While the Family Directed Services and Self-Directed Services programs in Idaho have been tremendously helpful to participants and families seeking high quality services, they have thrown many individuals into a managerial role without much training or previous experience.
I was fortunate to have multiple certifications in Human Resource Management, a decade of corporate recruiting experience and a few years of supervisory experience prior to my son starting in the FDS program. Even with this background, I had to learn some lessons the hard way. I’m sharing some of these lessons here, with the hope it will help you avoid potential pitfalls in this unique employment arrangement.
Be Selective
Your CSW will be responsible for keeping you or your loved one safe in certain situations. They will potentially have access to your home, vehicles, pets, other family members and private information. Their attention to detail, diligence or behavior in an emergency situation could make a difference in you or your loved one’s health and safety. In addition, there are predators who target vulnerable individuals. For all of these reasons and more, it’s essential that you are selective about who you hire as a CSW.
It’s a good idea to require a resume as part of your application process. A resume is documentation of the experience and skills the person is claiming to have. If the information they share in the interview doesn’t match up with their resume, this is an good indicator of deception.
It’s a good idea to interview the person more than once. If the information provided across the resume and multiple interviews aligns, it is more likely the person is being honest. This also gives you the opportunity to evaluate their candidacy in different scenarios.
Personally, I conduct a 30-minute phone interview with qualified candidates first, then invite the finalists to come to our home and to meet us in-person. It’s always interesting to see how behaviors and answers shift or remain the same across these steps.
After the interview, compare how the person’s answers matched up with their actions. For example, if they claimed to be in this field because they love working with individuals with unique needs but were more interested in learning about the pay/schedule than the participant, this is likely a case of someone telling you what they think you want to hear.
Always conduct a background check and consider checking professional references. Every year there are countless cases of crimes against vulnerable individuals. While financial exploitation is the most common crime against vulnerable individuals, there are also regular instances of emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, kidnapping and more. It’s critical that you check each potential CSW’s criminal history BEFORE hiring them.
A few resources/links you may find helpful in this effort:
Potential CSW Interview Questions
Idaho DHW Criminal History Unit
Checkster Online Reference Checks
Be Clear About Expectations
You may have certain ways you like things done, expectations about how items in yours space are handled or a unique parenting approach that you practice. Your CSW won’t know any of this unless you tell them.
I suggest starting this process at the point of posting the job. Your job ad should share any important details about your environment, necessary qualifications and how the CSW role operates (FEA involvement, support goals, etc.) You can also convey these details in the first interview.
Once you’ve selected an individual, it’s important to have an orientation process. Some families write up a document that they share with new CSWs, others talk through important items and some even develop an entire training manual to share. Whatever your method, the point is to set your new CSW up for success. This is also when you will want to go through the SSP and backup plans with a new employee.
Be Empathetic
Many CSW roles involve stressful situations, high levels of responsibility, physical demands and more. I find it important as an employer to recognize that this job is tough. I not only allow, but encourage my CSWs to vent their frustrations (when the participant isn’t around). Often times, validation is all that is needed to move forward from a troubling moment. You want your employee in a good headspace while they are engaging with your child.
While some folks won’t be impacted by an act of aggression, others will be. I let my CSWs know that I won’t ever hold it against them if they need to take a moment to regulate themselves. I am quick to step in and help if I can see they are flustered or upset.
Nearly half of employees surveyed by Udemy said they quit their last job because of the boss (not the work, pay or benefits). While you may not be able to improve the pay, provide benefits or control how the participant behaves, you CAN control how you manage your CSWs.
Be Approachable
Your employees shouldn’t fear asking for time off, making a suggestion, requesting help or sharing a concern. If you create a toxic environment, you WILL lose good employees. Consider your facial expressions, tone of voice and how realistic your expectations may or may not be. While a request for time off may bring a host of challenges for you, it’s completely normal for an employee to need to take some time off from work for appointments, parenting duties and overall wellness. Meet your CSW’s requests and ideas with kindness and a solution-focused mindset.
Be an Advocate
Department pay rates and expectations have historically not aligned well with labor market trends. Correcting these issues requires advocacy and this primarily has had to come from participants (not CSWs). Be prepared to speak to your legislators, DHW leadership and program administrators about your concerns. Participate in Department meetings and surveys. It will take all of our voices to drive change.
Be Prepared to End the Relationship
The average tenure for CSWs is around 6 to 12 months. It’s easy to burnout in this field if you aren’t maintaining good self-care, taking breaks (time off) and growing your skills. While it may be difficult to accept, your CSWs likely won’t stay with you for more than a year or two.
You can choose to be supportive of their future departure or resentful of it. I choose the former because:
1) it enables a relationship of mutual trust and respect,
2) it’s fun to help folks achieve their dreams, and
3) your reputation with past employees impacts future hiring.
Nearly all the CSWs that I’ve hired have given me at least 2 months notice before leaving because they know that I will be supportive of their plans. (It’s also because they care about our family and are awesome humans.) When it’s safe to give notice, employees are more likely to do so.
There may also be an instance where you need to terminate an employee for cause. Not everyone who enters this field should. I’ve heard stories of theft, dishonesty and even participant abuse. It’s a good idea to determine your deal breakers before hiring anyone. Once you have defined your boundaries, it’s a good idea to incorporate them into your CSW orientation process.