Date of Paper/Work
8-2022
Type of Paper/Work
Doctoral Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Occupational Therapy
Department
Occupational Science/Occupational Therapy
First Advisor
Jennifer Hutson
Department/School
Doctor of Occupational Therapy
Abstract
Purpose. Justice-involved women have unique pathways into the criminal justice system, so it is important staff are trained to address their needs. Staff receiving inclusive practice training and using trauma-informed care principles may be more effective when working with justice- involved populations. There is little known about the impact of inclusive practice training on staff knowledge, so this project aims to investigate the impact of a training session on the knowledge of re-entry staff.
Approach. For this capstone project, I used an evidence-based process to create an employee handbook and provide a 4-hour training. I then used surveys containing Likert-type and open- ended questions to understand staff knowledge and the applicability of the work-related training. To examine the survey data, I used descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.
Outcome. Three staff from two residential re-entry centers and four from Amicus Services of Volunteers of America received the handbook and attended a 4-hour training. Training topics included: Person-centered language, cultural humility, trauma-informed care, gender identity and gender expression, self-care, and crisis-de-escalation. Staff reported having little to no previous training on inclusive practices, cultural humility, person-centered language, and policy. Following the inclusive practice training, staff reported an increased desire to implement such practices in their daily work with justice-impacted populations.
Implication. Regular staff training led by outside entities provides tools for addressing vicarious trauma and gender-inclusive practices.
Recommended Citation
Jama, Hawo Abdullahi. (2022). Staff Training for Non-Correctional Employees Working with Justice-Involved Women. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/otd_projects/57