A meeting of the Staff Advisory Council (SAC) was held on 10/16/17, facilitated by Mr. Andy Newton. There were 5 CCW’s and 0 Support staff in attendance.

The meeting began by reviewing the “Summary of progress toward SAC suggestions” as written by Mr. Otis and reviewed with Mr. Andy and Mr. Ivan previously.

Comments/Suggestions received:

  • We would like to see more CCW involvement in the conversation regarding resident transitions from one cottage to another. There have been a number of circumstances (not every time) where transitions have been decided without CCW input, and little notice given for the time of transition. It would be helpful to have more input and notification in order to allow sufficient time for CCW’s to communicate about the move and to celebrate the transition with outgoing cottage and give residents an opportunity to process the moves.
  • CCW’s are interested in details regarding what the move to artificial Christmas trees will look like. Questions such as: Are the trees being donated or purchased out of cottage funds? What will the budget be, will we be able to research and purchase quality genuine looking trees? Will trees be stored in Reagan building or elsewhere? Are we also able to purchase or receive donation of trees for CCW couples apartments (As was the case when live trees were donated)? When will the cottages receive them (in time for campus Christmas activities preparations)?
  • If the Rec department resumes hosting city Rec activities where concessions are sold, could cottages host the concession stand and sell concessions at events in order to raise funds for their cottages?
  • Priority suggestions for Capital improvement priorities: In general, thoughts were that any areas that pose a potential safety risk for residents, staff, or guests should be prioritized. Such as, buckling sidewalks on lower campus, lighting in front of Chapel, handicapped lift at chapel, bathroom stall doors where missing, etc. And secondly, cosmetic improvements as previously discussed would take secondary priority. This suggestion seems to be in line with what has previously been discussed.
  1. Provide feedback for staff children or off duty staff to participate in donor events in regard to notification to donors or tax related concerns:

Mr. Andy reviewed talking points from conversation with Ms. LuAnne to include thoughts on varying circumstances. All potential suggestions for fairness to staff and donors:

  • For donor activities where staff children are required to go, that donors could be made aware of presence of non MHCO residents in attendance in advance and given the opportunity to include them with the knowledge that items given to them would not be tax deductible, and if donor chooses not to then it gives MHCO staff the opportunity to find a solution in advance.
  • For donor activities on campus, similar steps could be taken when staff children are going to be present to allow donors to decide who will be included prior to the event; giving staff the opportunity to put things in place to accommodate if their children will not be included in activity or gift giving.
  • For planned cottage activities where expenses are involved and planned by staff, should it be CCW responsibility to cover cost of personal children as it is not a requirement for staff children to be there?

SAC individual response:

  • Staff is understanding of the difference between required activities and elective activities. We think that putting the ultimate decision in the hands of the donors in donor events that will include staff children is an appropriate idea. We would like to see the suggestion above implemented in regards to advance notice and decisions made prior to events to cut down on CCW having to have the conversation about certain children not being permitted to participate during the event (Which has made for uncomfortable situations for both staff and donors in the past), and also allows staff to process expectations with their kids when they will not be involved in an activity.
  • In regards to Staff or team planned monthly activities (Such as off campus activities, or cottage trips), most of the staff feel that staff children should be included in the costs of the activities from cottage funds, or whatever other funds are being used. The general thinking is that cottages are highly encouraged to take the residents on activities and trips (a0nd vacations when appropriate) as an expectation of the job. For staff with children, these activities can become financially burdensome if expected to be paid out of pocket and will limit the types of activities that we could plan with residents and thereby diminish some of the fun and relationship building that these planned activities are designed for. Obviously reasonable fiscal accountability should always be present and our recommendation would be that staff children be included in said events as they are planned and approved by the team supervisor. It was noted that there is an emphasis made to staff that we make sure not to treat our children any differently than the residents, but we want to make sure that the reverse is also true, as to not have any child feel that are being treated unnecessarily unfair.
  • The general opinion would be that whenever possible, staff children should be included in any job related (Required) activity, as staff were hired with the understanding of staff children being a part of the MHCO Milieu and the understanding that they will be a part of the everyday job related requirements of working at MHCO.
  • Another suggestion was for events wherein residents will all be receiving gifts but not staff children (i.e. Christmas parties), would it be appropriate for staff to give the event point of contact gifts to include for staff children, so as to include them without broaching a conflict of interest with donors? This type of suggestion could help cut down on the appearance of any child being excluded without putting the burden on the donor.

Cleanliness/Transition Questions:

What Items on a regular basis should be expected to be completed by house parents vs. maintenance?

  • The general agreement in the group was that Maintenance should be utilized for physical repairs that are not common to CCW skills. CCW’s should be responsible for all cleaning, light bulbs changing, filters, cottage checklist items, and simple repairs such as tightening loose screws, simple everyday repairs. Obviously this will differ slightly for upper campus where fluorescent lights and filters are inaccessible to CCW staff.

What should everyday cleanliness in the cottage look like vs. what should be completed on a weekly or monthly deep cleaning basis?

  • The general consensus is that the cottages should always maintain a general level of cleanliness with the understanding of a “lived-in” environment being realistic. It’s okay for the house not to be perfect as activities, cooking, and playing are all occurring but should happen without mass chaos and should be able to be put back to order in relatively short order for tours, etc.
  • Team/SC determine appropriate daily cleanliness and should be monitored by S/C during weekly check ins.
  • Most cottages have items such as vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, and wiping down major surfaces on a daily basis. Dusting and reorganizing surfaces as well as “Deep Cleaning” bedrooms, and common area on at least a weekly basis. Dusting up high, ceiling fans, vents, tops of cabinets, etc on a monthly basis.

What should be the responsibilities of outgoing houseparent’s regarding cottage cleanliness when a house parent leaves the job or transitions to a position in another cottage?

  • Cottages/living spaces should be left in a “move-in ready” state. Specifics listed under next question.

What should be the tasks for residents, CCW, and maintenance? What condition should the exited cottage be left in after a move?

  • Residents should be responsible for deep cleaning their room and bathrooms upon leaving and making sure that all personal items are removed – Followed up by CCW.
  • CCW should ensure that the entire cottage is deep clean and move in ready; completely free of trash or clutter, floors and surfaces clean, any needed maintenance requests submitted, ensuring shed and patios are in order with appropriate items removed, remove all food items from fridge, pantry, and freezer and clean appliances. Checked by S/C
  • Maintenances responsibilities should include making sure that any and all needed requests, or repairs are completed prior to the date of new people moving in. After repair or painting, anything that was moved should be put back in appropriate place.
  • We should ensure that plenty of time is available for outgoing staff and residents to complete move, we would recommend a minimum of 1-2 month depending on the amount of things that will need to be moved (i.e. Staff that don’t have housing elsewhere will have considerably more to move).
  • Whenever possible we should schedule, in advance volunteer clean up/moving time where staff from across campus can pull together in organized fashion to assist in the moving and cleaning of outgoing cottage to minimize the burden of the staff and residents making the transition.

I think much of this is already happening, but these are suggestions that we think will help across the board if implemented consistently.