Tag Archives: program management

The Easiest Hard Decision: When Caregiving Trumps Employment

For someone who has worked their entire life, unemployment is a peculiarly unsettling kind of purgatory.  This social work practitioner was not “practitioning” for nearly 16 months, having resigned my position in keeping with a favorite John Lennon lyric that … Continue reading

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“It’s Not My Job”—Keeping Job Descriptions Current

Supervisors, how do you react when someone on your staff says, in so many words, “It’s not my job”?  It might come out sounding like “I’m sooooo busy” as they scurry away; “I’m still trying to finish that other thing … Continue reading

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Cultivating “The Gratitude Attitude!”

There seem to be a number of articles going around the web recently on the subject of how to deal with difficult bosses, and endless complaints about feeling underappreciated, overworked, stressed, unhappy, and on and on and on.  Fine, I … Continue reading

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Once Upon A Client: The End of Homelessness

There is no symbol more reflective of the end of homelessness than a set of keys. As Manager of the Client Advocacy Project (CAP) at Coalition for the Homeless in New York City, I had the privilege of leading a … Continue reading

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Readers Respond to “Social Workers Deserve Higher Pay Now”

Emotions ran high in response to my September 16, 2013 article “Social Workers Deserve Higher Pay Now.”  While there were several interesting suggestions on how to address the issue of low salaries, three things are abundantly clear.  Social workers are … Continue reading

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Social Workers Deserve Higher Pay Now

A September 2009 CNN·Money article listed 15 stressful jobs that pay badly.  Number 1?  Social worker – median pay: $43,200. The article states: “Social workers step in when everyone else steps aside to help people and families in vulnerable situations. … Continue reading

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“Am I A Good Social Worker?”

As social workers, we serve many masters—our clients; our supervisor; our program; our organization; our funders.  With so many to please and with interests that sometimes compete, it can be hard to know which voice to listen to when seeking … Continue reading

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Of Safety and Dreams

As our children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews return excitedly (or reluctantly) to school, two contrasting themes come to mind: their safety, and the ways in which they embody our collective hopes and dreams. As social workers, we are mandated reporters.  … Continue reading

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Cultural Humility, Part II – Promoting Cultural Humility In the Workplace

“Cultural competence means we’ve been educated about other cultures, humility is how we should be practicing that competence in the field.”  So writes social worker Sarah Elizabeth, who blogs at RootedInBeing and got this conversation going. I agree, Sarah. As … Continue reading

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Cultural Humility, Part I — What Is ‘Cultural Humility’?

A follower of my blog went to the ‘Suggest A Topic’ section of my website and posed this question: “As a program manager, and/or supervisor – how does one promote and enforce cultural humility and an inclusive workplace?”   This … Continue reading

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