Description: This resource from Rose Brooks Center (the largest domestic violence agency in Missouri, USA) is a sample of key practices in 10 areas used to "engage staff, build strength, collective resilience, and at the same time improve services for survivors" (pg. 1).
The headings for the key practices are as follows:
1- Hiring process
Organised and thoughtful hiring process
Staff onboarding and new hire training
2- Staff/employee performance evaluation
3- Support to address trauma exposure (secondary trauma)
Staff wellness
Organisational response to vicarious trauma
Flexibility/work-life balance
4- Compensation
Salary
Leave time
Benefits
5- Staff development
Meaningful and challenging development plans
Training
6- Leadership strategies
Integrate staff retention into agency policy, formal practices, and resource development
Staff involvement and feedback to inform staff retention strategies
Leadership conducts annual evaluation of factors impacting staff retention, quality of services, and sustained agency operations
7- Workplace environment and culture
Space
Employee feedback/input
8- Communication
Management transparency
9- Organisation staff meetings
10- Clear mission and values
Sense of purpose in the workplace
What's the evidence base for this resource: This resource is a sample of Rose Brooks Center's policies and procedures, and does not provide any evidence itself. However, the agency is recognised by accrediting bodies as adhering to best practice standards and has won awards for its services.
Potential uses and limitations: This resource is a useful high-level map of organisational strategies to enhance employee support/engagement and address vicarious trauma. It does not provide detailed guidance for any particular issue, but may serve as inspiration or generate ideas on organisational and workplace strategies.
Where it comes from: This resource was presented as a handout within the webinar 'Strategies to Enhance Employee Resilience and Engagement within Survivor-Serving Organizations' hosted by Futures Without Violence in May 2020. Rose Brooks Center's Chief Operating Officer was one of three presenters in the webinar.
Rose Brooks Center is the largest domestic violence agency in the American state of Missouri. The agency has 100 employees and reaches approximately 15,000 individuals annually.
Description: The Barring Djinang Aboriginal Cultural Capability toolkit supports
public sector workplaces to build their capability to attract, recruit,
retain, support and develop Aboriginal staff at all levels.
Potential uses and limitation: Its aim is to strengthen the cultural capability of managers and staff, as well as the cultural safety of public sector workplaces for Aboriginal employees.
Where it comes from: VPSC (Victorian Public Sector Commission)
Description: Presentation of a PhD study (slides and notes in pdf format) into the relationships between Job Demands (e.g. workload), Job Satisfaction, Job Control, Organisational and External Support (e.g. effective supervision, family networks), and Burnout.
The research was via a survey with 167 Forensic Interviewers whose role is to interview children that have made disclosures of abuse.
See p39 of the document for the summary.
Key points:
Burnout and Job-Satisfaction can co-exist, however higher levels of Job Satisfaction predict lower Burnout.
The higher level of Job Control, the higher the level of Job Satisfaction.
The more support (both external and organisational), the less Burnout is reported.
What's the evidence base for this resource: The study was accepted for a PhD dissertation through West Chester University, Graduate Social Work Dept.
Potential uses and limitation: Specific focus on forensic interviewers in North Eastern States of USA. While the findings are useful, the study is not intended to prescribe detailed interventions that can be implemented.
Where it comes from: PhD Candidate, Christina M. Chiarelli-Helminiak. West Chester University, Graduate Social Work Dept.
Description: What does it mean, and what does it cost, to make a complaint? This question is at the heart of Sara Ahmed’s research into institutional power and forms the basis of this lecture. Ahmed has embarked on a new research project, outside institutional academia, that was sparked by the bruising experience of trying to improve the university’s complaints process. Her new study, drawing on oral and written testimony from dozens of complainants, has much to teach us about the structures and mechanisms of institutional power. It’s a timely topic during this moment of reinvigorated feminism and reports of systemic harassment on Australian university campuses.
CONTENT WARNING: Some of the case studies involve descriptions of sexual harrasment and sexual assault.
What's the evidence base for this resource: In 2016 the acclaimed British-Australian academic resigned from her prestigious post as Professor of Race and Cultural Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her resignation was in protest against the university’s failure to address the problem of sexual harassment. This lecture presents findings from her subsequent ongoing research with people who have made complaints in University settings.
Potential uses and limitation: While Ahmed's research focussed on Universities, the themes are relevant to any large institutions that involve hierarchical structures and power imbalances between staff members. It raises crucial questions about the limitations and pitfalls of institutional complaint mechanisms, and how the person raising the complaint is often let down or, worse, targetted for further mistreatment.
Where it comes from: Lecture presented at the Wheeler Centre, Melbourne 2018.
Description
Written for women working in anti-violence fields (e.g. domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault). Uses a strong gender lens and the specific challenges for women workers in these fields.
What's the evidence base for this resource
Based on the author's 8 months of consultations with expert workers in the sector, the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Family Violence. The author was contracted by the Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children in London, Ontario, The University of Western Ontario, to produce this report for the Family Violence Prevention Unit, Health Canada.
Potential uses and limitations
The resource is intended for women workers in anti-violence work. Some of the content is also quite specific to the Canadian context. Also note that the publication date is 2001.
Covers topics ranging from individual self-care practices, to organisational strategies. The uniquely feminist perspective, with an emphasis on gender and social justice, sets this apart from many other trauma related resources. The section on organisational strategies includes sections on:
Feminist Philosophy
Social Justice
Organizational Structure
Staffing
Human Resources Policies and Practices
Training
Administrative and Support Staff
Hiring
Orientation and Training
Personal Relationships of Staff
Supervision
Retreats and Celebrations
Exiting Gracefully
Where it comes from
Published by National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, Canada. Some of the content does apply specifically to the Canadian context.
Description: A collection of Resources to challenge Gender-Based Violence in the workplace.
Includes information sheets, videos, industrial resources and training resources that can be used in your workplace.
https://saferespectfulworkplaces.com/
What's the evidence base for this resource: Based on the experience of union organisers who have fought for action and change on gender based violence in Australian workplaces. The training resources are developed by union trainers, who are continually revising the material based on feedback from workers in training sessions and current best practice.
Potential uses and limitations: Useful where gender based violence has been identified as a problem in a workplace. Can be used to initiate discussions, deliver training, or organise for industrial change (for example, having gender based violence recognised in workplace agreements). Union delegates and HSRs may find these resources particularly useful.
Where it comes from: Victorian Trades Hall.
Description: Self-assessment tool for work health and safety risk management during organisational change
What's the evidence base for this resource: The evidence base is not explained. The resource is designed to assist employers and managers fulfill their obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act) to ensure the health and safety of their workers.
Potential uses and limitation: This tool is a guided self-assessment to identify key risks and corrective actions to minimise the risks of change. The focus is on Consultation, Prevention, Early intervention, Recovery and Return to Work, and Leadership. It is intended for use by managers and leaders- those with responsibility for managing and monitoring organisational change processes.
It includes a short survey to test employer/manager perceptions vs worker perceptions about organisational change management.
Not directed specifically at Vicarious Trauma, however clear communication from leadership around organisational change is a factor explored in the VT-ORG.
Where it comes from: Comcare Australia
Description: This self-assessment tool has been designed to provide you with a checklist to assess your performance and plan of systems and processes required to ensure the health and safety of workers undergoing Machinery of Government (MoG) changes.
What's the evidence base for this resource: The self-assessment tool is deisgned to assist employers act in accordance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act) (Commonwealth legistlation). There is no other explanation of the evidence informing the tool.
Potential uses and limitation: This tool should be used by managers and people responsbile for organisational change, to review your current planning and implementation of organisational change in the areas of Consultation, Prevention, Early Intervention, Rehabilitation and Return to Work (RTW), and Management and Leadership
It is not specific to Vicarious Trauma. However, clear communication regarding organisational change relates to some of the items in the VT-ORG, so this may be useful where the VT-ORG indicates this area needs attention.
Where it comes from: Comcare Australia.
Description: This set of Supervisory Guides provides advice on creating trauma informed workplaces that are disability inclusive for both staff and clients.
The four themes covered are:
Part 1: Hiring
Part 2: Onboarding New Staff
Part 3: Supervision
Part 4: Supporting Staff with Boundaries and Safety
Downloadable from the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center website.
What's the evidence base for this resource: These are practice based resources, developed from the experiences of partner organisations.
Potential uses and limitation: They are best used along with in-person, interactive training to allow executive leadership, human resources, and supervisors the opportunity to practice skills and discuss challenges and ideas with each other. Particularly helpful to support supervisors prepare for conversations about both accessibility and vicarious trauma with new staff members.
Where it comes from: US based coalition MASS (Movement for Access, Safety & Survivors),
Description: The (US based) Resiliency Project engaged researchers, educators, and
practitioners from the child abuse field in a collaborative effort to
develop, implement, and evaluate an organisationally based program to
build resiliency in staff and volunteers. Twelve service organisations participated in the project.
Key to the project were the pilot "resiliency coaches" who evaluated all training and technical assistance products related to the organisational program model.
The model identified 5 key themes- self-knowledge and insight, sense of hope, healthy coping, strong relationships, and personal perspective and meaning- that can be promoted in the culture of organisations.
What's the evidence base for this resource: Evaluation conducted by the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA) at the University of Texas School of Social Work.
Potential uses and limitation: It includes
examples of specific interventions implemented under the categories of
Policy, Supervisory Technique, and Competency-based Training. There are a range of training and reflection exercises that could be useful in supervision contexts. Suggested practice examples range from personal reflections, through to policies that promote staff well being.
Where it comes from: Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA) in the Center for Social Work Research, School of Social Work
Description: A clearly described set of communication principles aimed at promoting transparency and shared power in decision making.
What's the evidence base for this resource: Based on practice experience/wisdom the organisation. The guidelines are explicitly based on an
ethical commitment to respectful communication, rather than a positivist
evidence based or clinical approach.
Potential uses and limitations: A simple, useful guide where communication from leadership, or within teams, is identified as a problem.
Where it comes from: Developed by the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence .
The guidelines have been made available by the US VTT site