Kristin Blair Nichols

Professional Dossier

Contents:

Resume

DCS Hotline Training

DCS Hotline Cohort Training

DCS Hotline Manual

Planning and Organization

Team Building

DCS Hotline Future

Kristin Blair Nichols4614 Turfway Court

Greenwood, Indiana 46143Phone: 317-270-7290 Email: kristinblairnichols@hotmail.com

EDUCATIONIndiana University - Bloomington, Indiana Bachelor of Arts: May 2008Major: Communication and Culture Minor: Political ScienceRelevant Coursework – Business and Professional Communication, Speech Writing, Economics

City College of San Francisco - San Francisco, CAAttended 2004-2006

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCEIndiana Department of Child Services Hotline, Indianapolis, IN June 2013- Currently EmployedFamily Case Manager Supervisor

Supervised the professional performances of a team of 9 Family Case Managers Managed operations of the DCS Hotline including crisis intervention, customer service affairs, and

workflow Reviewed and approved preliminary reports of child abuse and neglect Directed and managed the DCS Hotline Training Team Created and managed a yearly calendar for the 17 Family Case Manager Supervisors at the DCS Hotline Delegated and assigned daily responsibilities to Family Case Manager Supervisors at the DCS Hotline Mentored and trained more than 55 Family Case Managers and Family Case Manager Supervisors Created and executed training programs for Family Case Managers and Family Case Manager Supervisors

Indiana Department of Child Services Hotline, Indianapolis, IN January 2010- June 2013Family Case Manager

Created and presented training curriculum for newly hired candidates and visiting trainees Constructed materials and reference guides for new hires and visiting trainees Composed a comprehensive manual for staff entailing policies, processes, and human resources topics Lectured, mentored, and trained new hires and visiting trainees Received and documented reports of child abuse and neglect Determined legal sufficiency of allegations of child abuse and neglect with application of state laws

Barnes and Noble Booksellers, El Cerrito, CA - Bloomington, IN June 2002 – June 2008Lead Bookseller / Bookseller

Trained and taught new employees company programs and register operations Delegated tasks to other employees Answered phone calls and relayed messages to managers

Albany-Berkeley Optometry, Albany, CA June 2001-December 2002Assistant / Secretary

Organized office and paperwork, issued insurance claims online, managed office files Performed minor optical tests with patients

ORGANIZATIONS AND ACTIVITIESBig Brother and Big Sisters of Central Indiana June 2011- May 2012“Big sister”

Counseled and mentored an at risk youth Provide educational assistance and guidance

References available upon request

Training

My largest contribution to the DCS Hotline has been the advancement of the DCS Hotline’s training program. The DCS Hotline’s training curriculum, tools, and materials were completely overhauled during my process to create a more comprehensive, approachable program. In January 2010, when I started at the DCS Hotline, the training to prepare Intake Specialists for their duties was lacking and I believed that it could be improved. I reached out to my supervisor and suggested ideas to advance the program. I reconstructed the training schedule, added additional lectures, and created brand new training materials including the DCS Hotline Training Manual. These changes created incredible results including better prepared Intake Specialists who were knowledgeable, excited, and practiced for their position.

Training is one of the most crucial areas at the DCS Hotline, and is one area that is often overlooked. Educating our employees of new policies and procedures is imperative for the DCS Hotline’s success. In addition to the initial training that DCS Hotline employees receive, it is vital that we continue to educate the DCS Hotline team of the most current information regarding policy, procedures, and relative topics.

Above: Kristin delivering the Practice Model training to DCS Hotline employees

DCS Hotline Cohort Training

In addition to internal trainings, I was one of three employees that created the Indiana DCS Hotline Cohort Training curriculum and presentation that is still given to DCS’s Cohorts today. My focus on this project was the comprehensive packet provided to each cohort visitor. The packet contains basic information regarding the DCS Hotline including: statistics, history, Magik Intake, and how the DCS Hotline works with the field.

Prior to becoming a supervisor at the DCS Hotline, I was paired with a colleague to present this information to Cohorts every other Friday during each Cohort’s visit to the DCS Hotline. The feedback received from these DCS Cohorts was astonishing. So many cohort members commented that the presentation had opened their eyes to the importance of the DCS Hotline within the child safety pyramid. Some even noted how they were interested in joining the DCS Hotline team. Educating our new DCS employees of the DCS Hotline’s processes and its place within the DCS system will always be an ongoing priority at the DCS Hotline.

Above: The DCS Hotline Cohort Packet title page and sample page

DCS Hotline Training Manual

In 2012 after identifying the need, I drafted the DCS Hotline Training Manual. My vision for the DCS Hotline Training Manual was to bring together all the scattered information distributed to employees since the DCS Hotline’s creation, weed out all the policies that were void, and create one centralized resource that could be efficiently and effectively utilized. The digital guide is easily updated and distributed to reflect changes quickly. This tool encompasses every aspect of an Intake Specialists’ position including: Human Resources information, report format, different types of reports, the Intake Guidance Tool, Magik Intake, CISCO functions, customer service, contacts, and resources. Since the DCS Hotline Training Manual’s beginning, many employees have openly applauded this resource as the one that they use daily. The DCS Hotline training curriculum corresponds to the DCS Hotline Training Manual to ensure no information is skipped during the training process. Newly hired Intake Specialists are also given one hard copy of the DCS Hotline Training Manual on which they are free to take notes and review information. The DCS Hotline is always evolving and it is a goal of mine to ensure that this crucial resource continues to progress with the DCS Hotline. Furthermore, it is one of my personal goals for 2014 to create a similar DCS Hotline Training Manual for the DCS Hotline supervisors where all the various procedures, policies, and resources are consolidated into one document for review.

Planning and Organization

Planning and Organization are important to the success of the DCS Hotline. I continuously develop plans, resources, and materials to better assist staff. I also maintain a series of detailed calendars including my own personal calendar, the Supervisor Calendar, and the DCS Hotline Training Calendar.

The Supervisor Calendar

The Supervisor Calendar, which I created, ensures a smooth workflow keeping everyone on the supervisory team aware of schedule changes, time off, and needs. The Supervisor Calendar allows me to create daily assignments for all the supervisors and delegate daily responsibilities to those scheduled to work each day. My Supervisor Calendar and subsequent daily assignments have made the entire supervisor workforce more efficient. Now no one needs to guess what their focus for the day should be. It’s also easy to communicate changes during the day that are visible to the supervisory team, no matter where they may be located.

Above: The DCS Hotline Supervisor Calendar and Daily Assignments

The Adverse Weather Plan

I created the Adverse Weather Plan this past winter after two incidents of poor weather resulted in multiple call offs and travel hazards. This plan was approved by the DCS Hotline’s upper management team to serve as a go to guide when adverse weather is predicted so the upper management and supervisory staff can prepare to properly staff and maintain incoming calls. The goal is to always keep the DCS Hotline running smoothly regardless of the environmental variables that may exist so it is imperative that management plan for these inevitable incidents.

Team Building

Strengthening teams within the DCS Hotline is always a challenge as the environment is not always conducive to team activities and discussions. Although there may be challenges, I find that there are multiple opportunities to encourage team building and maintaining good rapport with our staff. Positive fact files are small gestures that can create a strong impact on an employee. Identifying an exceptional report, receiving feedback of excellent customer service, and exhibiting flexibility to better assist the DCS Hotline are all great opportunities to praise an employee for their service and should be utilized more frequently. Our employees create great work and they should be reminded of their accomplishments.

Fact files are not the only means of imposing positive reinforcement; this past holiday season my team and I sponsored a surprise hot chocolate bar for the staff at the 132 E. Washington office. This small gesture was a raving success. It uplifted spirits of those at the office and made them feel appreciated.

One of the most effective ways to strengthen teams is by addressing team members individually to remind them that they have value and are a strong support to the greater DCS Hotline team. Connecting with individuals regularly and conversing with them is vital to the success and growth of each team member. By habitually checking in with my team members I show a genuine interest in the success of each employee. I like to think of myself as a coach rather than a supervisor. Coaching focuses on the team member and their success and how their success contributes to the success of the entire team. As a coach, I am the facilitator for change by encouraging strengths, recognizing deficits, and providing guidance in an open constructive format. I approach each member of my team with openness and make it clear to each employee that their achievements are a top priority. I believe that having an open line of communication creates a positive environment where ideas can freely flow for constructive results. Additionally, I encourage my team to contact me at any time with questions, concerns, or ideas. This type of unrestrictive environment creates positive relationships, creativity, and self-value.

Above: Kristin meeting with a team member regarding her monthly performance

DCS Hotline Future

The DCS Hotline faces a series of challenges including: efficiency, retention, recruitment, wait times, customer service, and vision alignment. These obstacles will require creative ideas and a fresh perspective which I provide.

Vision alignment is one of my top priorities. If supervisors were more consistent in decision making this would result in less frustration from Intake Specialists and thus would result in fewer turnovers. Education is a great way to re-align the vision of the team and this can be accomplished through regular trainings and more consistent communication. The goal of completing a DCS Hotline Supervisor Manual will also help guide the reader towards consistent answers to common questions and situations.

Retention can also be achieved with minor changes at the DCS Hotline. It is my belief that along with creating a more consistent vision, we can improve retention by improving communication to Intake Specialists. This can be accomplished by sending out mass emails with detailed information to all staff rather than relying on the current practices of the trickledown method where supervisors are responsible for delegating information to their teams. Quarterly trainings would also refresh staff of our core responsibilities. These quarterly trainings would include yearly refreshers on the following topics: the SDM, Customer Service, Report Format and Narrative Writing, and Other Department Updates (ex: Collaborative Care, Family Evaluations, Institutional Unit, etc.). Most importantly, remembering to recognize good work or an employee’s accomplishment takes little time but has a great impact on the employee’s esteem.

Efficiency among Intake Specialists has improved greatly, but has declined within the supervisor tier. Reports are being entered at an extremely efficient rate but the approval rates by supervisors are staggering. The largest culprit is the extreme imbalance in the supervisory schedule. Attached you can see that the distribution of labor hours worked by supervisors between the hours of 7am and 11pm is concerning when considering the consistent patterns of report/call volume.

Above: The current distribution of labor hours. Below: My proposed schedule of labor hours

Monday is consistently the busiest day of the week, yet currently only enlists 70 labor hours while Saturday, traditionally one of the slowest days of the week, currently enlists 65 labor hours worked. It is imperative that we re-distribute our staff to reflect the need based on the years of data we have supporting where supervisors are needed the most. Attached is one of my ideas to better distribute the labor hours in the work week so that the DCS Hotline can maximize efficiency while keeping everyone’s schedule within only a few hours of what they currently work. Here, the labor hours are more evenly distributed among our busiest days of the week to ensure that reports are approved in a timely fashion. We have been given funds to properly staff the DCS Hotline with additional Intake Specialists and supervisors, but they are only effective if placed strategically.

The above are just a small sample of the ideas I’ve created for the DCS Hotline. I often refer to myself as an innovator and a strong creative force at the DCS Hotline. I am constantly thinking about how to solve problems that face the DCS Hotline and frequently my ideas are utilized by the upper management. I want to continue to support this agency and the DCS Hotline with my skills and abilities and look forward to be able to pursue these goals through advancement at the DCS Hotline.