Chapter 12 - Working with Staff
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Supporting staff in their work
Staff working with homeless youth have extremely challenging jobs - they must be prepared to intervene in crises; they are sometimes the brunt of abusive behaviour; and they have to deal with some of the most discouraging and disturbing situations. At the same time, shift-working front-line staff in this sector are not well paid. Yet, they tend to be extremely committed to their work. They find hope in working with young people who have the potential to make real changes in their lives.
Agencies have a responsibility to support and protect their staff in their work. While some agencies have chosen to do this through the imposition of a rule-based culture and extensive security systems, Eva’s Phoenix has taken a different approach – they try to support and empower their staff, and create a relationship between the staff and the youth that is based on trust and judgment.
Eva’s Phoenix – Supporting staff
The staff of Eva’s Phoenix are expected to exercise a great deal of independent judgment in their duties because there are relatively few rules to enforce with the youth. In order to do so, they must feel they can make decisions, based on the circumstances at the time, without fear of recrimination as long as they have acted in the best interests of the youth and the agency. They are also expected to be accountable to their teammates and their Supervisor for the decisions they make.
Staff have several mechanisms through which they can receive support in their work. They participate in case management meetings every three weeks with colleagues from other teams. These are meant to be opportunities to discuss issues and concerns with respect to the individual youth, as well as brainstorm potential solutions in a supportive environment. Staff also know they are working as part of a team, and that they will have the support of others in dealing with difficult cases. In addition, staff have individual meetings with their supervisors every three weeks. These meetings are occasions where they can get specific individual support and feedback from their supervisors.
