Direct Care Professional Peer Mentor Program

Direct Care Professional Peer Mentor Program

“A Call to Mentoring”: Manager Toolkit

Contained within this document are the tools to be inserted into the online DCP Peer Mentor Manager Toolkit. They are simply identified by a number and are in numerical order as they appear in the toolkit narrative. Each tool, worksheet, template, checklist, and sample is downloadable, printable, and modifiable to provide employers as much flexibility as possible. Website links, tips, quotes, and other resources are inserted into the body of the toolkit narrative for easy access.

Resource #1:

IS A DIRECT CARE PROFESSIONAL PEER MENTOR PROGRAM RIGHT FOR OUR ORGANIZATION?

A good place to start is by holding a committee planning meeting that consists of the following: administrator; human resource staff; those who educate, manage, schedule, and supervise direct care staff; preferably one or two direct care/support staff from your organization; and any others you deem appropriate. Answering some fundamental questions will help to ensure that everyone is on a similar page…at least by the end of the meeting.

This worksheet is intended to help walk you through that process. You may add or delete questions as you see fit. We recommend using a flip chart to record the comments during the meeting. Making it possible for everyone to view the same information facilitates better discussion.

Mentor Defined: A mentor is a trusted counselor, guide, coach, or tutor in a long-term, ongoing relationship.

Resource #2:

IN THEIR OWN WORDS:

ADMINISTRATORS, SUPERVISORS, AND MENTORS SHARE BENEFITS OF A DIRECT CARE PROFESSIONAL

PEER MENTOR PROGRAM

Administrators, Supervisors, and Mentor/Mentees who participated in a Direct Care Professional Peer Mentor project through the Iowa Better Jobs Better Care grant were asked about what contributes to a successful DCP Peer Mentor Program. Here’s what they said.

What Do You See as the Benefits of a Mentor Program?

RESOURCE #3

What Does 100% Buy-In to a Direct Care Professional Peer Mentor Program Mean? What Others Have Said

The following table provides a collection of comments from administrators, supervisors of direct care staff, and direct care professional mentors and mentees. It is clear that “buy-in” means different things to different team members. Just saying that you are committed to the success of the DCP Peer Mentor Program isn’t enough. Those who shared these comments realized later that it would have been beneficial to all had they more clearly shared with each other what their definition of buy-in is.

Use this modifiable tool to document how those within your organization define what “buy-in” to a Peer Mentor Program means.

Resource #4:

CHECKLIST OF STEPS TO IMPLEMENTING A

DIRECT CARE PROFESSIONAL (DCP)

PEER MENTOR PROGRAM

Need to add resource reference page number for each of these sections in some fashion

Ready the Organization

_____Form a DCP Peer Mentor Program Planning Committee (See Introduction)

_____Conduct an initial planning using the tool “Is a Direct Care Professional (DCP) Peer Mentor Program Right For Our Organization?” (See Introduction) If yes…

Develop an Implementation Plan

_____Develop a job description for the DCP Peer Mentor position

_____Determine the incentives your organization will offer DCP Peer Mentors

______Develop an equitable selection process

____Develop eligibility criteria for your DCP Peer Mentor Program applicants

____Develop a job application or use/modify an existing application

____Prepare an interview process and questions

____Develop a scoring process if one is to be used

______Use a timeline of key dates

______Develop an evaluation plan

______Educate all staff and other interested persons about the DCP Peer Mentor Program

____Plan and hold an informational meeting about the DCP Peer Mentor Program

____Post a DCP Peer Mentor Program flyer announcing the opportunity in employee lounges, on bulletin boards, on your website, in your organization newsletter, as check stuffers, or via company email.

____Distribute information about the program, applicant eligibility, and application deadline (check stuffers, employee lounges, “A Call to Mentoring: A Direct Care Professional’s Peer Mentor Educational Program”© postcards to solicit DCP applications

______Implement the selection process

____Accept applications for the DCP positions

____Screen applicants for eligibility based upon on criteria you established

____Interview applicants

____Select applicants

____Notify applicants

______Enroll DCPs in Mentor Program training

______Hold an orientation meeting with the DCPs prior to the Mentor Training

______Receive and acknowledge new DCP Mentor graduates

______Provide assignments to new Mentors

______Provide ongoing support, problem-solving, and encouragement

______Evaluate the program periodically (Linda/Pam)

Resource #5

DIRECT CARE PROFESSIONAL

PEER MENTOR JOB DESCRIPTION

Insert job description provided by Julie Rossow. Request samples from , Wendy Thibedeaux, and others.

Include the orientation checklist as part of their job description.

Use information from Question #8 on the worksheet entitled “Is a Direct Care Professional Peer Mentor Program Right for Our Organization?” to develop the job description.

RESOURCE #6

SAMPLE: DIRECT CARE PROFESSIONAL PEER MENTOR

NEW STAFF ORIENTATION CHECKLIST

Depending upon the setting in which you provide care or support and the clients served, you may choose to list very specific orientation tasks to your DCP Mentors. This is an example of one used by DCP mentors in a nursing home. Use this modifiable tool to add your own tasks. You may want to engage your DCP staff in the development of this checklist. Whatever the expectations, they should be detailed and decided early on in your planning. They must also be consistent with the Direct Care Professional Peer Mentor Job Description you develop. In addition, it will be critical that you ensure that any delegation of duties is in keeping with governmental, corporate, union, and other policies, laws, or regulations governing your industry, as well as educational standards or qualifications of the employees.

Resource #7: POTENTIAL INCENTIVES TO OFFER DIRECT CARE PROFESSIONAL MENTORS