barrier breakers: advocacy, linking, & letting go misty miller, msw, cirs traci byrd, cirs 2-1-1...
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Barrier Breakers: Advocacy, Linking, & Letting Go
Misty Miller, MSW, CIRS
Traci Byrd, CIRS2-1-1 Texas/United Way of Greater Houston
AIRS Annual Training & Education Conference
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Workshop Objectives
• Review AIRS standards on follow-ups and advocacy
• To explore creative problem solving through Barrier Breakers, quality assurance, and advocacy processes within the context of I&R
• The value and necessity of 360˚ communication
Who we are…
• United Way of Greater Houston• 2-1-1 Texas
– Statewide network
• Largest call volume in Texas– 121,000 in 2003– 732,500 in 2009– Over 600% increase in 6 years
• 70 staff members dedicated to I&R• 24 hours, 7 days
HoodHoward
Presidio BrewsterVal Verde
CulbersonHudspeth
Jeff Davis
El Paso
Crane
Pecos
Reeves
Crockett
Terrell
Upton Reagan
Andrews
Ward
Loving Winkler MidlandEctor Glasscock
Martin
Bandera
Jim Hogg
La Salle
Webb
Starr
Zapata
Dimmit
ZavalaMaverick
Kinney Uvalde
Frio
Medina
Nueces
Brooks
Hidalgo
Duval
Kenedy
Willacy
Cameron
Jim Wells
Kleberg
Wilson
McMullen
Bexar
Atascosa
BeeLiveOak
San Patricio
Karnes
GuadalupeGonzales
Mason
McCulloch
Edwards
Sutton
Schleicher
Kerr
Real
Kimble
Menard
Nolan
Tom GreenIrion
Mitchell
Sterling CokeRunnels
Concho
Coleman
Taylor Callahan
Bell
Blanco
Kendall
Comal
Gillespie
Llano
Travis
Hays
Caldwell
Burnet
Williamson
Comanche
Mills
San Saba
Brown
Eastland
Hamilton
Lampasas
Coryell
Erath
Bosque
Somervell
Swisher
Randall
Hockley
Gaines
Yoakum
Cochran
Dawson
Terry Lynn
Lubbock
Deaf Smith
Bailey
Parmer
Lamb Hale
Castro
Hartley
Oldham Potter
Moore
Dallam Sherman
Knox
Kent
ScurryBorden
Garza
Crosby Dickens
Fisher Jones
King
Stonewall Haskell
Hall
MotleyFloyd
Briscoe
Hardeman
CottleFoard
Childress
JackYoung
StephensShackelford
Throckmorton
ParkerPalo Pinto
Wise
Baylor Archer
WilbargerWichita
ClayMontague
GrayCarson
Armstrong Donley
Hutchinson Roberts
Wheeler
Collingsworth
Hemphill
OchiltreeHansford Lipscomb
Jefferson
Trinity
Brazos
Lavaca
Victoria
Goliad
Refugio
De Witt
Calhoun
Aransas
Jackson
Wharton
Milam
Bastrop
Fayette
Lee
Austin
Colorado
Burleson
Washington
Robertson
Waller
Brazoria
Matagorda
Fort Bend
Harris
Galveston
Chambers
Montgomery
Walker
Grimes
Madison
Jasp
er
Liberty
Hardin
PolkSan Jacinto
Tyler
Anderson
Ellis
Falls
McLennan
Hill
Freestone
Limestone
Leon
Navarro
Henderson
DallasTarrant
Johnson
Denton
KaufmanVan Zandt
Collin
Rockwall
Hunt
Smith
Cherokee
Houston
Nacogdoches
Angelina
Rusk
Shelby
Panola
Fran
klin
RainsWood
Hopkins
Marion
Gregg
Upshur
Harrison
Titus
Camp
Mo
rris Cass
New
ton
Orange
San Augustine
Sabine
FanninCooke Grayson
Delta
Lamar Red River
Bowie
Gulf Coast Region 40115
South Central Texas Region 40121
North Central Texas Dallas Region 40116
North Central Texas Fort Worth Region 40117
Rio Grande Region 40120
Panhandle Region 40118
South Plains Region 40122
Alamo Region 40111
Tip of Texas Region 40125
Heart of Texas Region 40131
North Texas Region 40134
Bryan/ College Station 40113
Coastal Bend Region 40126
Permian Basin Region 40119
Central Texas Region 40114
Texoma Region 40124
Concho Valley Region 40127
West Central Texas Region 40136
Southeast Texas Region 40123
South Texas Region 40135
Golden Crescent Region 40130
East Texas Region 40129
North East Texas Region 40133
Middle Rio Grande Region 40132
Deep East Texas Region 40128
2-1-1 Texas/United Way Staff
Draw a Vacation…
Follow-Ups
AIRS Standard 5: Follow-Up
The I&R service shall have a policy that addresses the conditions under which follow-up must be conducted. The policy shall mandate follow-up, when feasible, with inquirers in endangerment situations and in situations where the specialist believes that inquirers do not have the necessary capacity to follow through and resolve their problems. Additional assistance in locating or accessing services may be necessary.
Why Follow-Up?
• AIRS Standards require centers that are accredited to perform follow-up on a portion of their calls
• Follow-up provides important information– Gaps in services in the community– Accuracy of the resource database– Quality assurance of the I&R agency
Goal of Follow-Ups
• Determine if the caller was able to get their need(s) met through resources given by 2-1-1 or through other means
• Determine that callers who contact 2-1-1 are treated with professionalism and respect
• Gather resource information; Further advocacy if needed
Who Needs Follow-Up?
• Persons who are complaining about a service
• No resources available to meet the caller need
• Child or elder abuse is suspected
• Persons who may be a threat to themselves and refused a transfer to a mental health hotline
Who Needs Follow-Up?
• Callers who may not be able to follow-through with referrals due to a barrier– Language– Transportation– Confusion/Mental health issues– Health-related barriers
• Any other caller who is willing to conduct a follow up survey
Follow-Up Framework
• Each full-time call specialist required to schedule 1 follow-up per 4 hours of work or 10 per week
• Specialists expected to use professional judgment when trying to determine if someone would participate or and/or benefit from a follow-up call and/or questionnaire (quality assurance)
• “Our agency is continually looking to improve service. Would you be available for a follow-up call sometime within the next 10 days?”
More Details
• When follow-up calls are made, messages or voicemails should not be left with third parties
• Three attempts are made before a follow-up is closed out
• Leave brief notes on the follow-up screen so the team can understand which person should follow-up– Only speaks Spanish– Hard of hearing
Advocacy
Ricardo Steele, Veterans I&R Specialist
Nick Huber, Loaned Executive
AIRS Standard 3: Inquirer Advocacy
The I&R service shall offer advocacy, when necessary, to ensure that people receive the benefits and services for which they are eligible. Inquirer advocacy efforts seek to meet individual needs without attempting to change social institutions and, for purposes of these standards, does not include system advocacy or legislative advocacy (lobbying). All advocacy efforts shall be consistent with written policies established by the governing body of the I&R service and shall proceed only with the permission of the inquirer.
Advocacy
• Definition: “The act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy; active support.” (The American Heritage Dictionary, 4th edition, 2000)
• Advocacy takes over when empowerment isn’t enough
System Advocacy
• System advocacy involves advocating on the needs of a community or area based on the information gathered through caller contact
• System advocacy is NOT lobbying
• Examples:– Writing letters to the local newspaper’s editorial section– Testimony before review committees or legislative bodies– Agency annual reports (need to describe the need for services)
Individual Advocacy
• Reasons to advocate or intervene:
– Needs help to establish eligibility or to obtain needed services
– Has been denied benefits or services to which they are entitled
– Need assistance to communicate their needs to a service provider or otherwise represent themselves
– Has a complaint about a service
When to Advocate• Individual faces barriers to receiving services
– Language
– Age
– Physical or Developmental Disabilities
– Communication Issues
– Emotional/Mental Health Situations
– Poverty
– Endangerment
Who is involved?
Advocate intervenes on behalf of the client with the decision-maker
DecisionMaker
Advocate
Client
Why Advocate?
• “Advocacy involves changing the pattern of decision making, thus attempting to increase the probability of a specific decision being reached.” (Social Work Processes, 4th Ed., 1989)
• Some social service professionals act/react differently when working with another professional in the field than they do when working directly with the client
Advocacy Strategies
• General approach toward intervention
• In I&R the most common means is when advocate and client have a basic understanding about the need & how to approach getting the need met.
• Could include:– Letter writing & phone calls– Agency site visits– Bargaining or negotiation– Building and maintaining strong relationships– “Bug and Beg”
Assessing the Approach• Who is the client?
• What methods has the client tried?
• What service do they need first or which barrier needs to be met in order for others to “fall into place?”
• Are there contacts at the agency that can meet this need?
• How open is the agency to advocacy efforts?
• What approaches have worked in the past with this agency?
Advocacy Scenarios
A mother of three calls for referrals for her rent. The agency that should be able to meet her need has given her inaccurate information about their rental assistance program, claiming that funds are not available. Yet, at a meeting only two days prior, the agency announced the availability of rental assistance funds on television. How do you proceed?
Advocacy Scenarios
An elderly man calls for help with prescriptions. He was released from the hospital yesterday and sounds quite frail. He has no family in the area who can assist him. He does not think he can drive to pick up the medications, even if he could afford to pay for them. Do you advocate? How?
Advocacy Scenarios
A “frequent caller” of the I&R service has a complaint about an agency in the community. Although many programs are aware of this woman and her previous attempts to misuse the system, this time her complaint seems legitimate. She feels that she was denied electric bill assistance inappropriately, even though she clearly fit the criteria. She feels the action is one of the agency’s intake worker not liking her rather than assessing her based on her current situation. Do you advocate? How?
Barrier Breakers
2010 First Quarter Barrier Breakers: Allison Marek, Rachelle Alridge, & Anabelle Dominguez
with Misty Miller
Background
“As part of our mission to impact our community through effective and accurate I&R, we want to move forward in creating and implementing team strategies by empowering individuals and families thus breaking barriers via our follow-up calls and advocacy procedures.”
Barrier Breakers
• Follow-up and advocate (when needed), in order to eliminate barriers to service
• Rotating team of 3-4 I&R specialists that serve on a quarterly basis
• Vary group experience and language levels
• Leader will meet with team as needed to “staff” cases
Strategies
• Empowerment
• Joint Planning
• Self Determination
• Advocacy/Barrier-Breaking
• Shining Stars
Certificate of Appreciation
Allison MarekIn appreciation for your commitment to enhancing I&R through your Follow-up and Advocacy, we present this Shining Star
certificate.
Awarded on May 11, 2010
2-1-1 Texas/United Way Helpline
David Jobe, LMSW, CIRS Sandra Ray, CIRS
Director Manager
360˚ Communication
• Outreach Coordinator
• Barrier Breakers
• Resource Coordinator
• Resource Team
• Call Specialists
Helpful Reminders• Universalizing responses
– “Most working moms like yourself have the same fear you do about being laid off or losing their benefits if they take a maternity leave.”
• Strengths perspective responses– Identifying and affirming– “It’s amazing how much you got done with no support.”
• Conveying warmth & caring while being realistic
• “If you give a hungry person a fish, they will eat for a day. But if you teach him or her to fish, they will eat for a lifetime – if there are fish.”
• Taking care while giving care: What can you do to diminish the impact of work-stress in your life?
Share & Tell
• What’s working at your center?
• What’s not working at your center?
• What’s something new you learned today?
• What could you feasibly implement tomorrow?
THANK YOU!Misty Miller, Outreach Coordinator
mmiller@unitedwayhouston.org
(713) 685-2718
Traci Byrd, Resource Coordinator
tbyrd@unitedwayhouston.org
(713) 685-2743
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