that the two share some common components, however each proposes varying views regarding behaviors and which method triggers particular behaviors. Kinesics interviewing identifies and "interprets a range of verbal and nonverbal, conscious and unconscious behavior" (Ibid) that individual typically exhibit when questioned.

The more definite the pattern of an individual's observed behaviors, the more likely the person being questioned is being "being evasive or untruthful." No single behavior, however, stands alone or can serve as absolute proof regarding the validity of a statement. Instead, a combination of behaviors need to be assessed. The interviewer must look at the cumulative message of behaviors.

The following behavior includes not only how the words are spoken, but also components that accompany speech; for instance: stalling; hesitating; being excessively polite; responding to a question with another question; trying to attach validity to a response by invoking God or religion ("I swear to God"). (Ibid.) Gaining and maintaining a client's attention during interviews is a key technique for securing relevant data.

Although I do not perceive my clients to be criminals, studying and utilizing interviewing techniques from law enforcement, I contend, has strengthened my ability to obtain more relevant data during the interview process. When My Learning Took Place My learning of components of Dynamics of Case Management began in 1997 and continues even today. 1. In 1997, when I first began working at the Capital Region Workforce Development Board in Hartford Connecticut until I left my position there in 2000, I basically worked full time, 40 hours per week.

At times, when a need arose for me to work additional hours, I made a point to be available. I learned first and foremost that I had to discipline myself, as well as strengthen myself in skills in my chosen profession. "Step-by-step," a concept Watson (2002) proposes in regard to training, has also become a part of my training mode training others, staff and clients, as well as disciplining myself. Training, albeit, is not always the solution for performance deficiency.

Sometimes, an observed deficiency may be due to a lack of knowledge or skill, and in turn, "training will serve no purpose." My work from 2001 to 2002 at Catholic Family Services, also in Hartford, Connecticut also consisted of 40 and sometimes 40+ hours per week, as I was employed full time. As I invested more time in learning more about Oral Communication and trying the following five steps, known as the ADDIE mode, are used in terms related to security manager, etc. But relate as well to Case Management training: Analysis.

The first phase of the ADDIE model, instructional analysis, is the foundation on which the entire program is built. The security manager needs to determine whether training is the proper solution and, if so, what the goal or outcome of the specific training will be... Design. The next phase deals with the design of the training. With the instructional objectives now written, the security manager must determine what format the training course will take... Development.

The security manager will need to determine exactly what the course or training will look like. To this end, the security manager will use the instructional objectives from the analysis phase and the formatting decision made in the design phase and review the available resources at his or her disposal, with training specifics depending on the size of the department and the level of formality desired for the final product. Implementation. Implementing the program is the next step.

Once again, depending on the size of the operation, available resources, and the level of formality desired, this step can take as little as one day or as much as several months to complete. Evaluation. The purpose of the evaluation phase is to determine whether students have learned the intended knowledge or skills. Managers can determine the success of the program by repeating the analysis phase to see whether the performance gap has been eliminated.

But the manager must also review the training program itself, considering performance results over time, feedback from the learners, associated costs, and operational impacts on the department. These results, taken in their totality, should then be used to improve the training program. (Ibid) began a new position in 2003, but continued to work at the Catholic Family Services full-time. During this time, I gained extensive experience in the Hunan Services field, including employment and training, People Involved in This Learning 1.

Individuals involved in my life in 1997 to 2000 when I worked as Client Services Coordinator: Supervisors: Professionals: Clients: 2. People who know me and supported my work from 2001 to 2002, as Assistant Project Coordinator/Team Leader at Catholic Family Services, also in Hartford, Connecticut, include: Supervisors: Professionals: Clients: 3. Individuals involved in my life during my work from 2003 until the present at Catholic Family Services include: Supervisors: Professionals: Clients: Questions Answered 4.

Demonstrate familiarity with a variety of techniques and methods for collecting client data, such as telephone contact office contact, in-home visits emergency screening, family interviews, and information from other agencies. Techniques and methods for collecting client data for case management of a client include: Telephone contact: This may occur prior to or after initial, personal contact with Client, which may take place in Case Manager's office, in Client's home, in other agency setting, mutually agreed-upon meeting place, etc.

During telephone contact, Case Manager may use a variety of methods to collect data from Client. At times, specific questions will merit specific answers. At other times, however, Case Manager may need to disguise his/her quest for data in a more general conversational method. During office contacts, techniques to obtain data may range from Case Manager verbalizing specific questions to having Client fill in particular forms. Case Manager may need to fill in forms for client if client is unable to read or cannot read very well.

During in-home visits with Client, Case manager may use same techniques utilized in phone calls and/or during office contact to retrieve needed data. When Case Manager visits with Client in emergency screening, along with obtaining data from Client (if client is able to respond), Case Manager may also solicit data from family member and/or friend who is with Client. Staff employed by emergency organization may also provided needed information. During family interviews, information may be obtained from family members individually, as well as, from members in group setting.

At times, Case Manager may have to implement creative guidelines to help insure communications remain positive and on task. Case Manager may obtain information from other agencies, after securing a signed.