Introduction
The agency that I work for is located in York, PA, and it has been in existence for the last two decades. This agency is a multicultural non- profit agency. We offer several programs and serve a diverse population. We specialize in serving domestic violence clients, substance abuse clients, and mental health clients, coupled with providing on the job training for families.
Our mission statement is “to help each one regardless of color, race, creed, finances, or disability.” I currently serve as the agency’s Chief Executive Officer. Through the subsequent paragraphs, I will give advice to new employees who are not yet familiar with the agency.
This paper will inform employees of how to ensure effective coordination amongst agencies when providing services to the community and some of the best techniques for issuing direct services. Furthermore, the paper will examine the importance of advocating for the needs of the local community, and ultimately it will summarize the lessons that I learned when doing service.
Human Service Provider
It is important for employees to familiarize themselves with what human service entails even as they learn about our agency. The human service sector is concerned with the provision of human needs by applying the interdisciplinary understanding that can assist in eliminating and resolving challenges that erupt in the society and being loyal to enhancing the human life of residents in a given area.
It encourages the provision of quality of services given to a community by monitoring the direct services that are offered to the community, thus creating better ways to access transparent and properly coordinated professionals. Those interested in the human service profession must aspire to serve others. The best-qualified human service providers are enduring, considerate, and caring as they interact with the public.
In addition, they should have brilliant socializing skills, be accountable, and time conscious. It is also important for employees to familiarize themselves with the six general knowledge abilities and attitudes that govern the profession. Employees should comprehend the characteristics of human systems.
As an agency, we educate our workers to familiarize themselves with the human growth, the distinction amongst groups, organizational systems, the nature of communities, and the process of creating policies coupled with how the social structures collide to generate social stalemates.
Mayhew (2012) insists that workers must learn, understand, and respect the governing rules and regulations in any organization in a bid to ensure the achievement of the set objectives. Through this familiarization process, new employees will comprehend the relevant techniques in enhancing healthy performance and rehabilitation of the clients that we receive.
This aspect involves being informed on socially based, psychologically-trait based, or education-oriented techniques. Moreover, we, as an agency, will make sure that our employees are taken through a process of identifying their abilities and picking the skills, which we believe will push this agency towards accomplishing its objectives and missions.
As an employee, one will be given sample clients, perform a competent examination, and attempt to solve the problems that the clients are facing using different techniques to achieve the expected outcomes. The employees will also be taught how to conduct interventions such as transfer and direct counseling.
Furthermore, employees should have skills in organizing, executing, and assessing interventions. They should be in a position to form a plan of action in issues that develop in the course of delivering their services and apply them in the most appropriate way. As a worker, I appreciate the need for a proper comprehension of problem-assessment and decision-making techniques.
The latter skills are essential in every agency, and all workers should master them, particularly during interventions. As an agency, we also call on employees to utilize interventions, which are in tandem with the principles of our agency, the clients, and the human service body as a whole.
This goal is only achievable only if the workers familiarize themselves with the standards of our agency as well as their personal principles and goals. Mayhew (2012) stresses the need to understand an organization’s values and standards to avoid conflict of interest in executing one’s duties.
As an agency, we also believe that human service providers should sacrifice themselves in providing the required services. This goal can only be achieved if workers are motivated to perform their jobs despite the prevailing challenges.
The motivation must come from within whenever they perform the roles assigned to them. Since our main aim as the human service provider is to assist individuals that might be going certain challenges in life such as drugs and domestic violence, employees must be ready to work for long hours, at times, adding up to 40 hours a week.
At times, the work may extend to weekends, depending on the presence of clients and the severity of the issues being solved. Nonetheless, there are working shifts where workers exchange during the night and morning hours.
A number of times when dealing with clients, cases may arise where one has to seek for further assistance, hence the need for referral. The agency works in unity with other professional institutions such as mental health institutions.
When a case requires a referral, a client must be directed to the closest institution that will give the most pertinent assistance. If an appointment must be made prior to attending the particular place of referral, then as an agency, we have to prepare the appointment for the client and help as much as we can (Caldwell et al., 2008).
Human service providers deal with clients in disparate ways. One of the common ways of helping individuals occurs when workers establish direct contact with clients. As an agency, our direct contact with clients occurs in various positions that workers occupy in the firm. Our caseworkers and supervisors must work directly with clients, as they have to prepare the treatment plan after consulting the clients.
Moreover, our employees help clients to choose the most applicable ideas and attend to them during the follow-up process to check on how they are fairing. Direct contact is important during counseling. When dealing with a client who has emotional challenges due to say effects of domestic violence or drug abuse, it advisable to maintain physical contact when advising them.
Moreover, direct contact helps the human service provider in examining and managing emotional problems. Direct contact helps human service providers in establishing a good connection with clients, and thus they can initiate strategies to assist clients in altering their behaviors.
If employees are incapable of handling the situation, then they can refer the client to another reliable practitioner. In the latter scenario, the human service provider act as an advocate.
I have witnessed some challenges as a Chief Executive Officer in this agency. This job is accompanied by a myriad of demerits and merits that anyone who is interested in working for this agency must understand. One of the major key merits that have kept me moving in my job is how this agency is transforming human lives.
When we receive clients that have gone through traumatizing periods in their lives and help them professionally, the outcomes have always been amazing. However, the results are not often automatic. Workers must learn to establish a good relationship with clients, as some of them do not always show gratitude. Nonetheless, as an agency, we, at times, have inadequate resources to assist our clients.
This aspect implies that workers may not get the best remuneration as anticipated. Moreover, at times, we depend on funds provided by charitable organizations as well as government, but due to the incessant financial crisis, the funding is highly erratic.
Hence, workers should shelf the money aspect, and de is driven by passion knowing that human service is an opportunity to help individuals with problems that demand urgent solutions (Service provision guidebook, n.d).
In consideration of the aforementioned issues as well as the view that the job involves a lot of direct contact with individuals who are facing mental and emotional issues such as drug abuse and violence, as the CEO, I am often keen on the recruits.
Applicants must always be scrutinized to check if they have the relevant qualifications. Proper academic qualifications and volunteer experience are among the key requirements that the agency focuses on during selection and recruitment (The human service worker: A generic job description, n.d).
In a bid to improve service provision, the agency has outlined a strategy that will put individuals and the community as a whole in the epicenter of service delivery. This strategy will grant clients a greater voice in determining their needs and suggesting the programs that they find most comfortable.
A comprehensive response retrieved from the community will be assessed and utilized in enhancing service delivery. The strategy seeks to incorporate a citizen-oriented concept by welcoming opinions concerning the structure of the services. Subsequently, this aspect will enable the agency to understand its strengths as well as potential loopholes in service delivery, and thus make improvements where necessary.
Moreover, I would advise new recruits that while serving those in need they should pay close attention to the policies of the agency, which include striving to improve the health of different people in the community and enhancing the relationship amongst the agency, the community, as well as other affiliated agencies and organizations.
All workers are expected to have the skills to examine, apply, and predict the outcomes and strategy goals prepared by the agency.
Conclusion
The field of human service providers is increasingly attracting attention amongst many individuals seeking employment. However, the qualifications of joining the field are not limited to one’s educational background. It needs personal traits and passion for one to work effectively. Our agency requires similar qualifications. Workers must be ready to help the people in need with passion and determination.
We seek to help those who have emotional and mental problems, such as the effects of domestic violence and drug abuse, without discrimination. These duties must be performed whilst maintaining the highest level of confidentiality. Moreover, direct contact is of great essence as it helps in building a good rapport with clients to know what problems they are undergoing.
The agency is currently working on a strategy to improve its relationship with clients and other affiliate agencies. The strategy seeks to provide services that are centered on the needs of the community. Even as we strive to achieve this strategy, it is important for all workers to remember the mission of the agency.
References
Caldwell, D., Tarver, D., Iwamoto, K., Herzberg, E., Cerda-Lizarraga, P., & Mack, T. (2008). Definitions of multicultural competence: frontline human service providers’ perspective. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 36(2), 88-100.
Mayhew, F. (2012). Human service delivery in a multi-tier system: the subtleties of collaboration among partners. Journal of Health & Human Services Administration, 35(1), 109-135.
Service provision guidebook: service provision. (n.d).
The human service worker: A generic job description. (n.d).