PLC Inside Scoop | Spring 2021
A Message from Our President/CEO
Dear PLC,
With spring comes renewed hope, and my hope for the future is greater than ever. My heart is with each of you who has experienced loss. I am extremely inspired by your commitment and flexibility as, despite the many obstacles, you continue to fulfill PLC’s mission. Even as you grieve, respond to increased parenting demands, cope with uncertainty, suffer from a lack of contact with family and other loved ones, and experience illness yourself, you remain on course, prioritizing the needs of those we support. While necessity has helped us develop new ways to serve our children and youth, we can now look ahead to when virtual connections will serve to complement our in-person services. As you are abundantly aware, social interaction is essential to every aspect of our health, and we cannot deny the increased potential and power of a face-to-face connection.
As we continue to make great strides and grow our capacity to serve more children and youth, and with greater impact, please remember that you – each and every one of you – are an essential part of the bigger system that allows all of our work possible. You are deeply appreciated.
Take care of yourself and those you love, and keep the faith.
Sincerely,
Dr. Laurence Jackson
President and CEO
Make An Impact with PLC Gives
Everyday, PLC employees make a difference. Make an even bigger impact by contributing to PLC Gives, our first ever employee giving campaign!
A group of your PLC colleagues have created the PLC Gives campaign and have also gotten the donations rolling! Please join them! It’s simple to set up one-time or recurring payroll deductions, or you can donate through a one-time or recurring credit card payment. Of course, cash and checks are great too. Just visit the PLC Gives webpage to get started.
May 13, 2021 – Clinical Training | Philadelphia
June 10, 2021 – Risk Management | Presented by HR
July 8, 2021 – Clinical Training | Delaware
July 22, 2021 – CPR/First Aid
Kelly Taylor, Lead Foster Care Case Manager
Foster Care Program, York, PA – 3/8/2021
Alison Levy – 4/6
Mia Santiago – 4/6
National Social Work Month
Social workers are essential workers. They drive the fulfillment of PLC’s mission and are fundamental to a community’s wellbeing. In March, when we celebrated National Social Work month, two PLC Delaware social workers received public accolades for their commitment and expertise.
By the Office of the Child Advocate of Delaware, PLC’s Melita Grimes was selected as a Star Family Court Representative based on her meticulous presentation of foster child case information, thorough permanency testimony, strong working relationships with birth parents, and effective collaboration with state attorneys and other supportive permanency resources.
Melita has been an awesome worker advocating for children experiencing foster care. She gets to know the children and families on her case load, goes above and beyond to help in any way she can, and is a wealth of knowledge. –Delaware’s Office of the Child Advocate CASA Coordinator
Gifty Akpandja earned special recognition from Delaware officials and Department of Family Services leaders for the outstanding outcomes resulting from her work with a struggling youth unable to communicate in English. Gifty was also recognized for her exceptional case review during the annual Department of Family Services audit – only one of two staff recognized in the entire state of Delaware!
Gifty, the exceptional quality of your work, which is I’m sure a reflection of your heart, goes a long way to both positively impact families and spread the good news about PLC to our community stakeholders. – Dr. Laurence Jackson, PLC President and CEO
Congratulations to Melita and Gifty, and to all of PLC’s compassionate and courageous social workers who have beautifully navigated a challenging time, not missing a beat in their advocacy of vulnerable children and youth.
Human Resources Updates
Managing Work-Related Stress
Workplace stress is highly personal. Some people thrive in fast-paced jobs, such as emergency room nurses, police officers, and air-traffic controllers. These are stressful jobs where making a mistake can put people’s lives at risk.
Many of us might not thrive in such high-pressure environments. But that doesn’t mean our jobs are less stressful. Every job has its own kind of stress. There could be short deadlines, endless paperwork, or the occasional angry customer. Or there may be meetings that drag on for hours, putting everyone even more behind. All can cause stress.
Employee Spotlight
In this 2nd quarter issue of the Inside Scoop, we are featuring one of our amazing Lead Case Managers, Gifty Akpandja from the Delaware office. Listen in!
“My compassion for humanity is what motivated me to choose social work as a profession.”
-Gifty Akpandja
The Magic is in the Administration!
When you think of PLC, you might picture our compassionate clinicians working hand-in-hand with children and families. And yes, this is an essential piece of the PLC machine. But the PLC engine wouldn’t run without our adept and skilled staff of accountants, administrative coordinators and specialist, and program managers. Last month, the team that keeps our Community Programming Initiative (CPI – ProgressiveLifeCenter.org/CPI) at peak performance, earned a 100% on their annual compliance audit, and we want each of them to hear our applause!
Congratulations Team CPI, for recognition of your excellence in the categories of finance, training and capacity, quality assurance, contracts management, and events and activities. Sheree, Judy, Christiana, Sarina, Carlton, Teresa, Kianga and Teneisha, the outcomes realized by the youth and families served through CPI are made possible only with your expert support.
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Both female and male youth are exposed to early sexual victimization. The 2015 NISVS data found:
- 11 million or 43.2% of females reported their first completed or attempted rape occurred prior to age 18.
- For men, 51.3% or 1.5 million men first experienced completed or attempted rape prior to age 18.
For more information and to learn how to get involved, visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC).
Administrative Services and Quality Improvement Survey 2020
Just a reminder that your opinions matters. Please take 5 minutes out of your day to complete the 2020 Administrative Services & Quality Improvement Survey. We utilize the data in these surveys during the Council on Accreditation (COA) renewal process (we all have experienced COA renewal time. The process is very involved).
Keep in mind the survey is confidential and anonymous. In addition, upon return of your survey, you will be entered into a raffle with a grand prize worth $100 (this may be your year to win!) Once you have completed the survey, print (or “print screen”) the “Thank You” page and email it to carrie.moore@plcntu.org, and your name will be entered into the raffle.
Thanks in advance for your participation!
Click Here to Take the Survey.