How the time has flown since 2005 when we started our journey to COA accreditation! I recently received my packet of information from the Council on Accreditation that begins the process of applying for reaccreditation. While our current term doesn't expire until April 2010, we're hoping to have our site visit in early November instead of late January this time for good reasons. The weather certainly factors into getting peers from all over the country to join us in Upstate New York in January, my worst fear last time. Also, many of our requirements ask for the last two quarters of results. November will optimize the time we have from the end of the 1st quarter of 09-10 and not put us too far into winter and the holidays at the end of the year. Until our application and fees have been established, we won't have a definte date. If we do get a November 3-7 date, that means our self study will be due no later than the first week of August - just a quick year away. In the next few weeks, Ginger, Cynthia and I will start sending training info, narratives, and other requirements of the accreditation process. SOCLT has already had a discussion on this topic! So, if you haven't visited the www.coastandards.org site to take a peek at your services 8th edition standards and the administrative ones that go with all services, please do so soon! If you find you have questions, please call Ginger Rinas at 585-350-2508 or myself at 585-350-2510. We'll be more than happy to help!

It may be a sign of the “flattening world” in which we live, or an emerging generational gap that I may have to face, but I’m struck with new awareness of the use of “My Space” and other web based social networks.

It’s influence is on the news, high debate in schools and homes with teenagers and young adults of college age. I recently learned it is also a communication mechanism of self expression used by some of our staff.

What I’m really curious about is how freely people use this to express themselves- without knowing who is checking this public information. I’ve recently learned that employers and colleges are checking out an individual’s “My Space” account as a reference in decision making for college admission or actual employment. One situation was reported on a news story that the person sought “advice” from readers on whether or not to negotiate for higher salary in a job offer. Too bad the potential employer was also reading her site!

Hillside’s expectation for staff is stated in our ethics policy as:
“We will maintain high standards of personal conduct in our capacity or identity as a personnel or board member of Hillside. (The private conduct of an individual is a personal matter, except when such conduct compromises the fulfillment of the individual's professional responsibilities or causes harm to Hillside and/or its reputation, e.g., supervisor/supervisee dating relationships, situations where the potential for conflict of interest exists.)

I hope that our communication is sufficient enough for staff to raise these concerns to supervisors or managers to attend to whatever their dissatisfactions are, instead of remarking negatively on a web communication.

I would appreciate understanding this more- but am reluctant to set up my own “My Space” to ask that question- so I’ll pose it here in hopes of a response.

My morning was going relatively well-- everyone had eaten some form of breakfast, the pets were fed, and my son didn't miss his bus. As I was walking out the door to leave for work the phone rang. It was my son Michael calling to tell me he had taken the wrong soccer uniform to school (for those who don't know, high school teams wear different color uniforms depending on whether they are playing a home or away game) and he needed me to bring his other uniform to school. I was now faced with the challenge of how to get my son his uniform while also getting myself to work on time. This is a typical example of the challenges working mothers--working parents- deal with regularly. The carefully planned morning routine can be thrown off schedule unexpectedly--a sick child, forgotten homework, lost permission slips, a missed school bus. When my children were younger it was things like sick babysitters, spilled milk or a diaper that needed to be changed as I was ready to walk out the door. Although being a working parent has become somewhat easier for me now that my children are older, it still presents challenges. Trying to balance the responsibilities of caring for the needs of children and family with the demands of work requires juggling and flexibility.

I have worked at Hillside Children's Center for the past 27 years, and for 22 of those years I've been a parent. Over the past 22 years I have learned that it is both rewarding and challenging to be a working parent. Working parents must be adept at multi-tasking and demonstrate flexibility and a sense of humor. Juggling parenting and working requires a work place that is family-friendly, and supportive of the needs of parents and families. When I first became a mother over 22 years ago, my immediate supervisor was Harry Lang, former Associate Executive Director of Hillside Children's Center (Lang Cottage on HCC campus is named in honor of Harry). Harry was not married and did not have any children himself, however he was an extremely supportive supervisor--he gave me the opportunity to return to my position on a part-time basis and allowed me work flexible hours as I adjusted to my new role as a mother. I learned a lot from Harry about how to support working parents, and as I reflect back on the support and encouragement he gave me I realize he played an important part in my learning to balance the demands of working and parenting. I have been fortunate to have had many family-friendly supervisors throughout my career at Hillside, including Clyde Comstock and my current supervisor, Karen Zandi.

Over the years, as I moved into supervisory positions I've tried to extend the same kind of supports to other working parents. I've tried to reach out in particular to female staff who become mothers for the first time, as I vividly remember what a major life-changing experience that was, learning to balance multiple responsibilities. I have learned that supporting staff in their efforts to balance the demands of caring for their children with the demands of their jobs is a win-win situation--Hillside retains competent experienced staff members and working parents appreciate the support they receive in their efforts to balance home and work responsibilities. I would be interested in hearing how other working parents at Hillside have juggled these competing demands.

Summer is winding down and I hope you’ve taken time to enjoy this wonderful season. Although I love all four seasons, I must admit, summer is my favorite. Everything slows down in summer, school is out and some of that rush-rush-rush mentality eases a bit.

For those of us in the helping professions—teachers, social workers, sociotherapists, nurses—our work requires that we respond to human needs at a more intense level than the general public. Making a positive difference in the lives of others is what we try to do every day. The work we do is very rewarding, however it is also emotionally demanding. Balancing the care of others with care of self is particularly important for those in the helping professions. It is essential that we take time to relax and rejuvenate ourselves, to help us maintain our energy and enthusiasm for this important work

Vacations are a great way to rejuvenate. I had the opportunity to spend a week at the ocean this summer with my family—just getting away and doing nothing but sleeping, eating, swimming, and reading for a week was extremely restful and rejuvenating for me.
I don’t know what kind of summer you have had, but I hope you have taken some time off. Even if you can’t get away on vacation, take time to swing in a hammock, drink a glass of lemonade, look up at the stars, listen to the crickets and just enjoy these last weeks of summer. You deserve it, and your ability to do your work will be enhanced.

As I was driving to work one morning I passed a billboard that read:
“Passion—We Teach It”
The billboard was promoting St. John Fisher College and the educational experiences provided by the college for students. This idea of “teaching” passion got me to thinking “Is passion something that can be taught, or is it something that develops over time through different life experiences?”

Passion is defined as “any powerful emotion or appetite, such as love, joy, hatred, sexual desire, or anger”. Some people are passionate about a particular sports team or politics. Others are passionate about certain issues. When I think of passion and how it applies to our work across Hillside, I tend to think of individuals who exhibit a strong commitment to their work with children and families. These are people who get excited just talking with you about their work and their passion for what they do is readily apparent after spending just a few minutes with them. A few people come immediately to mind for me-- Bill Camp is passionate about serving runaway/homeless older youth. His commitment to this population is evident in all he does, and he gets excited about the possibilities of new services for this population. Another example of a staff member who exudes passion about her work is Lisa Maynard—you can’t help but get interested and excited about Adoption services after spending time with Lisa—her enthusiasm is contagious. Having recently spent number of hours with Dave Howard as he worked on the development of the new Drop-In Center at the Cotter building I came to appreciate Dave’s passion for making space at Hillside family-friendly, warm and inviting. It was readily apparent to me how deeply Dave cares about the environment he helps to create for our children, families and staff.

As the parent of three children, two of whom are currently in college and attempting to figure out “what they want to be when they grow up” I have tried to encourage each of them to discover something they find interesting, exciting and personally rewarding and develop their career choices from that starting point. I believe we develop passion for different things through our life experiences. I feel very fortunate to have been able to have a career at Hillside that has provided me with work I feel passionate about- the opportunity to work with a great group of people who are committed to making this world a better place for children and families.

Submitted by Tess Mahnken-Weatherspoon

The recent tragedy at Virginia Tech has captured the attention of all of us. First and foremost, we share in the sadness of the rest of the nation as we mourn the loss of the lives of the students and faculty there. That such a tragedy could occur seems unfathomable.

This tragedy has also caused the Executive Team to consider how Hillside is prepared to deal with an outrageous act of violence or attempt of violence anywhere throughout Hillside Family of Agencies. We currently have in place emergency response plans (CCC, HCC, HWSC, SFCC, HFA) to address all forms of emergencies. These plans have been tested both in trial and in the case of actual emergencies. Each time that we have carried out a plan we have found ways to improve upon it so that we can better provide for our children, families, and staff. While these plans have thus far proven to be effective, I have asked Dawn Rice, our Chief Standards Officer, to review and determine if our emergency response plans are suitable for an emergency such as they experienced at Virginia Tech. She will be working closely with Dave Autovino, who is responsible for our crisis communication plans. We will work to ensure that our children, families and staff are safe. We also want to ensure that, if a tragic occurrence does happen, we are well prepared to protect the lives of our children, families, and staff, and to respond in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

I want to assure you that your safety is a prime concern of Hillside. If you have any questions or suggestions for Dawn as she carries out this responsibility, please contact her. Thank you.

So - why join the Hillside Family of Agencies Corporate Challenge Team? It will give you a walking or running goal to shoot for. I regularly have to give myself a good talking to to get out and run regularly. It is easy to think of lots of excuses (too cold, too hot, too tired, too busy, forgot to wash my clothes), but imagining yourself with a group of colleagues at the start of the run or walk can help fuel you to get out and take care of your body. Of course, sometimes I respond too well to my motivational techniques and wind up injuring myself.

In fact, it has become an annual event that something happens to me just in time for the Corporate Challenge. This year, I injured myself early, so I should be fine by the end of May. Last year, I had no injury - I was just slow. But - there were so many people there, none of the Hillside group knew how slow I was. All I had to do was hang out with nice people who I did not know well before, have a good time with them, then vanish into the crowds of the race. After the race, no one asked about time - we were all just happy to be eating and sharing mainly non-work stories with each other.

This year, we hope to have lots more staff joining us for a lot of fun while we build the Hillside spirit! I hope to hear from many of you about how you try to keep (or get) yourselves healthy, and I look forward to seeing you at the Corporate Challenge (as long as you ignore my running time). - Clyde Comstock

A few years ago, New York passed laws that allow social workers and mental health practitioners to be licensed. Besides allowing these professionals to be licensed, the law also restricts certain activities to those who have a license. For the most part, the law allows a multi-year transition time for agencies like ours. However, by January 1, 2010 we are required to be in full compliance.

There are five licenses that most affect us at HFA. Two of the licenses are for social workers:
LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker)
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
Three of the licenses are for a group that the law refers to as mental health practitioners:
LCAT (Licensed Creative Arts Therapist)
LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor)
LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist)

We have had two informational meetings about the licensing. We held one in Rochester (videoconferenced to Warsaw) on Feb 1 which was attended by 30 staff, and held another a week later at the Finger Lakes Campus which was attended by 13 staff. During those sessions, staff with licenses provided helpful information to those who are preparing for licensure.

We have collected information on what licenses staff currently have, and what licenses staff plan to get. Here’s what our current numbers reflect:
LMSW—30 have this license, 12 plan to get it
LCSW—34 have this license, 6 plan to get it
LCAT—5 have this license, 6 plan to get it
LMHC—7 have this license, 12 plan to get it
LMFT—2 have this license, 2 plan to get it
Heather Wester will do a series of preparation classes on Thursdays during March and April for staff taking the LMSW, LCSW and LMHC exams.

At one of the meetings there was a suggestion that we create something on our website that would allow staff to share information with each other about licensing issues. We invite staff to use this Blog to share their experiences, pose questions and express concerns. We hope this will be a useful vehicle for information exchange.

Dear colleagues-
It’s the New Year and as trite as it may sound it is a time for reflection and re-evaluation of what matters. I have to tell you as the holidays put a different pace in my step with the personal demands, I was actually happy for them to draw to a close. It does make me pause to think of what really “matters” in how I spend my time. I’ll share that one afternoon last week I was feeling my sometimes too frequent pull of needing to be in two places at once- attending to some funder relationships, details of services, and not well caught up emails. I put it aside and went to an activity with some of our resident young males. It was the perfect choice. Getting a little time with kids helps me stay grounded- and also feel I can extend myself to support staff and acknowledge your tireless efforts to remain positive and teach our youth.

So- my thought for us is to take stock of how we best use ourselves, our skills and special talents and interests. I’m wondering from those of you who take the time to read these blogs if you’d be willing to share how your personal passions could best be used in the workplace. I think it’s when these two things align that we are at our best.

Take care- and Happy New Year!
karen

Someone used the phrase “coming from on high” today. Sure wish I could delete the feeling that comes along with hearing those words. I’m know it wasn’t directed at me but I bet it feels that way to many folks because as part of my responsibilities, I write or edit a lot of policies and procedures, always with a lot of help from other people who know more about what’s going on than I do! However, “on high” just doesn’t refer to me or anyone else in a leadership position. Often it’s a funder or regulator or maybe just someone else who we feel has “more” of something: authority, clout, power, or just plain assertiveness. It’s a term that feels helpless, even hopeless to do anything but “just do it” with distain. Sometimes that’s what is needed, but when those words are changed to “Why is this necessary?” Empowerment occurs, understanding occurs and yes, we might just have to do it, but we’d all feel so much better about it.

So tell me…where’s “on high” for you?