Staff Training and Retention

Goal - why is this important to us?

In order to ensure adequate safety for our clients and staff, all Dawn Farm staff are required to participate in a variety of training topics upon hire and throughout their employment. 

Staff training includes required health and safety topics and professional development opportunities that are open to all staff. 

Ingredients - what do I need to get started?

• Computer

• Relias Training account (set up by Project Manager)

Timeframe - about how long will this take?

Depends on the training module- most can be completed in about 30 minutes to 1 hour 

Contacts - who do I need to let know?

Project Manager oversees all staff training requirements

Steps - what do I do?

Upon hire, Project Manager will create a Relias account for all new staff and upload required training modules to be completed by staff.  Training modules will be completed as required by accreditation and other contract / funding guidelines.

Follow-up - what loose ends do I need to wrap up?

For more information about specific Emergency Drills and safety procedures, see Health and Safety tab.

For more information about client rights, grievances, and appeals, see Confidentiality, Privacy and Rights of Persons Served tab.

Additional information about staff retention:

Employee retention is an important part of all workplaces, including Dawn Farm. Employee retention includes both hiring and keeping staff, and analyzing why staff may leave. Retaining staff has a direct impact on carrying out the mission of Dawn Farm and providing quality services to clients. 

Dawn Farm cares about all staff and provides many opportunities and resources to boost employee retention. Some areas of employee retention include:

Professional development: 

There are several opportunities for staff training and professional development. In addition to annual required training, staff can participate in several in-services and Education Series events throughout the year. Dawn Farm also covers the cost of professional licensing for all staff.

Compensation (wages and benefits):

In addition to hourly pay or salary, full time employees are eligible for health insurance (including vision and dental plans), retirement , paid time off and paid holidays. See Dawn Farm Benefits Summary  for more information.

Open communication and feedback:

Dawn Farm fosters a Going Direct environment at all sites. All staff members are encouraged to provide input and suggestions concerning the overall operation and programs of Dawn Farm, following the proper channels of communication.  Additionally, all staff receive supervision on a regular basis and House Managers are all paired with a clinical staff that they can reach out to anytime for help! See Go Direct for more information.

When staff leave employment at Dawn Farm, they are also encouraged to meet with Human Resources to complete an exit interview. Dawn Farm uses information from exit interviews to guide  staff training, update employment procedures (as needed), as well as inform future recruitment and retention activities. 

Performance reviews: 

Dawn Farm completes performance reviews annually with all staff. This is a great opportunity to gather (and give) feedback, and address any areas of concern that may come up. 

Staff recognition and culture of Dawn Farm:

Recognition of staff ideas and achievements is a super important way of encouraging staff feedback and ideas. Some ways of staff recognition include shout-outs on the Intranet, annual holiday party, employee of the month, and weekly updates including staff anniversaries and achievements. 

CARF Standard:

1.H.4 

1.I.5