Personnel - Staff Policies and Client Contact

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Personnel

This section refers to personnel matters pertaining to the Shelter and Shelter staff. Staff should refer to the general agency manual for detailed information concerning county and agency personnel policies, job descriptions, complaint procedures, requests for time off, workman's compensation, etc.

shelter staffing patterns

The agency Executive Director supervises the Shelter Manager, Shelter Counselor, and Operations Managers. Operations Managers provide direct supervision of the Shelter program. They supervise the Assistant Operations Managers and Cottage Assistants assigned to their shifts. The Shelter Manger is the Administrative Supervisor of the Assistant Operations Managers and Cottage Assistants.

When the Executive Director is absent, the Shelter Manager is in charge when on the premises. When neither the Executive Director of the Shelter Manager are present, the Operations Manager is in charge. The Operations Manager is expected to consult with the On-Call staff about discussions beyond those normally made in their day-to-day handling of their job. If the On-Call staff is unavailable, the Operations Manager has the authority to make any necessary immediate decisions.

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shelter personnel policies

Confidentiality

All agency staff members are required to sign the agency's Confidentiality Statement. The Confidentiality Statement maintains that employees, volunteers, and interns hold confidential any information about clients heard indirectly or directly. A staff member who intentionally violates the agency's confidentiality policy is not only subject to disciplinary action, but also commits a Class A misdemeanor.

Access to Client Files

Client files are kept in a locked filing cabinet. Access to the files is available to regular employees of the agency designated by the Executive Director. Those employees include the Executive Director, Programs Director, Director, Shelter Manager, Counselor, Operation Managers, Office Manager and Bookkeeper/Secretary. Assistant Operations Managers have access to those files they must see in carrying out their duties. Paid, intern, and volunteer Cottage Assistants generally do not have access to the files, unless they are given permission for access from the Executive Director.

Staff must refer to the Case Manager or Executive Director anyone who requests information from a client's file; this includes the youth, the parent, a therapist or a caseworker, or an agency, such as the court.

Staff failure to comply with any of these policies will result in disciplinary action as provided for in the agency progressive discipline policy and Monroe County personnel policies.

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Universal Prevautions

1. All employees who in the regular course of their duties supervise residents of the Youth Shelter or the agency school program and are/may be responsible for administering first aid are to be trained in the use of universal precautions prescribed by the Indiana State Board of Health in the Universal Precautions Rule 410 IAC 1 4. The training will be provided before the employee is given an assignment where he/she will likely have contact with blood or body fluids.
2. All employees are required to use universal precautions when they have direct contact with blood or body fluids.
3. Failure to use universal precautions as required will result in disciplinary actions as provided for in the agency progressive discipline policy and Monroe County personnel policies.

Smoking

A county ordinance prohibits smoking in the building. A violation of these rules may result in disciplinary action. The rules for staff smoking are:

1. Staff must smoke outside in the designated smoking area. The only exception to this rule is for the OMs. An OM can smoke in the OM office if he/she is the only staff on duty, or on overnights, when the AOM is asleep.
2. AOMs and Assistants are required to get permission from the OM before taking a cigarette break. In general, staff should not take excessive cigarette breaks.
3. Staff must use ashtrays and not throw their butts on the ground.
4. Staff must keep their smoking materials locked up.
5. Staff cannot smoke in the Shelter van.
6. Staff cannot in any way (buy, loan, give, or share) supply any residents with cigarettes.

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Dress Code

Paid and volunteer staff represent the agency to the public. Every staff member has the potential to have contact with the public, whether its conducting an admission or taking the residents out on activity. Staff should be aware of how their dress effects the public's perception of the agency. In general we expect the staff to dress in a neat and clean manner. Generally, staff follow the same dress code as the residents. Refer to the write-up on the Dress Code in the section on Resident Policies and Daily Operation. The exceptions for the staff are:

1. No cut off shirts for staff.
2. No ripped or torn clothing for staff; clothes cannot have noticeable holes.
3. Staff can choose to wear earrings of any length.

Food

Staff may eat any meal or snack served in the Shelter while they are on duty. Staff may not eat Shelter food when they are not on duty and are not to eat Shelter food at times other than a meal or snack time. (Overnight staff may eat a snack during the night, so long as they are not eating food needed for an upcoming meal). Licensing regulations state that staff are served the same food as the residents. However staff do not have to adhere to the three bites and at least 1/2 glass of milk rules. Staff are expected to follow all other meal and snack rules. Staff who are on a special diet, e.g. vegetarian, or are affected by allergies, and are required by their job to eat in the Shelter, i.e. must supervise meal and snack times, should consult with the Executive Director. Arrangements will be made to provide meals for that staff. Staff who are not required by their job to be present at meals may substitute leftovers for menu items they cannot eat, if the OM did not plan to use that leftover for the Shelter residents. Staff cannot drink soda pop or eat items purchased for residents' special snacks.

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Telephone

Operating the Agency Phone

There are three phones in the OM office. The agency phone has 3 lines with an intercom, and transfer and hold features. The resident's phone is a single line, personal phone and is part of the Shelter's system. The CPS phone is not part of the Shelter's system. When placing any calls staff and residents must first dial 9 to get out of the county's centrex system and access a line.

OMs are expected to answer the agency phone. Answering the phone includes transferring calls, taking messages, referring callers, supervising the residents using the phone, and giving information and providing crisis counseling. If the OM is busy and unable to answer the phone, the OM can ask the AOM or during office hours, upstairs staff, to answer the phone. Agency policy is that unless instructed otherwise, staff should accept collect calls. Refer to the write up on the Telephone Policy in the section on Resident Policies and Daily Operation for more detailed information regrading the residents' use of the phone.

During regular office hours, Monday - Friday, 9:00AM - 5:00PM, the OM functions as a receptionist. He/she answers the phone and refers calls to the appropriate staff member. When referring calls the OM should ask for the name of the caller and identify the caller to the staff member when transferring the call. If the staff member the caller is requesting to speak with is not available, the OM should take a message. When taking messages, the OM should note the date, time, what the call was in reference to and any special instructions. All messages are placed in the individual staff member's mailbox. The OM can also inform the caller when he/she may call back, but should not promise the caller that a staff member will return a call at a specific time. In general the OM should be able to transfer most of the daytime calls to another staff member.

There is a protocol regarding calls about admissions. The Shelter Counselor handles self, parental and Monroe County DFC (formerly DPW) referrals. The Shelter Manager handles Monroe County Probation Department, school and any out of county agencies or referrals.

During non-office hours, evenings, over nights, weekends and holidays, the OM handles all of the calls, including requests concerning admission and requests for other kinds of help and crisis counseling. The OM refers calls to the On-Call as needed or required. For more details on related information refer the section on Referrals and the write up on contacting the On-Call in the section on Emergency and Safety Practices.

Long Distance Phone Calls

The agency keeps a record of all long distance phone calls. Staff must use an access code to place long distance phone calls. The directions for making and logging long distance calls are in the Phone Log folder in the OM office. Refer to the write up on the Telephone Policy in the section on Resident Policies and Daily Operation for information regarding residents' long distance phone calls.

Speed Dial

As part of the county's centrex system other county and city offices can be speed dialed simply by dialing the last 3 digits of the phone number, without first dialing 9. The agency's phone system also has another speed dial feature by which any local or long distance number can be assigned a speed dial number, #60 - #99. The Shelter Manager is responsible for programming these speed dial numbers. The list of speed dial numbers is in the back of the Shelter Log. Staff do not have to dial a 9 when using the speed dial feature.

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Staff Personal Use of Phone

Staff should limit their personal phone calls to approximately 10 minutes total time per shift. Unless there is an emergency, staff should not make or take personal calls when they are needed or expected to be performing duties, such as supervising a meal, dealing with a drop in, etc. Staff should discourage receiving personal phone calls while on duty; if instead staff place a call, they can choose a good time to do so. If staff make personal long distance phone calls, they must use a personal calling card number or charge the call to a personal number.

CPS Phone

We answer the Child Protection Services phone and take reports of abuse and neglect during non-office hours. CPS office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00AM-4:30PM. Only the OM can answer the CPS phone. Instructions for answering the CPS phone and taking reports are in the CPS Log.

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Dating Among Staff Members

Staff members dating other staff members will not be scheduled to work together on a shift. Therefore, staff should inform personnel who do the scheduling when adjustments need to be made.

Using Shelter Property

Shelter property can only be used for agency business. Staff are not allowed to use any Shelter property, such as the van, computer, copier or any tools, for personal use. All Shelter property belongs to Monroe County and laws concerning the misuse of public property apply.

Agency Computers

Staff are not allowed to add any programs, including games, to any of the computers. Any questions or suggestions regarding computer programming should be referred to the Office Manager. Also staff should refer any problems or malfunctions to the Office or Shelter Manager and not attempt to correct the problem themselves.

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Staff/Client Contact

All agency staff members who work with or have contact with agency clients/residents are required to sign the Staff/Client Contact Statement. The Staff/Client Contact Statement states that staff members will only have contact with current or former clients of the Monroe County Youth Service Bureau/Youth Shelter as required in the course of carrying out the staff member's duties at the agency. Any staff member who wishes to have additional contact with a current or former client must obtain permission to do so from the Executive Director. If additional contact is approved, all arrangements must be made through the agency's offices. Staff members failing to abide by this policy will be subject to disciplinary action.

Other rules for staff/client contact are:

1. Staff are not allowed to give to clients their own or another staff's phone numbers or addresses, unless permission is obtained from the Executive Director to do so.
2. Staff can use their discretion in allowing clients to know their last names.

staff/resident contact in the shelter

The intent of the policies and rules outlined in the following paragraphs is to establish an environment that is safe for the residents and the staff. Failure to adhere to these rules and policies may result in disciplinary action.

staff/resident ratio

When the resident population is between 1 and 8, two staff will be on duty. When the resident population is unusually difficult to manage or has risen to 9 or more, the agency will arrange for a third staff member to be present for every shift, except overnights. The third staff person is to be called the Resident Assistant. If the population is too low, the third person will not necessarily be called to work and it is the responsibility of the RC to call the RA and let them know to not report for work. However, the RA is always promised 5 hours a week.

Two staff members will be on duty on every shift. The agency will make every effort to recruit and utilize volunteers and interns to provide additional staff coverage. It should be noted however, that unpaid staff are not to be left alone with the residents at any time, nor are they allowed to transport Shelter residents. In the case that the Shelter residents are unusually difficult to manage, there is an unusually high census, or a Shelter resident needs one-on-one attention to maintain the safety and security of all staff and residents, the Care Coordinator or Assistant Director may approve for a third staff member to be called in.

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one-on-one staff/resident contact

Staff members are expected to limit their 1-on-1 contact with the residents to only what is required to carry out the program and attend to the needs of the residents. Examples of acceptable 1-on-1 contact include conducting an admission, supervising a chore, intervening in crisis, transporting a resident to school or an appointment, applying first aid and crisis counseling.

Staff should always be aware of the need to protect themselves and protect the residents. Occasionally, there are residents with whom staff should avoid having any 1-on-1 contact. This may occur when a resident has a history of making false allegations or a resident has made inappropriate comments or been flirtatious with staff. We expect the staff to err on the side of caution when they feel uncomfortable with 1-on-1 contact. We also expect the staff to note their concerns in the Log and to report them to either the RC on duty or their immediate supervisor. Such concerns will be addressed either in staff meetings or individual supervision.

Some other rules for staff/resident 1-on-1 contact are:

1. One staff cannot take one resident out of the Shelter on a recreation or leisure activity unless it is an approved part of the Shelter behavioral modification program and has been pre-approved by the Care Coordinator or Assistant Director. This will only be the case for staff and residents of the same sex.
2. One staff cannot supervise one resident who is outside smoking.
3. One staff cannot be with one resident in any resident's bedroom unless the staff are conducting a security check, a bed check, helping a new resident set up his/her bedroom, supervising a chore, or intervening in a crisis. In these cases, the staff member should always make the other staff member aware of the circumstances and make every attempt to keep either the resident or themselves in the line of vision of the other staff member.
4. Normally, Staff should not enter a bathroom that is occupied by a resident. In the event of an emergency requiring staff to do so, 2 staff should be present.
5. When residents are being taken off grounds for an activity, no resident can remain behind one- on-one if they are not of the same sex as the remaining staff person.
6. Staff members should carefully consider the order in which they take residents to school or pick them up, as to avoid situations in which one staff member is left alone in the van with only one resident who is of the opposite sex. Sometimes such a situation is impossible to avoid. However, it is good practice to consider the order in which the school run is carried out.

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staff/resident physical contact

Staff should closely self-monitor physical contact with the residents. The following information outlines the specific rules for the staff regarding physical contact.

Normal every day contact, such as touching someone on the shoulder/arm, shaking a hand or patting someone on the back is to be expected. Adolescents need affirming, positive physical interaction in their lives. There will be times when a resident may need support during a crisis situation; this is all right as long as the staff and resident are not alone together. It is important to remember that some adolescents will have clinical issues that suggest any sort of touch or physical approach may be a delicate situation. The Counselors will keep staff informed on such matters. If a resident is leaving and wants to give staff a good-by hug, it is best to keep this very brief, giving a side hug instead of a frontal hug, and do so in the presence of another staff member. Respect for personal boundaries is to be remembered at all times.

Staff members should never attempt to physically move a child who is simply refusing to move to a location in which they are being directed. Doing so may lead to an unnecessary physical altercation. Physical contact for the purpose of restraining a child who is attempting to harm themselves or others should be used only as a last resort. The procedures for physical intervention should follow the guidelines provided in the Crisis Prevention Intervention training made available to all staff by the agency. Any other physical restraints are strictly prohibited and may result in disciplinary action, including termination of employment.

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staff/resident conversation

In general, direct-care staff should try to guide their conversations with the residents toward neutral subjects, such as some current events, resident's favorite music, pets, hobbies, etc. When residents do talk on a more personal level or discuss their problems, staff are not to counsel residents, but instead engage in active listening.

Some rules about conversations are:

1. Staff cannot use degrading, abusive or profane language. Staff should not use language that is mentally or emotionally abusive or that is humiliating or frightening.
2. Staff cannot promise a resident that they will keep secret (from other staff) information the resident shares with the staff.
3. Staff should monitor the length of their conversations with individual resident. The length of the conversation should not impede the staff from carrying out his/her duties, nor lend to neglecting supervising the other residents. A good rule of thumb is no longer than 10 minutes.
4. Staff members should observe confidentiality laws and not discus confidential information with shelter residents. This includes names and information about shelter residents, past and present. It also includes details about other residents’ cases.

rules for staff/resident - male/female contact

1. When sensible, the agency will coordinate schedules so that a male and female are on duty.
2. When both male and female staff are on duty, only staff of the same sex as the resident can enter the resident's bedroom for the purpose of a bed check, security check, assist the resident with bedroom maintenance tasks, etc.
3. Only staff of the same sex of the resident can supervise the resident doing a chore away from other people, such as bathroom or the outside of trash and porch.
4. Only staff of the same sex as the resident can accompany the resident to the Shelter "Mall".
5. When our assessment of a resident indicates that a same sex staff person should always be on duty such coverage will be provided.

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staff concerns about staff/resident inappropriate contact

1. Staff on duty are to notify his/her supervisor or the On-Call in the event that:
1. He/she has concerns about being the only staff on duty. EXAMPLE: A male RC is scheduled to work the overnight alone. Or, the RS has taken all of the residents on an outing. Or, he completes an admission of a female with a history of molestation, flirtatiousness and sexual involvement with older males... (MW comment: I’m not sure what we should say here...In the situation mentioned above, the RC should call the RS on the cell phone and ask them to return to the shelter rather than page me or the on-call...in my opinion)
2. The RC has concerns about a resident's inappropriate behavior with the staff. EXAMPLE: A male resident brushes up against a female staff, touching her inappropriately and tells her she's sexy.
2. Staff members are expected to document in detail any incidents where the resident acts out in an inappropriately familiar manner. This goes beyond sexual comments or attempting to initiate physical contact to include residents asking staff out for dates, calling staff mom/dad, coming to office in inappropriate clothing, etc. Staff are also to document incidents where it appears residents may have misinterpreted staff comments or contact.
3. Staff should consult with the On-Call or their supervisor, if they have concerns about another staff's inappropriate contact with the residents. Staff members are required to notify the On-Call or their supervisor in the event that staff have witnessed or are aware of allegations of physical or sexual abuse perpetrated against a resident by another staff member. In the event that staff is unable to contact either the supervisor or On-call, they are to notify the local Child Protective Services office per state requirements. For further details refer to the write up on Institutional Abuse in the section on Emergency and Safety Practices.

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