LEAD Brevard's Leadership Brevard Class of 2018 Leadership Action Project Presentation.
Guardian Ad Litem (GAL), 18th Circuit
“Encouraging Volunteers to Take Leadership Roles”
Currently, 300 children appointed to GAL have no volunteers to assist them. The program is committed to providing leadership roles for their volunteers; short term goal: identify barriers for Volunteer Team Leader recruitment – Intermediate goal: increase the number of trained Volunteer Team Leaders, recruit and retain 25 new leaders by mid-2018 – long term goal: empower volunteer team leaders to help recruit new volunteers and help in the retention of current volunteers.
Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) 18th Circuit, "Encouraging Volunteers to Take Leadership Roles"
1. GAL – Leadership Action Project
Jason Jones, Jessica Mitchell, Stephanie Archer, Esteban Valentin, Kimberly
Cribb, Melissa MacCalla, Michael Schuffert and Kristen Underwood
2. What is GAL?
Citizen volunteer program where citizen volunteers become part
of a court program to represent the best interests of abused and
neglected children
A GAL is a representative for the child - before the court, social
service agencies, and the community
GAL’s are much more than court representatives – they also
become mentors, role-models, and support systems for the
children they represent
GAL’s conduct independent investigations, collect information
and examine records concerning the child, and uses this
information to make recommendations on what is best for the
child
3. GAL’s initial expectations/needs:
Initially, GAL’s expectations were somewhat
broad
Started out thinking the goal was to recruit
more citizens to become GAL volunteers, but
this was not the case
Focus – to engage current GAL volunteers to
step up to a volunteer leader role
Volunteer leader roles were found to be broad
and undefined, and current GAL volunteers
weren’t stepping up to the plate to move into
volunteer leader roles
Lack of clarity regarding volunteer leader role
descriptions, training, and marketing
4. Roadblocks and how
to overcome
Understanding the true intent of the project and its goals
Facilitated meetings with GAL team and Leadership Brevard team to better understand
project and goals
Learning about a process/program that is foreign to us
Engaged GAL team and GAL volunteers in discussions and meetings
Invited GAL volunteers and volunteer leaders to meetings to discuss their needs and
feedback about the program and possible improvements to processes
Narrowing down project into manageable tasks
Broke down larger team into 3 smaller teams to accomplish main tasks of project
Measuring success
Discussed what success would look like to GAL team
Plan to test the training program with the upcoming group of new GAL volunteers
5. The process GAL provided
broad goals
Team established
three major goals
Decided to form
three small group
teams to tackle
three goals
6. Goals Set up a
“progression
ladder” for
volunteer leaders
1
Formalize/create
volunteer leader
training
2
Create tools to
market the
volunteer leader
roles
3
7. Action Item 1: Set up a “progression
ladder” for volunteer leaders
Team members: Jason & Stephanie
Action Items:
Create a plan/progression ladder to assist in the organizational structure to
maintain expectations and retention of volunteer leaders
Create a flow chart to assist in creating expectations for volunteer leaders while
creating a progression of development through training and mentoring
8. The Flow Chart
The Flow chart allows the GAL program to focus on developing the GAL’s to
become volunteer leaders through a consistent and slower progression that
provides opportunity for growth and retention
Year 1
Level 2 Background
Check
Orientation
8 Hours Individual
Studies
12 Hour Classroom
Training
10 Hours Fieldwork
(Shadowing)
Assigned Mentor &
CAM
Assigned 1 - 2 Cases
Work with children 7-
10 hours per month
Opportunities
Communicate GAL
Opportunities
Attend 2 RAP Sessions
Friends of Children -
Support
Year 2
12 Hours of Continuing
Education
Continue work with
caseloads
Work with children 7-
10 hours per month
Co-Lead 2 RAP
Sessions
Opportunities
Communicate GAL
Opportunities
Friends of Children -
Support
9. The Flow Chart
Year 3
12 Hours of Continuing
Education
Continue work with
caseloads
Work with children 7-
10 hours per month
Attend Mentor
Training
Opportunities
Communicate GAL
Opportunities
Friends of Children -
Support
Attend/Lead 2 RAP
Sessions
Year 4+
12 Hours of
Continuing Education
Continue work with
caseloads
Work with children 7-
10 hours per month
Mentor assigned
mentee
Opportunities
Communicate GAL
Opportunities
Friends of Children -
Support
Attend/Lead 2 RAP
Sessions
10. Action Item 2: Formalize/create
volunteer leader training
Team members: Melissa & Esteban
Action Items:
Clearly define different volunteer opportunity roles & responsibilities in the GAL
program, along with resources to help them.
Volunteer Opportunity #1-Community Promoter
Volunteer Opportunity #2-Regional Rap Session Leader
Volunteer Opportunity #3-Mentor
11. GAL Volunteer Leader Roles &
Responsibilities
Community Promoter: Recruit Volunteers and Raise Awareness of GAL program
in the community
Attend community events and promote GAL program
Identify opportunities with in community to raise program awareness
Coordinate with Friends of Children of Brevard to support organization
Resources:
Recruiter ( employee of GAL) will provide schedule of opportunities to attend community
events
Recruiter will post schedule of events and encourage community promoter attendance
Recruiter will provide promotional materials for community promoter
Recruiter will provide “elevator speech” for community promoter to use at events
Recruiter will educate community promoters on FAQ’s and important message to
communicate at events.
Friends of Children of Brevard will provide opportunities to attend events, to provide in
events and use social media to spread the word.
12. GAL Volunteer Leader Roles & Responsibilities
Regional Rap Session Leader: Provide GAL volunteers a forum to meet other volunteers in
their area. Leader will discuss program news and facilitate conversations that allow
volunteers to express frustrations & successes regarding their GAL experience
Coordinate with group of regional rap session leaders to schedule monthly session at various
locations throughout the county.
Recommendation: These should occur once a month, days and times to be determined by Rap
Session Leader with input from attendees. The location should be consistent and strategic
to geographical locations in the county.
Recommendation: Bi-annually attendance is required for first year program volunteers.
Recommendation: create agenda to be used at all rap sessions
Operational update from CAM or Program Director
Review monthly newsletter
Open forum for attendee issues
Opportunities for improvement
Success stories
Submit sign in sheet from session
Resources:
CAM and program director for pertinent program information that should be shared with the
group.
Other Rap Session Leaders
Recommendation Rap session leaders meet bi annually to discuss the sessions and how they can
become more effective.
13. GAL Volunteer Leader Roles & Responsibilities
Mentor: To sustain the longevity and effectiveness of the GAL volunteer program. GAL
will provide qualified volunteers with the training to successfully transition from a
volunteer to a Mentor.
Reviewing assigned cases to identify objectives and outline appropriate tasks
Accompany new volunteer to first home visits and provide guidance for compilation of required
written report.
Work with child advocate coordinator to provide feedback to new volunteer regarding
observations made at initial home visit.
Provide guidance when submitting reports for court.
Provide insight as to what to expect when presenting in court and the overall court processes
involved with the GAL program.
Be available as a resource for new GAL volunteers to discuss the application of policies and
procedures covered in their training while reinforcing the GAL code of conduct.
Provide constructive feedback to the new volunteer and the program coordinator to help
promote and encourage the new volunteers and shore up and weaknesses present
Resources:
CAM
Mentor Training Program
Mentor Training Materials “aka Elaine’s cheat sheet”
Program Director
14. Action Item 3: Create tools to market
the volunteer leader roles
Team Members: Jessica, Michael, & Kim
Action items:
Create sortable tracking spreadsheet to include all current GAL volunteers &
leaders, including data regarding how long they have been in role
Create marketing “flyers” promoting the three volunteer leader roles to encourage
GAL volunteers to step up to volunteer leader roles
Create recognition/information about current and new GAL team leaders – took the
form of a GAL newsletter template
15. Sortable
tracking
sheet
With information
gathered from Carol, we
created a sortable Excel
tracking sheet
Excel sheet includes
names of current GAL
volunteers, sworn date,
and team leader role (as
applicable)
GAL can utilize this sheet
to quickly identify (based
on years of service) who
is potentially ready for a
volunteer leader role and
reach out to them
16. Marketing “flyers” for volunteer leader
roles
Created three separate “flyers” designed to market each of the three
volunteer leader roles
Can be used by GAL to send out via email, social media, etc. to current GAL
volunteers to encourage them to step up to a volunteer leader role
Flyers are one page, bright, visually appealing, and easy to read
18. Create recognition tool for current GAL
Volunteer Leaders
Took shape in the form of a newsletter template
Can be easily filled in by GAL to showcase/recognize GAL Volunteer Leaders
and get their input and point of view
Intent is to both recognize the leaders and encourage others to become a
volunteer leader
20. Accomplishments – as noted by our GAL
sponsors
Combined Friends and Recruiter position due
to the recognition of overlapping roles
Clearly defined roles and responsibilities of
Friends/Recruiter Team Leader
Clearly outlined Rap session team leader
responsibility to encourage more volunteers to
accept this role
Organized existing Mentor training information
and encouraged additional Mentor training
classes that had been deficient for our
Program
Implemented a schedule for volunteers to
complete training steps necessary in the
required timeframe to ensure their ability to
seamlessly transition to their chosen team
leader role
21. Accomplishments – as noted by our GAL
sponsors
Early identification of a progression ladder to ready volunteers
for transition into volunteer leader roles
Reviewing current volunteer spreadsheet and formed a
timeframe for reaching out to all potential team leaders
Provided our Program with ideas to “coach up” for potential
team leaders
Volunteering at the Superhero Run
Reviewing the GAL/Friends newsletter with suggestions on how
to recognize team leaders
Plan to recognize team leaders informally (through e-mails,
personal thank you) and also encouraged the GAL Program to
recognize team leaders formally at GAL events
Ideas to provide Team leaders with badges, pins and other
items to recognize their status.
Plan to provide tools for success of various roles
22. Superhero 5K
Our team had an awesome time supporting & participating in the GAL annual
“Superhero 5K”
During our 2nd meeting and working in conjunction with Carol Jewell, we developed the following three goals:
Set up a progression ladder for team leaders (a standardized timeline which would incorporate trainings and refernce materials)
Formalize/create volunteer team leader training (there was a good deal of material scattered around which needed to be consolidated and organized into a cohesive training program
Create tools to market the team leader roles (to include items such as tracking mechanisms so that GAL could know when a volunteer had been in role long enough to most likely be ready for a volunteer leader role, marketing materials to encourage volunteers to become leaders, recognition for current leaders, etc.
