Workforce Development
21st century social service literature increasingly explores the important role of leadership in creating effective organizations. Successful leaders operate from principle and vision, orient toward service, and empower individuals to achieve their highest developmental capacities.
Leadership sets the tone around which a culture develops and sets policy that can help create supportive systems promoting recovery and transformation from ACEs and other life traumas.
While ACEs and current stressors have the potential to impact our health and well-being, healthy coping, resources, and support helps us to bounce back, counter, and prevent negative consequences. Leaders can develop an agency culture that supports the workforce, promoting self care and preventing burnout and vicarious traumatization.
Social service agencies can intentionally develop HEARTS. This kind of compassionate culture facilitates the personal development of staff, many of whom have identified their own ACE Scores , who then create a therapeutic community for clients recovering from adverse childhood experiences.
In order to develop healthy environments and relationships that support (HEARTS) to empower staff and clients within an agency, leaders engage in their own self care which fosters the ability to role model.
Thus, leaders set the example for staff who role model how to be well-regulated adults for the clients. Self care by staff persons is crucial to accomplish relationship-building and role modeling. HEARTS empower staff in self care practices. Cooperation and mutual aid take place in the context of HEARTS as staff support one another in their transformation processes.
There are many ways that people take care of themselves, and you get to decide what works best for you. This self care assessment tool might help you in identifying self care activities and consider ways to build upon your self care.
Here are some easy steps to elicit the relaxation response. Minimal physical maintenance can be incorporated into a busy schedule.
The Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) provides a great example of how leadership and staff develop HEARTS for homeless people overcoming ACEs.
The Washington State Family Policy Council has translated ACE study findings into education materials, which includes a train the trainer program that supports knowledge development in the workforce.
