Building Resilient Professionals and Organizations: Christian Principles and Workforce Development
This presentation synthesizes research on resiliency and on leadership and applies this knowledge to individual social workers and human service organizations. Principles of positive workforce development and Christianity will be examined with applications for social work leaders, practitioners and educators. The goal is caring, effective and ethical professionals working in caring, effective and ethical organizations.
Category(ies):
Human Development, Diversity, and Behavior in the Environment
Administration and Work with Organizations
As a result of this training, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the conditions that lead to worker burnout and turnover.
2. Summarize the factors that result in worker resilience and effective service delivery.
3. Outline Christian principles and leadership qualities that promote an effective and positive workforce.
Outline: Topics to be addressed and timeline within the 45 minute presentation.
Introduction: the Lucas legacy (5 min)
The importance of the workforce (5 min)
Preparing BSW and MSW students for effective service in child welfare (10 min)
Strategies for addressing burnout and turnover (10 min)
Strategies for promoting compassion and resilience (10 min)
The role of the Christian educator and agency leader (5 min)
Johnco, Carly; Salloum, Alison: Olson, Kayla; and Edwards, LaTishia (2014). Child Welfare Worker's Perspectives on Contributing Factors to Retention and Turnover: Recommendations for Improvement. Children and Youth Services Review, 47, pp. 397-407.
Holosko, M.J., & Faith, E. (2015). Educating BSW and MSW social workers to practice in child welfare services. In J.S. Wodarski, M.J. Holosko, & M.D. Feit (Eds.), Evidence-informed practice in child welfare (pp. 3-25). Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.
Travis, D.J., Lizano, E.L. & Mor Barak, M.E. (2015). 'I'm so stressed!' A longitudinal model of stress, burnout and engagement among social workers in child welfare settings. British Journal of Social Work, Advanced Access -published online March 4, 2015. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bct205
Gary Anderson, PHD, MSW is a Professor at the Michigan State University (MSU) School of Social Work. For fifteen years he was the Director of the School at MSU, following his academic appointment at Hunter College in New York City. He has served as the Principal Investigator of a five-year federally-funded Child Welfare Recruitment and Retention grant, and coordinates University Partnership Programs in the federally-supported National Child Welfare Workforce Institute. He received his Bachelor of Religious Education from Cornerstone University (Grand Rapids, MI), MSW from the University of Michigan, and PhD from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration.