LaSalle School, like many other youth and family serving organizations, relies heavily on our sense of community and belonging to tie our workforce the mission and one another. While we were “essential” and never missed day of service to kids throughout the pandemic, our workforce lost over two years of opportunities to gather and celebrate being what it means to be Lasallian. This workshop will outline LaSalle’s ongoing journey to recover that sense connectedness by listening to staff and turning focus group feedback to action in hopes of helping staff to feel more connected to one another and better about the important work we do.

Bonnie Brae, with a continuum of residential treatment, education and community-based services, bases our work on developing relationships, milieu experiences and engaging the entire community in small and large gatherings to foster these connections. This culture creates opportunities for youth and families to share their voice while healing and presents staff with opportunities to learn, grow and engage deeply on the work. While the past few years have disrupted in-person work at times we have learned new ways to connect and are currently returning to gathering with a renewed sense of value of this culture. This workshop will reflect on this this journey by highlighting challenges, responses and lessons learned with input from staff members, youth and their families.

Presenters: David Wallace, Executive Director, LaSalle School & Paul Rieger, CEO, Bonnie Brae

The Great Resignation? How about the Great Reimagination?! In the midst of the Great Resignation, leaders were given a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine how they engaged their people, empowered them, and redefined what their success meant. Leaders were challenged to innovate and create new wellness strategies to maximize the strengths and capabilities of their teams, while navigating some of the biggest challenges of our times. Learn how MCHS Family of Services reimagined its talent retention and recruitment strategies that improved outcomes, reduced turnover, and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Presenters: Kevin Roach, CEO, MCHS Family of Services & Paul Rieger, CEO, Bonnie Brae

Workplace health is tied to reduced turnover, increased productivity, and ultimately client outcomes. In the post-pandemic “Great Resignation” environment, the burden to build resilience and avoid burnout is placed on the already overwhelmed and overworked employee. Just as the proverbial canary cannot be responsible for fixing the toxic elements of the coal mine, employees cannot fix organizational obstacles to workplace happiness. Supervisors, who often are overburdened by staff vacancies, are dancing as fast as they can in remote and hybrid environments where it is increasingly difficult to assess employee needs or even their own needs. This workshop provides tangible solutions for organizational champions who want to impact the current workforce crisis in human services and promote a culture of true wellness, resilience, and psychological safety.

Presenter: Gwen Koenig, COO, Sigbee

COVID has changed the landscape of residential care, and its effects will be ongoing. Not only did COVID challenge the day to day practices and procedures in residential care, it boldly highlighted the need for a greater focus on staff emotional and mental wellness. This presentation will share one agency’s journey toward developing a culture of wellness during and after the pandemic. (Sycamores)

The nature of our work often enables those with hearts of gold to provide meaningful care to many of the most vulnerable people in society. In a sector consumed by complex needs and resource limitations, unfortunately- having a heart of gold is not always enough! Workforce wellness is a critical factor that enables outcomes to be met and those we care for to feel supported. However- without the care-ers being cared about- a downward spiral often leads to burnout, compassion fatigue, high turnover rates, poor organizational culture and lack of enhanced outcomes for the individual, staff and organization. The journey of workforce wellness and support is an ever-growing need and an area for constant reflection, review, enhancement and shared learnings. Allambi Care believe in developing an organization that is supportive, open to feedback and improvement and is essentially a ‘living & learning organization’. Allambi Care will share learnings and tangible supports and strategies used to support staff wellness post covid and beyond including staff supports, career pathways and organisational structures supporting well-being.

Presenters: Daisy Delgado, Director of Residential, Sycamores & Ben Jones, Learning & Development Manager, Allambi Care