	Training and Supervision

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

PA-TS 2: Training Content*

Personnel throughout the agency are trained to fulfill their job responsibilities.

Note: Please see Checklist: Public Agency_Administration_and Management_Training_Requirements in the Tools Index for additional assistance with this standard.

PA-TS 2.01

New personnel are oriented within the first three months of hire to:

the agency’s mission, philosophy, goals, and services;
the cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of the service population;
the agency’s place within its community;
the agency’s personnel manual; and
lines of accountability and authority within the agency.

PA-TS 2.02

All personnel who have regular contact with clients receive training on legal issues, including:

mandatory reporting and the identification of clinical indicators of suspected abuse and neglect, as applicable;
federal and state laws requiring disclosure of confidential information for law enforcement purposes, including compliance with a court-order, warrant, or subpoena;
duty to warn, pursuant to relevant professional standards and as required by law;
the agency’s policies and procedures on confidentiality and disclosure of service recipient information, and penalties for violation of these policies and procedures;
the legal rights of service recipients; and
any requirements associated with consent decrees.

Update: Added Note - 06/01/10

Added Note

Interpretation: Personnel should be familiar with federal, state, and local laws and know how to identify, document, and report cases of suspected abuse and neglect.

Note: Elements a and c do not apply to credit counseling agencies.

Research Note: Every state has a mandatory reporting process for suspected child abuse and neglect. Details about the mandatory reporting laws in each state can be found on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website, formally known as the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect.

PA-TS 2.03

All personnel receive training on proper documentation techniques and the maintenance and security of case records.

PA-TS 2.04

Direct service personnel demonstrate competence in, or receive training on, as applicable:

the establishment of rapport and responsive behaviors with service recipients;
the needs of individuals and families in crisis including special service needs of victims of violence, abuse, or neglect and their family members;
basic health and medical needs of the service population;
procedures for working with foreign language speakers and persons with communication impairments; and
public assistance and government subsidies.

Update: Revised Intepretation - 06/01/10

PA-TS 2.04 Original Interpretation:

Regarding element b, staff members understand their responsibility to assess the need for protective services and make recommendations.

Interpretation: Regarding element b, staff members understand their responsibility to assess the need for protective services and make recommendations or referrals, as appropriate to the services provided.

PA-TS 2.05

Training for direct service personnel addresses differences within the agency’s service population, including:

interventions that address cultural and socioeconomic factors in service delivery;
the role cultural identity plays in motivating human behavior; and
understanding bias or discrimination.

PA-TS 2.06

Personnel demonstrate competence in, or receive training on, the needs of special populations within the defined service population, such as the need for normalizing experiences and social inclusion.

Update: Revised Interpretation - 06/01/10

PA-TS 2.06 Original Interpretation:

“Special populations” include, but are not limited to, those who are abused and neglected, those with a developmental disability, and those with mental health and substance use disorders. Depending on the services provided and the population served, the agency's training may vary from different treatment approaches, to procedures for referring individuals to other providers when those needs cannot be addressed by the agency.

Interpretation: “Special populations” include, but are not limited to, those who are abused and neglected, those with a developmental disability, and those with mental health and substance use disorders. Depending on the services provided and the population served, the agency's training may vary from different treatment approaches, to procedures for referring individuals to other providers when those needs cannot be addressed by the agency.

For example, staff at a credit counseling agency may encounter individuals with substance abuse or mental health disorders. In such situations, staff should be aware of the agency’s protocols and how to refer those individuals to appropriate services.

PA-TS 2.07

Direct service personnel demonstrate competence in, or receive training on, advocacy, including how to:

access financial and other community resources;
identify the impact of the socioeconomic environment on the service population; and
empower service recipients and their families to advocate on their own behalf.

Update: Added Second Interpretation - 06/01/10

Added Second Interpretation

Interpretation: Community resources can include personal advocates. Training and supervision define conditions under which a personal advocate is needed.

Interpretation: Although credit counseling agencies primarily provide financial education and counseling services, supporting the success and well-being of clients can be furthered by providing information on how to access resources in the community, strengthening the client’s ability to do so, and understanding the obstacles that may affect the service population.

PA-TS 2.08

Direct service personnel who administer clinical diagnostic tests used to establish treatment goals are appropriately trained according to testing protocols.

Interpretation: This standard refers to sophisticated clinical testing (for example, Stanford-Binet or other intelligence scales) that is appropriately conducted by personnel with advanced clinical credentials and specialized training. It is not applicable to the use of basic assessment tests that profile or describe client functioning, which can be administered by parents or teachers. Additionally, the standard does not apply to outcome measurement instruments.

NA Direct service personnel do not administer clinical diagnostic tests.

PA-TS 2.09

Residential services, shelter services, early child care and development services, day services, opioid treatment services, social development and enrichment services for children and youth, out-of-school time services, and youth development services ensure that there is at least one person certified in basic first aid and CPR on duty at each program site, at any given time that the program is in operation.

Update: Revised Standard, Revised Interpretation, Revised NA - 09/01/10

PA-TS 2.09 Original Standard, Interpretation and NA:

Residential services, shelter services, day care, day services, opioid treatment services, social development and enrichment services for children and youth, or out-of-school time services ensure that there is at least one person certified in basic first aid and CPR on duty at each program site, at any given time that the program is in operation.

NA The agency does not provide residential services, shelter services, day care, day services, opioid treatment services, social development and enrichment services for children and youth, or out-of-school time services.

Interpretation: Training and/or certification should be appropriate to the age of the population being served. For example, an agency providing out-of-school time services should ensure that someone on site is certified in administering CPR to children and youth. See Early Childhood Education (PA-ECE) for specific CPR and First Aid certification requirements for PA-ECE programs.

NA The agency does not provide residential services, shelter services, early child care and development services, day services, opioid treatment services, social development and enrichment services for children and youth, out-of-school time services, or youth development services.

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	PURPOSE: The agency supports personnel and promotes personnel competence by providing regular supervision and training on relevant service delivery topics.

RELATED FILES


	PERSONNEL The body of employees and/or volunteers that carries out the organization's tasks under the organization's administration and/or supervision. This definition does not include foster parents who are specifically referenced in relevant standards


	SUPERVISION Assumption of responsibility for directly overseeing and evaluating the work or work products of personnel within an organization. Also includes inspecting the act or process of accomplishing a function or activity.


	TRAINING Instruction so as to make fit, qualified, or proficient in a skill or body of knowledge.


	SERVICE One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.


	SERVICE POPULATION A group or target population that the organization's services are designed to serve in accord with its mission, and which includes the organization's service recipients. An organization's service population may be defined by geographic location, specific problems or needs, religion, ethnicity, culture, or other factors.


	COMMUNITY A specific group of people living in the same locality and who may share a common culture, values, and norms. Communities can also be defined by race, religion, ethnicity, age, occupation, political status, tribal affiliation, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds. The term "community" encompasses worksites, schools, tribes, residential neighborhoods, business districts, recreational areas, and health and human service sites.


	ACCOUNTABILITY The extent to which an organization is answerable for its processes and outcomes to a variety of relevant stakeholders including: consumers, community representatives, governing bodies, and governmental regulators.


	MANDATORY REPORTING The legal obligation to report specific forms of child abuse to a government authority when a person suspects that abuse has occurred. State laws outline specific reporting requirements for professionals if they have information related to public or private safety issues. For example, certain professionals are required to report to state authorities if they see evidence of child abuse or neglect, or have knowledge that someone is likely to be dangerous to themselves or others.


	CLINICAL The study, assessment, and diagnosis of the client situation followed by direct treatment to help the client achieve prescribed goals.


	INDICATOR A described activity, event, outcome, or benchmark used for measurement in monitoring the quality and outcome(s) of service.


	CLIENT See service recipient.


	CONFIDENTIALITY An ethical and practice principle that requires the protection of information shared within a professional-client relationship. An organization that upholds confidentiality prohibits personnel from disclosing information about persons served without their written consent.


	SERVICE RECIPIENT The individuals, groups, organizations, or communities that use, receive, or benefit from programs and services. Service recipients can include consumers, patients, family members, legal guardians, advocates, public/private organizations, employers, and purchasers. All are regarded as significant stakeholders served in a variety of agencies and practice settings.


	CONSENT DECREE A settlement between a defendant and the government subject to judicial approval and supervision, under which the defendant agrees to cease activities asserted as illegal by the government and/or implements corrective actions.


	CASE RECORD A written compilation that describes the client and the services delivered. Records can be in hard copy and/or electronic format. The case record can be used as a source of information for quality improvement or other evaluation activities, for research purposes, or to demonstrate accountability to funding bodies.


	FAMILY Two or more people who consider themselves family and who assume obligations, functions, and responsibilities generally essential to healthy family life. Child care and child socialization, income support, long-term care, and other caregiving are among the functions of family life. The definition of "family" will rest with an individual's indication of who plays a family member role, including current or former foster family, adoptive family, extended family members, fictive kin, or significant others. Organizations that believe family is the central constellation in a child's life, and that family attachments are of primary importance for human development, will strive to work with professional staff to develop a common understanding of "family."


	IMPAIRMENT A loss or abnormality in physiological, psychological, or mental structure or functioning, such as paralysis of a limb, mental retardation, or blindness.


	ADVOCACY An act performed with or on behalf of others through direct intervention, empowerment, or representation. Case advocacy refers to actions taken in relation to a particular individual consumer. Cause, social, or systems advocacy refers to actions taken in relation to a common issue affecting a group of persons.


	ADMINISTER The act of giving a single dose of a prescribed drug to a client by an authorized person in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations governing such acts. The complete act entails removing an individual dose from a previously dispensed, properly labeled container (including a unit dose container), verifying it with a physician's order, giving the individual dose to the proper client, and recording the time and dose given.


	PROTOCOLS Instruments and procedures used to accomplish a particular goal, activity, or purpose.


	ASSESSMENT An evaluation, which utilizes professional expertise and skills in the collection and analysis of data to understand and describe the nature of service needs of an individual, family, or group. Assessment, as in needs assessment, is also used to determine priorities of program planning and service development for the organization as a whole. See also DIAGNOSIS.


	PARENTS Parents can include: birth, foster, kinship, and adoptive parents. Please see service standards for more specific information about use of this term.