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Employee News & Updates
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Leadership Update

Dear Stanford Sierra Colleagues,


We are continuing our review of our current Strategic Plan here in the Newsletter, through your own department/program meetings, individual consultations, and through agency-wide forums such as the State of the Agency. See the I: drive for yesterday's State of the Agency PowerPoint presentation and recording (copy and paste the following folder path link): I:\Agency At-A-Glance\All Staff Meetings\2024\01_March 2024 State of the Agency

 

The current Strategic Plan went live July 1, 2023, and it serves as a guide to our agency through June 30, 2027. The purpose of the Strategic Plan is to focus our work at SSYAF in a way that ensures long-term sustainability with the greatest possible positive impact.

 

Our first Strategic Pillar is People: Engaged, informed, and equipped people make the Strategic Plan come alive. We need each other (People) to move forward our mission of transforming lives by nurturing permanent connections and empowering families to solve challenges together, so every young person can thrive!

 

Our statement of affirmation:

We are the employer of choice. We attract and retain the most talented, diverse, mission-driven employees, interns, board members, and volunteers. It is essential that we have a premier workforce and committed community members to ensure that the youth and families are well served.

 

Areas of focus for us under the People Pillar currently include the following:

  1. Recruitment of a diverse board, with a broad range of experience and professional expertise that demographically and geographically represent the clients we serve. Our board, CEO, and Development Director regularly review our board membership and strategically focus on recruitment and retention of board members that are actively engaged in our mission and meet the needs of the agency.
  2. Career Pathways supports our efforts in providing learning and mentorship opportunities for students entering our field. Interns have the opportunity to learn about community-based work, and many are able to deliver direct services for deep learning experiences. Interns are a key component of providing equitable opportunities and strengthening the workforce pipeline at SSYAF and beyond.
  3. We believe regular demographic reviews to inform our agency are critically important. We are currently utilizing our health equity report to understand who we are serving and our staff representation. The next step is to dig deeper into where discrepancies are identified, and what actions we will take in addressing those discrepancies.
  4. Annually, we ask that all our employees complete our engagement survey. Our participation rate for our 23-24 survey was 82%, which is positive. Two strengths that were highlighted were staff members feeling aligned with the mission of the agency and enjoying working with their team. The primary areas of concern were compensation and benefits.
  5. Recruitment and Retention takes everyone, as we often stay where we feel successful and connected. We have implemented hiring bonuses as well as commitment bonuses, and we continue to reevaluate salary scales and adjust as we are able. Advocacy for increases to government contracts and related rates is ongoing. We also continue to analyze and augment our benefits, when possible, to better meet the wishes of staff members. As new or augmented benefits roll out, our Policies and Procedures are updated.
  6. We have an ongoing commitment to employee development which includes the development and review of goals in the individual Employee Development Plan, regular consultation, training, committee participation, Affinity Groups, and community engagement opportunities.
  7. We have also re-established our Manager & Leadership training, utilizing our key principles of leadership. Our training leverages the expertise of Ebony Chambers as well as many of our internal leadership team members. Our CPO, Ontson Placide, is launching additional leadership trainings for Directors and Associate Directors, as we recognize that we continue to grow and learn through our journey. Many of our existing Directors and leaders across the community developed their foundational skills at Stanford Sierra Youth & Families. We continue to be committed to growing leaders for the future.
  8. Two endeavors that are new for this fiscal year include the Self-Assessment for Modification of Anti-Racism (SMART) and a national learning cohort called ECHO regarding Workforce challenges. We are in the midst of the learning and analysis process, and you will see communication related to changes in policies, procedures, and day-to-day practices as a result of these endeavors.

 

Thank you for being you, and being mindful that with your active engagement you shape the culture of Stanford Sierra Youth & Families. 

 

Spring has sprung. Take a moment to enjoy the beauty and refresh yourself, as we transition into a new season. 

Be well,


Laura Heintz, Psy. D.

CEO

Employee Spotlight

Check out our employee spotlight on Facebook and LinkedIn


Meet Kennedy! Kennedy is our dedicated Facilities Coordinator with over 1.5 years of experience at SSYAF. Passionate about supporting direct-care staff, she is crucial in ensuring they can focus on helping their clients. In this demanding field, lightening the load for her colleagues whenever possible is essential to her day-to-day work. We are excited to witness Kennedy's continued growth in her role.



Fun fact: Kennedy is a dog enthusiast, an expert in canine body language, and has trained with 55 dog breeds!

Employee Benefits Highlight

This month, we are highlighting the Mutual of Omaha Vision Benefit Plan. Mutual of Omaha uses a third-party provider network called EyeMed for our vision coverage. There are two resources you can use to view your benefits: the I: drive and the EyeMed website.


First, you will want to ensure that you are enrolled in the vision plan by going to the desktop version of UKG then Myself > Benefits > Benefits Summary.

 

The plan summary on the I: drive can give you an idea of what you can expect to pay out of pocket for frames or contact lenses, for example. You can find it on the I: drive (copy and paste the following folder path link): I:\Agency At-A-Glance\Benefits\Vision

 

Another great resource is the EyeMed website: https://www.eyemed.com/en-us. You can create an account where you can then obtain a copy of your benefits card, find providers, use a cost estimator calculator, see claims, and much more.

 

For more information regarding the vision plan and other benefits, please reach out to either Sarah Wilson, HR Generalist, or Holly Hoppman, Associate Director of HR.

What's New

Leadership Promotions

Tamieka Hilliard has been promoted to Program Manager in the Juvenile Justice Intervention Services program. Tamieka has been with our organization going on 18 years, this July. She started in the formerly named FOCUS program (which is now FIT) as a specialist and 8 months later transitioned to a facilitator role. Anyone who has had the privilege of being in a meeting run by Tamieka knows what a fabulous facilitator she is. She moved to a practitioner position in JJCP providing Functional Family Therapy intervention and then in 2019 when JJCP became JJIS, Tamieka used her broad skills to provide a whole menu of interventions to the juvenile justice involved youth we serve. Tamieka’s natural skills of effective communication, flexibility, conflict resolution, positive energy, and leadership have shown up in all aspects of her work. Tamieka is always open to expansion, growth, and development and has been at the forefront of many of the initiatives and changes in JJIS from the expansion of interventions from the singular FFT focus to leading 7 Challenges groups in the VOYA unit of YDF, and many things in between. Tamieka is the facilitator of the Black/African American Affinity Group and has served on a variety of committees over the years. In the role of Program Manager, Tamieka will support the skills trainers/specialists in JJIS and the newly contracted JJPS Juvenile Justice Prevention Services – FFT focused programs.  

Announcements & Updates

Please review the memo regarding Hybrid Workplace

that was sent to all staff on March 15th.

The memo is available on the Staff Portal and can be found here.

Admin/Facilities


The first day of Spring was March 19th! This is a good time of year to do our Spring Cleaning!


Thank you for helping the administrative team ensure our offices, workspaces, and buildings are kept tidy and welcoming for our staff, clients, and families. It is a great time to Spring into organizing shared team areas, desk drawers, storage cabinets, file cabinets…etc. Here are a few suggested areas that might need some TLC:

  • Go through old documents and resource materials that are no longer needed and place in confidential shred bins.
  • Dispose of old/expired snacks in your desk drawers and team storage spaces.
  • Organize storage spaces so that your teams can easily find items they need for sessions and meetings. Dispose of or donate items no longer serving your team’s needs.
  • Consider donating new/unopened items (art & craft supplies, toys, games, etc.) to the agency’s donation closet.
  • Consider taking home personal items that may be creating unnecessary clutter or impacting storage needs; such as books or other resource materials that you no longer use.
  • Check your first aid kit for items that are expired or need to be replaced. Refer to the first aid kit restocking checklist on the I: drive (copy and paste the following folder path link): I:\Forms\Facilities & IT\Vehicle\518F_First Aid Kit Restocking Checklist.pdf


Remember, we are here to help! Let your admin team know if you need support organizing any spaces at your site. If you see something that needs our special attention, you can also email us to let us know! Facilities-staff@ssyaf.org.


IT


Julian will be on vacation beginning March 25th through April 15th. Please continue to submit any TIER support needs through the IT Helpdesk while Julian is out.   


Tech Tip of the Month!

As staff become more familiar with our new systems environment, some staff have questions about OneDrive. With this month’s “Tip of the Month” we hope to shed a little light on OneDrive with the brief FAQs below:


If I put files in my personal SSYAF OneDrive folders, can other staff see the information?

Files saved to your OneDrive ([Name] – Stanford Sierra Youth & Families) are only accessible to you, unless you share them with others.

How do you share files on OneDrive?

Please go to this link for a detailed explanation: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/share-onedrive-files-and-folders-9fcc2f7d-de0c-4cec-93b0-a82024800c07


What do the icons mean next to OneDrive files?

Please go to this link for a detailed explanation: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-do-the-onedrive-icons-mean-11143026-8000-44f8-aaa9-67c985aa49b3?ui=en-us&rs=en-us&ad=us


As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the IT Helpdesk with questions or should you need support. 

Finance


Accounts Receivable

Billing for January has been completed for all programs and we’re happy to report a relatively smooth billing period. We reported last month that after the first half of the year things were finally starting to settle down and this January billing was the first month we really felt that. Looking into February and forward we are anticipating new growth in the form of new programs like ECM and JJPS and we’re excited to jumpstart billing for those programs. Lastly, our continued thanks for the partnership with program staff, managers, and directors with the timely entry and approval of notes.   


Payroll

Supervisors, we would like to encourage you to ensure all staff are allocating timecards daily and submitting them after completing their working hours. Timecards should only be submitted after the end of the staff’s workday, at end of the pay period.


Payroll team would also like to remind you that unpaid time off should always be submitted and approved prior to submitting your timecard for the pay period. For any direction or guidance needed, please reach out to Finance-Payroll@ssyaf.org, payroll team will always be able to assist you.


Data

Do you have an upcoming test or certification that would change your County Credentialling? Are you scheduled to work on-call and are unsure if you are credentialed in that county to be available to clients? Maybe you have received a request for documentation from Finance-Data that is urgent and requires immediate attention? Our data personnel are actively working to ensure program staff credentialling is up to date and current within all the counties in which we have a presence. With your help, we can ensure you are up to date with credentialling and documentation so that you can continue providing services to your clients without lapses due to county non-compliance. Reach out to Finance-Data@ssyaf.org if you have any questions.


Accounts Payable

As a reminder, once you have any Flex Funds and/or credit card advances open, please be sure to upload your receipts and have managers approve them in a timely manner. It is important to have these funds available for the families; however, we do need receipts back to be reimbursed by our county partners, which then allows us to continue to serve the families in our community.

Stay Connected!

By following and sharing our work and success stories on social media platforms, our supporters become advocates who amplify our message to their networks and attract potential recruits for resource families, mentors, donors, and new hires, helping build a strong support network. Together, we can achieve exponential reach through shares and reposts beyond doubling our impact.

 

Please find all our accounts at the links below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for partnering with us to multiply our impact! 


The flyer can also be found on the Staff Portal.

Training Corner

Annual Refreshers are coming due!

Many of our staff who have been with the agency for a year or more will be coming due in the next few months for Annual Refresher Trainings. These assignments may include the following classes:

  • Preventing and De-escalating Crisis Situations (Annual requirement)
  • Cyber Security Foundations (Annual requirement)
  • Essentials of HIPAA (Annual requirement)
  • HIPAA: Dos and Don’ts of Social Media and Electronic Communication (Annual requirement)
  • Sexual Harassment Training (Bi-Annual requirement)
  • CPR & First Aid (Bi-Annual requirement for Program staff)

Be sure to review your assigned training courses in Relias and complete your required training in a timely manner! If you have any questions about these assignments, please consult with your supervisor or reach out to agencytraining@ssyaf.org.

 

Training Compliance

The Training team continues to evaluate our training plans and look for ways to increase training compliance within the agency. As of 03/11/24, our agency training compliance rate is 97.6%. A learner is considered compliant if they have not yet passed their due date for a given enrollment. Learners are considered non-compliant if they have passed their due date without completing their requirement. Thank you all for your continued attention to training and many thanks to everyone for ensuring that we remain compliant.

 

As a reminder, if you are unable to attend a “live training”, you must have permission from your supervisor, and when emailing agencytraining@ssyaf.org, your supervisor needs to be included in the email. We are committed to responding in a timely manner. The agencytraining@ssyaf.org inbox is monitored daily, and you can expect a response to your inquiry within 48 hours. We are also committed to having Relias transcripts updated within 5 days of trainings being completed, or training certificates being received.

Message from Pathways to Permanency

We are pleased to tell you that the number of young people in foster care has been decreasing over the past few years. It is our goal to eventually have no need for out-of-home placement. Unfortunately, we are not there yet though, and the need for resource families continues - especially those who have the resources, willingness, and ability to care for youth with higher needs such as our Intensive Service Foster Care clients and our Home-Based Shelter Care youth. We have a continued great need for Resource Families. Families referred to us by someone already connected to our mission, vision, and values have a higher likelihood of following through on the approval process, are more likely to take young people into their homes, and are more likely to accept coaching and guidance on their journey in supporting permanency. 

 

To celebrate your help when you refer a family to us, we have a referral bonus system which some of our colleagues have already received. If you refer a family, you will receive a bonus at the time of their first placement - either a $200 bonus for a respite (short-term care) home or a $500 bonus for a resource family home. 

 

A few other guidelines: referred families can’t be those you meet during your role at Stanford Sierra Youth & Families. For instance, if you are a therapist it can’t be a family to whom you are providing services. If you depart from the agency prior to their approval, you are no longer eligible for the referral bonus. 

 

Thank you all for everything you do to support young people and families we serve. If you know any great people who would be willing to step forward to support older youth in foster care, please have them give us a call at 916-344-0199 to sign up for orientation.  


Call to Action:

Please scan the QR code below or visit https://linktr.ee/pathways_to_permanency

and share the information with anyone wanting to find out more about our permanency programs. The QR code and link will take you directly to the inquiry form, our program, our video, and our podcast.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Corner

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Corner highlights

cultural observances, shares resources, and celebrates the diversity of our agency.

If there is something you would like to see in the DEI Corner, connect with Erin Reynolds.

Join an Affinity Group


Affinity Groups, also known as Employee Resource Groups, are one of the many ways SSYAF practices and promotes our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. They support us in fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, and create a space where employees can bring their authentic selves to the table. We currently have several Affinity groups, and if you see a gap it doesn’t mean there isn’t a need, it just hasn’t been started yet. If you haven’t done so, consider joining an affinity group or starting one!


If you are interested in joining one of our current affinity groups, connect with one of our amazing and fearless group leaders. Looking to start a new affinity group? Connect with Erin Reynolds.



Connection Corner

Do you have exciting news about the agency? Do you want to share team kudos or provide an acknowledgement of work well done? Have you heard about a community event happening that you think your colleagues might benefit from? Send your news to Brittany Honeyman at bhoneyman@ssyaf.org to be featured in the next edition of Employee News & Updates. 

Employee Referral Raffle Winner

 

Congratulations to Shelby Gameson from our Wonder program! Shelby is the winner of February's Employee Referral Raffle. If you refer someone for employment at SSYAF, you too could win a $25 gift card. Be sure to tell your referral to list you on their application when they apply so we can enter you in the monthly raffle. For more information, please email the recruitment team.

Trivia Time!


For the first half of this fiscal year (July 1 - December 31),

did SSYAF report an investment gain or decline?


The first employee to reach out to

bhoneyman@ssyaf.org

with the correct answer will receive a gift card.

Staff Milestones & Updates

Birthdays - March


03/01    Markeshia Edmondson

03/01    Shane Cargill

03/02    Brittany Stephens

03/02    Jasmine Rodriguez

03/04    Megan Valdez

03/09    Brittany Ruiz

03/11    Cecilia Melendez

03/11    Richelle Whiteford

03/12    Laura Mayse

03/13    Natalie A. Lambdin

03/14    Jesse Rosales

03/15    Angelica Solorio

03/16    Brianna Arce

03/18    Michelle Ng

03/18    Shelby Gameson

03/24    Katherine Nerelli

03/26    Ebony Chambers

Anniversaries - March

() = Years of Service

03/02    Jason Greer (3)

03/03    Kimberly Woods-Burch (9)

03/03    Laura Mayse (4)

03/03    Shelley Keeble (4)

03/04    Tamara Saylar (11)

03/06    Pratibha Chatkara (6)

03/07    Ramona Meza (1)

03/07    Sabrina Pistone (6)

03/12    Christina Cagle (17)

03/15    Laura Shephard (2)

03/15    Tori Milligan (2)

03/16    Rachel Duran (15)

03/16    Gabriela Gonzalez McNamara (3)

03/17    Meranda Orenchuk (4)

03/17    Richelle Whiteford (4)

03/17    Stephanie Rubio (4)

03/18    Deonia Young (5)

03/20    Nancy Savalza (18)

03/20    Tiffany Olito (18)

03/21    Abby Taylor (1)

03/21    Lyudmila Navarro (1)

03/26    Rebecca Lung-Ryness (23)

03/29    Adam Piersanti (3)

03/30    Renee Minyard (8)

Greetings!! February New Hires


Riddhi Topiwala - HR Recruiter II, Human Resources

Michelle Ng - Family Partner I, Family & Youth Partnership

Christina Cope - Parent Partner I, Family & Youth Partnership

Victoria Flores - Housing Navigator, Family & Youth Partnership

Tena Fletcher - Clinician I, FIT - Citrus Heights

Haillie Tagoe - Skills Trainer I, FIT - Citrus Heights

Erika Gutierrez - Clinical Student Intern, Family Preservation

Jessica Johnston - Family Support Spec. II, Prevention Wrap - EDC

Mission, Vision, Values

Mission

Transforming lives by nurturing permanent connections and empowering families to solve challenges together, so every young person can thrive.


Vision

We envision our communities with safe, lifelong connections for all young people, built and strengthened through generations of empowered families.

 

Values

Compassion

Equity

Excellence

Honor

Integrity

Partnership


Please see the full list of value definitions here or on the I: drive at the following pathway (copy and paste into a folder address bar to access):


I:\Agency At-A-Glance\Agency Culture\Our Values

Executive Leadership Team
  • Laura Heintz, Psy.D., Chief Executive Officer
  • Jovina Neves, Chief Financial Officer
  • Ontson Placide, Chief Program Officer
  • Brittany Honeyman, Executive Assistant
  • Christie Shorrock, Director of Development
  • Christina Cagle, Director of Family and Youth Partnership
  • Christine Stanescu, Controller
  • Danielle Paminto, Program Director, Pathways to Permanency & Destination Family
  • Danielle Vanaman, Program Director, Family Preservation
  • Deborah Bennett, Clinical Director, FIT, RYSE Above, Clinical Supervision
  • Gibrán Méndez, Director of Quality Improvement
  • Jacquenette Michael, Program Director, Yolo CBFS, Napa CBFS
  • Kimberly Woods-Burch, Director of Human Resources
  • Richelle Whiteford, Director of Administrative Services
  • Sara DeCoursey, Program Director, TBS, School Based Services, EDC Programs
  • Terrell Thomas, Strategic Initiative Officer
  • Tonya Bauhofer, Clinical Director, JJIS, Wraparound Services, Kaiser Managed Care
  • Beatriz Lodia, FYP Manager, Family and Youth Partnership
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