Somerset Home for Temporarily Displaced Children
Jeffrey Fetzko, ACSW, LSW, CFRE
Vol. 4, No. 4, February 23, 2006
The Executive Director's News is published specifically for the employees of the Somerset Home. This issue and past issues are available on our web site at http://www.somersethome.org/main/pages/employee_newsletter.htm.
My Place II - Almost ready...
On January 30, 2006 Somerset Home bought this home on Whitney Drive in Bridgewater which will soon become our newest program, My Place II. My Place II will be a home to five youth making the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
Youth at My Place II will engage in the same positive youth development activities as those youth who participate in the MPI program including, career development, attending college or other post-secondary educational program and preparing for that first big step into adulthood.
The past two weeks have been busy with facility work. We have stripped out the carpeting from the basement and installed a new tile floor, installed mechanical systems and begun painting. The work continues to go well and we look forward to welcoming our first young person into the program very soon!
Above and beyond in the Blizzard of 2006!
A huge thank you to Shakell Newton, youth counselor, who planned ahead and spent the night at Brahma House during the blizzard to ensure the care of the residents was not interrupted. Shakell was scheduled to work both the 8-4 and 4-12 shifts at Brahma House on 2/12/06. The weather was less than desirable and Shakell knew it would be difficult to get to work at 8am so she brought a change of clothes on Saturday evening and spent the night. We all appreciate your hard work and dedication Shakell!
Council on Accreditation Issues Final Report
Somerset Home was reaccredited by the Council on Accreditation until 2009. The final report included comments from the site visit team that was particularly complimentary of our work:
"Organization Strengths:
The organization is strong in the following areas:
Clearly recognizes the importance of integrating continuous quality improvement into its operational system.
The positive impact of doing so was evident throughout the agency in terms of a culture that: recognizes the value of stakeholder involvement, understand the significance of data collection and analysis related to process improvement, takes pride in its responsiveness to clients in the community, is extremely organized and precise in its focus, focuses on leadership's emphasis on quality in service delivery, professionalism and service philosophy.
There was no doubt about the dedication and commitment of the staff and its leadership in terms of promoting teamwork and professional development.
Staff are well versed in COA principles and specific standards at all levels of the organization. They seem to have incorporated the standards into their "way of work" rather than seeing them as just another thing to do.
The facilities are attractive, comfortable and homelike. They appear to be very well maintained and are an asset to the neighborhood they are in.
Staff seem to enjoy their jobs, is professional in their approach and is passionate about what they do.
Client files are well organized consistent from program to program. Documentation is timely, descriptive and legible.
Case plans are individualized, detailed and comprehensive and are updated frequently.
The requirement of independent living skills training in each of the residential programs is a nice innovation. Treating ILP as a separate but concurrent program gives it added weight with staff and clients alike."
High praise indeed! Great work everyone!
Please contact Carla Grabert for further information on the '8th Annual Run for Runaways' or for assistance in setting up your personal fund raising page.
As always, thank you all for your continued hard work on behalf of our youth.
