In this episode of i3 we will discuss racial disparities and disproportionality in the Child Welfare system with the South Carolina Department of Social Services State Director, Mike Leach, and a consultant from the Casey Family Foundation, Mr. Lyman Legters.  Our conversation ventures into several areas within the ‘system’ that contribute to these disparities such as over reporting, over surveillance, narratives that have driven a ‘rescue mentality’ in human services, the traumatic impact of bias on children, youth, families, and lastly, how biases drive unequal outcomes on many levels within Child Welfare.  The episode concludes with dialogue regarding how we might re-imagine a child welfare system that is equitable through the implementation of innovative ways that help mitigate these injustices with a sense of urgency.   Intro/Outro Source:  You're-My-Sunshine_AdobeStock_511566197

In this episode of our i3 podcast we talk with Sue Meyer, the Manager of Employee Trauma Support and the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Coordinator.  She discusses the prevalence of Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) in child protective services, the sources of STS and how it can wreak havoc on human services workers.  She goes on to talk about how the Employee Trauma Support Team is working with employees to lower the incidence of STS and lessen its’ negative impact on our professionals.  The Team’s work along with the inception of EAP two years ago, has proven to be lifelines for traumatized employees.  The EAP also provides exemplary services to all DSS employees, their families and household members.  Thus, improving their wellbeing while having a positive impact on our bottom line. Intro/Outro Source:  You're-My-Sunshine_AdobeStock_511566197

During this episode of i3 our guest, Dr. Anita Khetpal, discusses an important component of Self Care; namely ‘Mindfulness’.  Dr. Khetpal provides our audience with an understanding of what ‘Mindfulness’ entails and various strategies that we can incorporate into our lives each day to help us enjoy being present and not become overwhelmed thinking of past experiences or future expectations.  Dr. Khetpal gives insight regarding how ‘Mindfulness’ not only helps the human services professional, but also those that we serve by focusing solely on them without being distracted by internal or external circumstances or experiences.     Intro/Outro Source:  You're-My-Sunshine_AdobeStock_511566197

In this episode of i3 Lew Rogers shares strategies on professional development for leaders within the South Carolina Department of Social Services utilizing innovative approaches through the implementation of the agencies Coaching Model.  Lew discusses the methods in which he and his team brainstorm about ways to think of how to build leaders, develop those imaginative thoughts into ideas, and strategically implement them into innovative approaches to leadership development that will yield a workforce that is both encouraging, supportive, and effective in the way that we approach our work. Intro/Outro Source:  You're-My-Sunshine_AdobeStock_511566197

This episode of the i3 podcast features Mr. Tim Mose, Director of Child Support Services.  Tim’s division has proven to be one of the most innovative areas within SCDSS over the past few years as they have implemented several new features to enhance their performance.  As a result, they have increased Child Support collections to a point where they are amassing over $300 million annually for children and families in South Carolina.  In this episode Tim shares a wealth of knowledge about the creation of those innovative ideas through the use of teamwork and technology.    Intro/Outro Source:  You're-My-Sunshine_AdobeStock_511566197

In this episode of our i3 podcast Dr. Suzanne Sutphin discusses the importance of ‘innovation’ as it pertains to her work in Quality Assurance and Continuous Quality Improvement.  Dr. Sutphin discusses how she’s used innovative approaches as the Director of QA and CQI at the South Carolina Department of Social Services in hopes of helping others use similar methods to improve their work in human services through examples that she provides.  She also discusses the following:  the use of data to drive informed decision-making, the importance of blocking out time on your calendar to allow space for developing ideas to enhance your work, and how peer to peer relationships help to generate thoughts on how to improve overall performance.    Intro/Outro Source:  You're-My-Sunshine_AdobeStock_511566197

As Social Service professionals our goal is to provide quality services daily for individuals and families who are dealing with challenging, oftentimes, traumatic situations in their lives.  As a result, we rarely take the necessary time needed to intentionally focus on improving the strategies, policies, and procedures that guide the provision of these services.  In this episode of i3 you will hear from the State Director of the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Director Mike Leach, who is a driving force behind “Reimagining Social Services” by utilizing innovative approaches that can improve the quality of our work.  Director Leach will discuss what drives him as a state and national innovator as he shares insight on the importance of critical thinking required to refine the work that we perform in our efforts to improve outcomes for those we serve.    Intro/Outro Source:  You're-My-Sunshine_AdobeStock_511566197