	Outreach Services

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

OS 7: Personnel

Outreach personnel are trained and qualified to meet the needs of homeless individuals and families.

OS 7.01

Personnel providing outreach services are nonjudgmental and patient, and possess:

the ability to establish and maintain trusting relationships;
the ability to handle rejection;
sensitivity to the needs of individuals and families in crisis;
the capacity to view all persons positively and recognize their strengths;
positive regard and respect for service recipients;
the ability to assess need for care;
cultural and linguistic competence; and
perseverance.

OS 7.02

Outreach workers receive training and supervision, including:

the nature of the service population;
methods of engaging individuals and families;
crisis intervention methods;
making linkages and referrals to community services;
identifying medical needs or problems and the special health needs of the target population; and
the organization’s plans for managing medical or psychiatric emergencies.

OS 7.03

Outreach workers receive training and supervision on the special service needs of service recipients, including, as appropriate:

individuals coping with substance abuse and/or mental health issues, including dual diagnosis;
individuals with HIV/AIDS;
individuals and families who have been victims of violence, abuse, or neglect;
pregnant and homeless mothers with young children;
homeless and runaway children and youth;
persons involved with the criminal justice system, including ex-offenders;
persons with developmental disabilities; and
older adults.

OS 7.04

Outreach workers who have frequent contact with mentally ill or chemically dependent individuals have clinical skills and/or are supervised by personnel with such skills.

OS 7.05

Personnel engaged in street outreach receive training in street safety and the organization’s safety guidelines.

NA The organization does not provide street outreach.

OS 7.06

The program director has supervisory experience and:

a bachelor’s degree and two years’ experience in human services; or
substantial experience in human services, including at least two years experience with shelter or outreach services.

OS 7.07

Caseloads are regularly reviewed, and are based on an assessment of the following:

the qualifications, competencies, and experience of the worker, including the level of supervision needed;
the work and time required to accomplish assigned tasks and job responsibilities; and
service volume, accounting for assessed level of needs of new and current clients and referrals.

QUICK JUMP TO


	PURPOSE: Outreach Services engage homeless individuals and families as a first step to accepting care for immediate health and safety needs, using services and resources, including housing resources, and taking steps to become integrated into the community.

RELATED FILES


	OUTREACH Contact initiated by a provider to identify persons in need of services, to provide information to them about services and benefits, and to encourage the use of appropriate services.


	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.


	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.


	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


	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.


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


	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.


	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.


	CRISIS INTERVENTION The immediate response to the acute needs of a person in crisis including referral to appropriate community resources, advocacy, support, or direct assistance.


	REFERRALS Resource suggestions provided to consumers to address problems or needs that are beyond the scope of the organization's mission.


	SUBSTANCE ABUSE The misuse of a chemical substance in a manner that is detrimental to an individual's physical or mental health.


	DIAGNOSIS The process by which a social, physical, or mental health problem and its underlying cause are identified and a plan of action formulated toward resolution of the problem. The diagnostic process involves collection and analysis of relevant information. See also ASSESSMENT.


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


	PROGRAM A system of services offered by an organization. For example, an organization providing a mental health service may offer several mental health programs to different populations, e.g., a mental health program for adolescent teens. The word "program" can be used interchangeably with the word "service" or to describe specific programs.


	HUMAN SERVICES Programs designed to address individual and group development and well-being in addition to conditions that impact individuals and groups including: aging, delinquency and crime, child welfare, poverty, housing, education, employment, mental health, physical health, substance abuse, and developmental disabilities.


	CASELOAD The aggregate number of clients and/or consumers of service (including individuals, families, and groups) for whom a given employee is responsible. See also WORKLOAD


	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.