INDIRECT SERVICES
I would assume that many individuals, when asked what "helping" people looks like, would associate such a term with finding housing for the homeless, serving individuals at food kitchens, or counseling recovering drug addicts. However, while those are all wonderful examples of the type of "help" human service programs provide, they are only the beginning. This is because such "Direct" programs could not exist without the "Indirect services" that support them. Indirect services are the research, program evaluation, management, and administration behind every human service program. These services are the driving focus behind making sure the "Direct" services are being utilized (and made available) to their fullest capacity.
During my time in HSP 305: Small Group Systems, I had one such opportunity to practice indirectly serving others. Our task was to help an organization specializing in assisting first-generation college students. They requested that we help them with updating their website. We separated into small groups to tackle the task. Each group decided on a different area they could help. My group decided to create a "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQ) page. We compiled our final results (after extensive research and developing the product) and presented them to the organization.
I helped another organization in my HSP 404: Community Systems course. This time, I took on a solo task. During my last year at Western Washington University, I had taken on the role as a coordinator for the homeless outreach program, CAST (Coffee and Sandwiches on Tuesday), run out of Faith Lutheran Church in Bellingham, WA. I ran the Monday night session and constantly ran out of supplies. I finally met the other coordinators in April of 2014--seven months after I had started my position there. What I found once I met them was that no one was on the same page. No one communicated effectively about low supplies and things were constantly missing. As part of my class, I took on a project of community organizing where I developed a communication system at the church for all coordinators and volunteers of CAST. Two months later, we had a constant stream of (the needed) supplies and people were using the whiteboard I set up to communicate with the next group.
The final example of indirect service that I personally provided was for HSP 404: Internship (I). Due to a hectic schedule and need for accessibility, I chose to intern at my workplace. I worked as a Behavioral Intevention Support Specialist at Service Alternatives, Inc and was constantly on the floor working with 1-one-1 clients. Now, my workplace got very hectic very often. As a group, many times my coworkers would get wrapped up in the behavioral side of our job and would forget about upkeep of the building and taking care of making sure documents were in order. Thus, my internship became all about the indirect side of my job: paperwork and communication with the administration and other organizations that we utilized for our clients. I did many things during this time. Some things included reorganizing binders, organizing the storage units and medicine cabinet, ordering new medication, and working as the on-call supervisor once or twice a month (my job was to be a liaison between the on-shift staff and the administration about incidents are requests). As an added bonus, I created a sign language book full of basic words and phrases that our client's understand to communicate basic needs.
Along with doing actual indirect service, it was also a topic I regularly studied in the Human Services program. One such example of this was from HSP 435: Human Services and Management. The management behind any organization is a great example of indirect services in and of itself. For this class, I was able to analyze and present findings on the management behind the YMCA of Whatcom County. Doing this research really helped me better appreciate and understand the complexities of what work goes on behind the scenes. I also became aware of where communication occurred so that, in my own job, when I felt a communication barrier, I could bridge that gap to make work more effective.
During my time in HSP 305: Small Group Systems, I had one such opportunity to practice indirectly serving others. Our task was to help an organization specializing in assisting first-generation college students. They requested that we help them with updating their website. We separated into small groups to tackle the task. Each group decided on a different area they could help. My group decided to create a "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQ) page. We compiled our final results (after extensive research and developing the product) and presented them to the organization.
I helped another organization in my HSP 404: Community Systems course. This time, I took on a solo task. During my last year at Western Washington University, I had taken on the role as a coordinator for the homeless outreach program, CAST (Coffee and Sandwiches on Tuesday), run out of Faith Lutheran Church in Bellingham, WA. I ran the Monday night session and constantly ran out of supplies. I finally met the other coordinators in April of 2014--seven months after I had started my position there. What I found once I met them was that no one was on the same page. No one communicated effectively about low supplies and things were constantly missing. As part of my class, I took on a project of community organizing where I developed a communication system at the church for all coordinators and volunteers of CAST. Two months later, we had a constant stream of (the needed) supplies and people were using the whiteboard I set up to communicate with the next group.
The final example of indirect service that I personally provided was for HSP 404: Internship (I). Due to a hectic schedule and need for accessibility, I chose to intern at my workplace. I worked as a Behavioral Intevention Support Specialist at Service Alternatives, Inc and was constantly on the floor working with 1-one-1 clients. Now, my workplace got very hectic very often. As a group, many times my coworkers would get wrapped up in the behavioral side of our job and would forget about upkeep of the building and taking care of making sure documents were in order. Thus, my internship became all about the indirect side of my job: paperwork and communication with the administration and other organizations that we utilized for our clients. I did many things during this time. Some things included reorganizing binders, organizing the storage units and medicine cabinet, ordering new medication, and working as the on-call supervisor once or twice a month (my job was to be a liaison between the on-shift staff and the administration about incidents are requests). As an added bonus, I created a sign language book full of basic words and phrases that our client's understand to communicate basic needs.
Along with doing actual indirect service, it was also a topic I regularly studied in the Human Services program. One such example of this was from HSP 435: Human Services and Management. The management behind any organization is a great example of indirect services in and of itself. For this class, I was able to analyze and present findings on the management behind the YMCA of Whatcom County. Doing this research really helped me better appreciate and understand the complexities of what work goes on behind the scenes. I also became aware of where communication occurred so that, in my own job, when I felt a communication barrier, I could bridge that gap to make work more effective.
Related CSHSE Standards...
Standard 6: The combined competencies and disciplines of the faculty for each program shall include both a strong and diverse knowledge base and clinical/practical experience in the delivery of human services to clients.
Standard 14: The curriculum shall provide knowledge and skills in information management.
Standard 15: The curriculum shall provide knowledge and skill development in systematic analysis of services needs; planning appropriate strategies, services, and implementation; and evaluation of outcomes.
Standard 18: The curriculum shall provide knowledge, theory, and skills in the administrative aspects of the services delivery system.
Standard 6: The combined competencies and disciplines of the faculty for each program shall include both a strong and diverse knowledge base and clinical/practical experience in the delivery of human services to clients.
Standard 14: The curriculum shall provide knowledge and skills in information management.
Standard 15: The curriculum shall provide knowledge and skill development in systematic analysis of services needs; planning appropriate strategies, services, and implementation; and evaluation of outcomes.
Standard 18: The curriculum shall provide knowledge, theory, and skills in the administrative aspects of the services delivery system.