HSE 7-2
7-2 FINAL PROJECT 9
7-2 Final Project Submission: Agency Exploration
AUTHOR’S NAME REMOVED
HSE 101
Southern New Hampshire University
Running Head: 7-2 FINAL PROJECT 1
Human Services Profession
The agency I have selected is Upstate Cerebral Palsy in New York. I have chosen this particular agency because it provides services that I am passionate about. I also chose this agency because I am currently employed there, have held multiple positions, and I am inspired by the services they provide and the clients they support. This agency is directly connected to my future goals and was a driving force in my decision to earn a Human Services degree. I have considered being employed by Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency as an Assistant Teacher. My son is enrolled in their Head Start program and I am very pleased with the services they provide to him and our family. I enjoy working with children, families, and their communities but I chose not to pursue this agency further because I feel I am most successful working specifically with individuals with developmental disabilities.
I would like to continue my employment in this agency because when I am helping this population I have a strong sense of fulfillment and joy. I believe it is very important to love what you do. I make a difference in clients’ lives every day that I go to work, and for me there is nothing better than that. There is also a lot of potential for growth within this agency. I have held three different positions since being hired and am in the process of advancing to another. This agency is very supportive of their employees, offering low-cost health insurance, retirement packages, and life and accident insurance policies.
Agency Description
Upstate Cerebral Palsy offers services to people of all ages with developmental disabilities and their families. This includes early childhood intervention therapy, school-age education, and adult day habilitation programs directly within the agency. Residential placement for both children and adults is offered, along with respite services for those that live at home. Recreation, art, music, and therapy programs are provided to clients. Another service provided assists adults in finding and retaining employment. Community inclusion activities are offered to help promote socialization for clients. The agency also provides assistive technology and adaptive equipment to their clients, including wheelchairs, tablets and other devices for communication, and altered silverware to assist them in eating independently.
A wide range of professionals are employed within the Upstate Cerebral Palsy agency. This includes nursing staff, managers, coordinators, administration, and secretarial positions. Direct Support Professionals that assist clients with daily living in residential services as well as in their homes are employed. School-based positions including teachers and aides are hired in the education department. This includes art, music, and physical education teachers. Behavior Specialists and Behavior Specialist Assistants also work here to assess and provide individualized plans to teach positive coping skills to clients. The agency also employs speech, physical, and occupational therapists to assist clients in reaching their full potential. This is also a great agency for those who have no experience in this field because many of the workplace environments are conducive to mentoring and on-site training.
History and Current Trends
Upstate Cerebral Palsy was originally located in a school in Utica, New York. The agency was established by local community leaders Eiddon L. Jones, Maurice Sheehan and Harry Gosling in 1950. The men all had family members that were diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and they wanted to provide programs and services to children that were diagnosed with developmental disabilities. No such services existed at the time. The agency has evolved greatly over time. In the beginning, there was one clinic that consisted of five staff providing services to seven children. In 1974, in combination with expanding service delivery, the NYS Department of Health licensed UCP as a treatment and diagnostic center (UCP website, n.d.). Today, Upstate Cerebral Palsy includes over 80 locations and over 2,000 employees, and continues to provide support to individuals with differing abilities in the form of programs and services (UCP website, n.d.). The mission of the agency is "At Upstate Cerebral Palsy, we provide innovative programs and services that support people and create opportunities to fulfill life choices...one person at a time, through everyday miracles” (UCP website, n.d.).
The history of the human services field is similar to that of this agency because both recognized the importance of helping those in need. According to Woodside and McClam, “The first almshouse was built in Massachusetts in 1662 for dependents such as people with mental illness, the elderly, children, the able-bodied poor, those with physical disabilities, and criminals (2015). The history of Upstate Cerebral Palsy, however, shows that it was designed to provide services specifically for individuals with developmental disabilities. Current trends will create new challenges in service delivery for this agency, including economic downturns and vast diversity of individuals (Woodside & McClam, 2015). According to the text, the shift in economy can negatively effect the workforce by lowering compensation and decreasing benefits (Woodside & McClam, 2015). For this agency, diversity can include age, color, disabilities, gender, national origin, race, religion, and sexual orientation. Professionals will need to be able to learn skills that enable them to provide services to all individuals. There are consistent trends between this agency and the human services field, including the use of use of advocacy as a helping skill and ensuring clients remain active participants in their services (Woodside & McClam, 2015). These trends are similar to those in the history of human services.
Theories, Values, and Ethics
Having a code of ethics for human service professionals is important. In combination with ethical decision making, the code provides a guide for professionals regarding their responsibility to clients, to their agency, and to society as a whole (Woodside & McClam, 2015). In this agency, the code of ethics would greatly impact my provision of services by setting standards which I must adhere to throughout employment. For me, it will be easy to implement sections of the code that relate to the treatment of clients. The code of ethics states “Human service professionals respect the integrity and welfare of the client at all times. Each client is treated with respect, acceptance, and dignity (Woodside & McClam, 2015). I strive every day to treat others how I would like to be treated and approach situations without bias. I believe I will have the most struggles implementing standards that involve situations with unethical colleagues. For example, the Human Services Code of Ethics states “….respond appropriately to unethical behavior of colleagues. Usually this means initially talking directly with the colleague and, if no resolution is forthcoming, reporting the colleague’s behavior to administrative staff…” (Woodside & McClam, 2015). I personally do not like conflict in the workplace and would prefer to go directly to my supervisor. I am aware that these types of situations happen in the human services profession and am working to improve my communication skills between myself and my co-workers during those times.
The theory I chose to explore that human service professional’s use within Upstate Cerebral Palsy is the Developmental Theory. According to the text, "The developmental theory approaches problems from the life-span perspective and defines them in terms of life crises or tasks that occur during a lifetime" (Woodside, 2015). Within this theory, experts believe that human development is an on-going process and there are stages and phases that happen from the point of conception to the time of death. The way that an individual handles these stages and crises varies greatly based on their traits, characteristics, personalities, and childhood experiences. (Woodside & McClam, 2015). This theory can be very helpful for human service professionals because it gives them an understanding of the processes and stages that people usually experience in their lifetimes, and can also be used to differentiate between "normal" and "abnormal" issues (Woodside & McClam, 2015). Clients in this agency are tasked with daily goals and activities to foster independence. However, due to things like inexperience, low self-esteem, and lack of positive praise in past environments, they often have a difficult time engaging in these tasks. Human service professionals at UCP utilize this theory to find tasks that are relevant to the clients' interests and incorporate methods that encourage them to complete their goals. When teaching money goals, for example, clients are often brought into the community to make a purchase of their choosing and are encouraged to participate in the tendering process. This proves to be effective in both teaching life skills and reinforcing client’s capabilities.
Role in the Helping Process
The role of Residential Manager at Upstate Cerebral Palsy is utilized in many stages of the helping process. Employees in this role need to be able to take notes, either mentally or in writing, to complete documentation at the end of their shifts. This falls into the 'preparation stage.' According to the text, "....the helper establishes a tone of cooperation and collaboration to establish a foundation for rapport and trust between client and helper. This occurs when the client believes that the helper understands his or her world" (Woodside & McClam, 2015). This is part of the 'initial arrival' stage, and is very important when working with individuals with developmental disabilities. Residential managers need to know their individuals and develop trust in order to successfully work with them on a daily basis. This proves to be useful especially in the instances of new staff that have not had the time to build the relationships. The implementation of the 'intervention strategies' stage is also used in many responsibilities of this role. When residential managers meet with the treatment teams and families of individuals, desired goals and skills are discussed. It is then the manager's responsibility to ensure that the goals are worked on and completed (UCP website, n.d.). This role utilizes the ‘termination stage’ as well. There are instances where individuals age out of residential facilities, are able to live more independently, or are in need of different treatment and services than what are offered at this agency. In those instances, it would be the residential manager's responsibility to begin the referral process and bring necessary information to treatment team meetings.
Career Opportunities
I am currently employed at Upstate Cerebral Palsy as a Direct Support Professional/Residential Counselor. I am interested in pursuing a position as a Residential Manager. Qualifications required to apply for this position include having at least an Associates Degree in human services or a related field, although a Bachelors Degree is preferred, as well as 15 credit hours completed within the field. (UCP website, n.d.). Other requirements include a minimum of one year experience, valid driving license, knowledge of basic computer programs, fingerprint clearance, and the ability to make independent decisions (UCP website, n.d.). As an employee of this agency for four years, I possess all of the listed qualifications except for a degree.
Summary of Learning
In this course, I studied the six aspects that form human services, including interdisciplinary nature, the helping relationship, management principles, professional roles, and professional activities (Woodside & McClam, 2015). An area that stuck out to me was the management perspective, which is composed of networking, forming teams and partnerships, and using case management (Woodside & McClam). All of these will help me to effectively manage my work environment and provide assistance to clients. Human services is a complex web of helping agencies and organizations that have the primary goal of helping people in need (Woodside & McClam, 2015). Throughout this course, I have gained a better understanding of the organizations my agency works with and how they work together. As a residential manager and human service professional, I will be using a vast network of human services to provide the best care for my clients, including mental health services, education, and employment assistance. According to Woodside & McClam, “Providing clients with opportunity and supports to be self-sufficient is key to successful service delivery” (2015). As a Direct Support Professional, I encourage independence with my clients in everyday tasks. As a Residential Manager, I will train new staff to do the same. Participating in this course has also provided me with the Human Services Code of Ethics. I was able to explore its in-depth components, along with ethical decision making, and am now able to effectively apply both to my profession.
7-2 FINAL PROJECT 8
References
Upstate Cerebral Palsy website. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://recruiting.ultipro.com/UNI1017UCPGU/JobBoard/0920ff2f-86b9 -48b7-8930-03e668c278e1/?q=&o=postedDateDesc
Woodside, M. & McClam. (2015). An Introduction to the Human Services, 8th Edition. [MBS Direct]. Retrieved from https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/#/books/undefined/