Donna Brooks
Task 8 Findings
11/17/18
HMSV 440
FINDINGS
Results
What I obtained from interviews and observations was that there are many needs within the agency. One of the many needs is staffing. They need staff at night to provide a safe haven for the residents within the shelter. Another need, which answered one of my research questions, is a need to get out more resources. The outreach program director goes to different college events to get out more information about the agency.
They are also looking to hire an out reach director in hopes of solely focusing the attention on this topic. The current individual involved with this position is multitasking, so to hire someone for this position alone would be very helpful. They have things at different colleges, for example, they recently had a open mic night to spread awareness of the agencies mission and to get the resources out to as many people as possible. Also they are doing small things like changing the logo of the company.
They also want to start gathering information for volunteers, like myself. They want volunteers to have information on what and how to communicate with the individuals that they come in contact with. Another method that I used to obtain results about this volunteer topic was research. I was asked to do research on how a volunteer should communicate with clients within an agency. I found that volunteers should empathize and understand the situation (Kay, 2014). There are many ways people can find out about this agency. Most of the clients that call their and obtain a room to live in for the time being find out through the website or they find out through a family member. They also find out about it through their hospital visits from hospital staff or looking up shelters.
Conclusion
I came to the conclusion that there are many sources of funding for this agency. Although they get funding for the agency the monetary help has to go to keeping the shelter running. This is why they receive so many other donations. There is a lot to do in order to keep this agency afloat. The staff is stretched thin, yet they continually give themselves to keep this shelter going for victims of domestic/sexual abuse. I can also conclude from my findings that they are making every possible effort to get resources out to the community and make individuals aware of the agency and its mission.
Persons who experience domestic violence and sexual assault, can come to this agency and a safe haven is provided for each one of them. In my assessment of needs, I concluded that each individuals has their personal, mental and physical needs met on a daily basis. They not only gain resources within the agency but they gain a lot of resources from within the community as well. Resources from counselors, churches, and other agencies. I also concluded that the needs within the agency are staff related. They do need more staff and this involves them hiring skilled and experienced individuals who are right for the position.
Implications
My findings can have a positive impact on the program. Despite being understaffed, the staff within the agency works very hard to provide the best services possible for their clients. They are actually hiring for a few positions and asked if I knew of anyone and if I did not mind, to get the word out. I think knowing about the program and its resources, and being within the agency and knowing its needs can impact the program positively, by me spreading the word within my own community about the agency.
I think my findings can impact the service in a positive way they have advertisement online about different job positions. I think so many people already knowing about the agency will get the ball rolling all on its own. Spreading public awareness will let individuals know that they are not alone in this and there is help available to them. I think the only negative influence is the fear of being understaffed. It really is not a big issue because if they are understaffed then they have more money going towards the shelter. They need to hire just enough staff so this won’t be an issue.
Recommendations
I recommend that the agency hire for the outreach position. Having someone focused solely on this position will ensure that resources will get out to the community. They will have knowledge of all of the things that will help others, things like how to find jobs, shelter, food, etc. They will also have knowledge that will help future clients within the community. While they focus on helping others outside of the shelter the current staff can focus on needs within the shelter.
I also recommend that they advertise the agency more in order to get more help and funding from individuals within the community. If they advertise more they may end up getting more funding and services from different organizations. The organizations that help them now are of a great help, but it would not hurt for them to get even more funding and services. These recommendations will lead to them running their agency more effectively.
Goals and Objectives
- The agency needs to hire for the out reach positions.
- Advertise job position on human services websites or other different job sites.
- Run an advertisement in newspapers within the community.
- The agency should advertise their services to get more funding from community.
- More advertisement of the agency and its services within the community.
- Reaching out to different organizations within the community.
How Research Articles Support Findings
The articles that I researched have a strong connection with my findings. The articles relate to the mission of the agency and why the clients seek help from the agency. It also relates to why they do outreach work and why they need funding to keep the shelter going. In the systematic review “should health professionals screen women for domestic violence?” they believe that domestic violence is a public health issue. They talk about the short and long term issues of being a victim of domestic violence (Ramsey, 2002). With outreach work, they speak of some of these same issues and make victims more aware of the dangers that they are in.
In the article “Assessing attitudes and reincarceration outcomes Associated with In-prison domestic violence treatment program completion” they are evaluating how effective the prison program is and they are assessing whether or not it is changing attitudes towards domestic violence (Mennicke & Tripodi, 2015). I believe outreach does some of these same things. With the programs they provide in and out of the shelter, they are changing attitudes towards domestic violence and encouraging more people to speak out on the issue. It is important to have the funding and outreach work to get out and speak about these issues.
The article on “Improving Care for Victims” focuses on a center for victims of sexual abuse in the Netherlands. The center focuses on goals, membership, structure, leadership, collaboration, coordination and protocol (Zijlstra, 2016). I think Madeline’s House does the same things. Their whole outreach operation focuses on these same goals, and their funding is what allows for them to keep focusing on such important goals. The other articles also focus on the mission of Madeline’s House and what their focus is. My findings relate to these articles in that the topics being discussed about health, family, and victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, have a safe haven with agencies such as this. This safe haven provides many programs and the funding helps provide these programs. The out reach work provides the resources needed for individuals to learn to cope with their situation.
REFERENCES
Kay, M. (2014, August 14). 5 reasons to volunteer at a domestic violence shelter. Retrieved from 3BLmedia.com: 3BLmedia.com
Mennicke, A. M., & Tripodi, S. J. (2015). Assessing attitudes and reincarceration outcomes Associated with In-prison Domestic Violence treatment program completion. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 465-485.
Ramsey, J. (2002). should health professionals screen women for domestic violence? systematic review. thebmj.com, 32;314.
Zijlstra, E. (2016). Improving Care for Victims: a study protocol of the evaluation of a centre for sexual and family violence. BMJ Open.
House, M. (2018, September 15). Madeline’s House. Retrieved from Madelineshouse.org: