How to develop and implement an internship program Tanya Kahl, 211 Manager Info Line (Akron, Ohio)

Info Line Non-profit organization, incorporated in 1975 to provide Information and Referral in Summit County Operate five main programs Provide 24/7 2-1-1 service for Summit and Lorain Counties, Ohio Provide after-hours 2-1-1 service for 6 additional counties

Info Line Background (continued) Answer approximately 97,000 calls per year (2-1-1 calls and other contract calls) Since 2001, Info Line has lost about 50% of the revenue to support 2-1-1 for Summit County Daytime I&R Specialists reduced from approximately 6 FTE to 2 FTE Calls continue to increase Increased management time overseeing new contracts to help support operations

Help!

Info Line’s Intern Program In January 2009, started offering internships with Emergency Food Clearinghouse and MedAssist In November 2011, began offering full 2-1-1 internship Expanded in fall 2012 In Spring 2013 had seven social work interns

Impact of Intern Program

Impact of Intern Program 13% increase in calls answered Reduction in abandoned calls Reduction in hold times Improved morale Resource updates Other projects

Getting Started Buy-in at your agency Identify staff to recruit/train/supervise Identify potential programs at universities and community colleges and learn their requirements Decide minimum number of hours for each internship 2-1-1 : 200 hours during a semester Food referrals : 64 hours over a minimum of 2 months Get started!

Public Administration Potential Interns Associates Social Service Technology Communications Library Science Public Administration SOCIAL WORK Undergraduate Emergency Management Masters Psychology IT

Recruitment Meet with potential programs Find out if colleges have Career/Internship Office Find out about websites for posting internships Post on your website and let board/partners know

Sample Internship Posting

Selection Process Develop position description(s) and application process Interview each candidate Make sure intern understands the type of work Check references Determine whether to conduct a background check

Orientation

Sample Training Schedule (Day 1-2) Training Schedule--(Monday, Wednesday 9-5) Date Time ABC's of I&R Section # Person Responsible Description 1/14/2013   9:00 Mary Orientation--picture, agency tour, introductions to staff 10:00 1 Introduction to I&R 2 I&R Process; Code of Ethics 11:00 6 Confidentiality; include Info Line Policy 12:00 Break 1:00 Expectations 1:30 Shadow Staff 3:30--5:00 Read ABC's of I&R 1,2,6, 9 and 22 Do scenarios of what is Information only and what is a referral 1/16/2013 9:30 Tanya Computers, phones, emails, network drives, log-ins; accessing Refer-Net 22 Taxonomy 9 Refer for searching Practice searching 2:30 Questions/Open Discussion; Review scenarios 3:00 Shadow staff 4:00 Review Sections 9 and 22. Read Sections 4, 5, 18

Training Manual Table of Contents  Sections from ABC’s of I&R Additional Sections   1 The Nature of Information and Referral 1A Expectations 2 From Greeting to Closure – The I&R Process 2A I&R Process (Practice determining whether Information or Referral Call with sample calls) Practice communication techniques and assessment techniques 2B Code of Ethics 3 Empowerment and Advocacy 3A Advocacy Policy and Procedure 4 Crisis Intervention 4A Crisis Intervention Policy and Procedure 4B Abuse Reporting Procedures 5 Follow Up 5A Follow Up Policy and Procedure 6 Confidentiality 6A Confidentiality Policy and Procedure Discuss process of obtaining verbal consent anytime name will be shared with an agency Written consent for emergency food line is signed at pantries 7 Values, Awareness and Self-Determination 8 Responding Effectively to “Challenging” Inquirers 9 Using the Resource Database for I&R Referrals 10 Disaster and the I&R Specialist 10A Info Line’s Role in Disasters Applicable sections of Emergency Procedures 11 Special Populations –Serving Diverse Communities 11A Using Language Line for Interpreting Ohio Relay Service 12 Serving People with Addictions After each section is read, trainee should discuss that population with supervisor and conduct relevant searches in ReferNet to help increase awareness of services for that population. Supervisor will assign these throughout the internship. 13 Serving Older Adults 14 Serving Young People 15 Serving People with Mental Illness 16 Serving Miltary Personnel and their Families 18 Stress Management and the Limits of I&R 19 Working in an I&R Call Center 18A Review call monitoring form Review some reports from Taske 23A Taxonomy Section Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria Using ReferNet Principles of Indexing and Taxonomy Structure Introductory Taxonomy Exercise Taxonomy Structure and Types of Terms I&R Poster with Annual Statistics Search Techniques Top Referred Services and Agencies

Learning Contracts

Supervision Requirements of Supervisor Weekly meetings Call monitoring/Coaching Evaluation/Grades Meetings with faculty liaison

Supplemental Work Customer Satisfaction Surveys Follow up calls Contacting agencies regarding resource updates Outreach events Piloting new activities Presenting at staff meetings Shadowing management or staff at meetings Site visits to agencies

And maybe… Data analysis Analyzing phone recordings Writing grants Identifying potential funders Helping create specialized directories Social media posts Reviewing newspapers/websites for resources Program development

Intern Evaluation of our Program Most beneficial to career development Least beneficial to career development Training Supervision Projects

End of Internship Thank you card signed by staff in department Small gift bag/gift card (~$15) Treats

Miscellaneous Tips Post intern and volunteer photos and names on bulletin board in breakroom Food and meeting with I&R staff before start of year Block off supervisor’s calendar during first month of internship Develop a system for tracking intern/volunteer hours

What worked well Increased capacity to answer calls Reduced stress for regular staff Interns are enthusiastic and energetic Being selective about interns Social work interns Team approach to training Experienced staff mentoring interns Hiring interns after internship

Challenges Time required for training and supervision Time required to oversee project work Developing a steady stream of interns Staff resistance School breaks/gaps in intern availability Not all interns work out

Why develop an intern program? Answer more calls More time for each caller Increase staffing during peak hours/days/seasons Higher time commitment than most volunteers Social work students have good background Extra projects can work on Valued by funders

Sample Documents Available Internship Posting Intern/Volunteer Manual Interview Questions Training Schedule Training Manual Table of Contents Learning Contract Evaluation Form for Interns

Contact Information Tanya Kahl Manager, 211 and MedAssist Info Line 703 South Main Street, Suite 211 Akron, OH 44311 (330)996-5325 tkahl@infolineinc.org