Page 8 - Stuart Exposure - March '21

Page 8, Stuart Exposure

Good Works from page 6

Some of the most startling findings involve employee well- their supervisors and benefits and, while largely dissatisfied with CCKids Is Top Of The Class
being – or lack thereof. All measures of physical and emotional their salaries, did not generally leave due to pay.
well-being – such as psychological distress and sleep disturbances The study was commissioned in 2014 by the Florida It’s hard to get excited about words like, “eligibility”
– worsened over the first 12 months of employment and never Legislature in an attempt to better understand the reasons that and “candidacy.” They are bits of jargon from the world
returned to baseline levels. Likewise, participants indicating drive case managers and child protective investigators to leave of child welfare. But it’s important to talk about them,
excellent or very good mental health worsened steadily over the their agencies and to prevent turnover. because they translate into things that matter: things like
course of the study, starting at 72.5 percent and decreasing to 46.5 “High staff turnover directly impacts the stability of children stability for vulnerable children and better, more successful
percent midway through the study. Some of the study’s more in care by impeding timely access to services and interfering programs that help people.
positive findings reveal that workers are satisfied overall with with permanency,” said Christina Kaiser, community relations As of this month, Communities Connected for Kids has
director for CCKids. “And while we’ve known for a long time met the statewide goal of licensing 40 percent of children
that the social work profession comes with a high turnover rate, placed with relatives and non-relatives. That’s called
club neWS this study gives us a very in-depth understanding of why – what candidacy, a push to license non-foster-parent caregivers
in order to draw down federal funds. This is essential in
are the triggers that lead people away, and what can we do to
overcome them?” Florida and throughout the nation because of new federal
At Communities Connected for Kids, that means reviewing
Tracing Ancestors Through recommendations every time the study released findings from laws that significantly impact the way states pay for child
and family services.
Candidacy translates into a couple of very important
Old Photos With The Martin a new wave and implementing changes on the local level. things. First, it means that more relatives can receive the

CCKids Director of Organizational Development and
County Genealogical Society Learning Nicky Smith said those changes include ensuring that types of services that have been available to licensed
what is taught in preservice training is an accurate reflection of
foster parents for years – services that build emotional and
It’s said a picture is real-world experiences. “Our CCKids training specialists are financial support and create greater stability for children.
worth a thousand words, in the field to provide mentoring and coaching support, and to And second, it means that Communities Connected for
and the Martin County ensure consistency between the information provided in the Kids is now eligible for more federal funding.
Genealogical Society’s classroom and field practice,” Smith said. “We have also added In fact, nearly 80 percent of all CCKids cases now are
(MCGS) March webinar information on self-care to the curriculum, and enhanced the eligible for federal dollars, freeing up limited state funds
speaker, Maureen Taylor, system of care training.” and creating opportunities for more and better services
will present how to find Other changes include a new field-day form that will in our community – and ranking CCKids among the top
genealogy clues in vintage provide more structure to field experiences for trainees and performers in the state.
family photos. Known reviewing the onboarding process to ensure trainees have the This is especially important this year, when the impact
as “the photo detective,” information necessary to ensure success working as a child of COVID-19 will make tax-generated state funds less
Taylor focuses on helping welfare professional. available.
people discover their Case management has also implemented an early hiring It’s one more example of how the Community Based
family history – and process so trainees have some field experience prior to starting Care model is working in Okeechobee and the Treasure
ancestors’ stories – one class and a retention committee that makes recommendations Coast and how the people behind that model are working
picture at a time. Using Maureen Taylor to support retention of staff, Smith said. hard to ensure the safety, permanency and well-being of
photos from MCGS Implementing change was particularly tricky this past year local children and families.
members as examples, she will share the tools needed to when all aspects of social work, including training and the To learn more about CCKids call Christina Kaiser
analyze photos to identify ancestors and family connections. onboarding of new employees, has been impacted by COVID-19. at (772) 528-0362. To read about other successes in our
Taylor also will discuss related topics including tips for Frontline workers engage with clients facing increased financial community of care visit http://www.cckids.net/ and click
beginning photo detectives and how to organize and stress, social isolation, mental health issues and substance on the 2020 Annual Report.
preserve photos. misuse. And, in a lateral study done during the spring of 2020,
The free webinar will be from 2 to 3 p.m., Friday, March social work professionals reported personal and professional
19. To participate go to mcgsfl.org and register by March 17. impacts from the pandemic.
Maureen Taylor is an internationally recognized expert
on historic photograph identification, photo preservation
and family history research. Her pioneering work in historic
photo research is unprecedented, evidenced by her success
solving photo mysteries. The author of several books, Aligned
scholarly articles and online columns, Taylor has been with
featured in numerous publications – including The Boston
Globe, The New York Times and Better Homes & Gardens –
and she was dubbed “the nation’s foremost historical photo Home • Auto • Boat • RV • Life
detective” by the Wall Street Journal. She also appeared on
The View and The Today Show where she was recognized Flood • Business • Commercial
for completing Meredith Viera’s family tree.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, MCGS will continue
meeting via webinar until further notice. Future monthly Mary-Beth Zipsir
topics, presented by local and national experts, include Agent in Charge
family tree surprises and archival research.
In addition to its free monthly webinars, MCGS offers O: (772) 233-4444
a variety of services at the Genealogy Room in the Blake www.smartchoicepartnersfl.com
Library in Stuart including an extensive research library
and access to several genealogy websites. Adherence to the
library’s COVID-19 protocols is required for those who wish It's our policy that you know yours
to use the Genealogy Room. For more information about
MCGS membership, activities and services go to mcgsfl.org
or call MCGS President Lisa Tompson, (772) 888-2422.