Building a landscape of resilience after workplace violence in public child welfare Jessica Strolin-Goltzman PhDL, MSW, Sharon Kollar MSW, Karen Shea MSW, Cindy Walcott MA, Sarah Ward MSW, LiCSW PII: DOI: Reference: S0190-7409(16)30397-8 doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.11.001 CYSR 3141 To appear in: Children and Youth Services Review Received date: Revised date: Accepted date: 29 June 2016 2 November 2016 2 November 2016 Please cite this article as: Strolin-Goltzman, J., Kollar, S., Shea, K., Walcott, C. & Ward, S., Building a landscape of resilience after workplace violence in public child welfare, Children and Youth Services Review (2016), doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.11.001 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Building a Landscape of Resilience after Workplace Violence NU SC RI PT in Public Child Welfare Jessica Strolin-Goltzman, PhD, LMSW University of Vermont Sharon Kollar, MSW MA SUNY University at Albany Karen Shea, MSW ED State of Vermont AC CE PT Cindy Walcott, MA State of Vermont Sarah Ward, MSW, LiCSW University of Vermont Submitted for review and publication in Children and Youth Service Review ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Building a Landscape of Resilience after Workplace Violence NU SC RI PT in Public Child Welfare Submitted for review and publication in Children and Youth Service Review MA Abstract Workplace violence in public child welfare is prevalent, however, little guidance is ED provided to support child welfare leaders in moving their organizations through organizational trauma when violence strikes. This paper aims to provide the field with a resource that will (a) PT provide a brief overview on the prevalence of workplace violence in child welfare, (b) describe CE prevention strategies, (c) suggest a framework for responding to violence and (d) apply this framework to a recent event in public child welfare. Implications for policy and practice AC guidance are included. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Introduction Throughout the literature, there is data about the prevalence of violence toward human NU SC RI PT service professionals (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014; Kim & Hopkins, 2015; Newhill, et al 2003; Robson, Cossasr & Quayle, 2014; Zelnick, Slater, Flanzbaum et al, 2013), information about violence prevention models (US Department of Labor, 2015; Miller, 1999;), and findings depicting significant associations between worker perceptions of safety and turnover (Auerbach, McGowan et al, 2010; Ellett, Ellis, & Westbrook, 2007; Faller, Grabarek & Ortega, 2010; Glisson, 2015; Kim, 2011; Strolin, McCarthy & Caringi, 2006); however, little guidance is MA provided to support child welfare leaders in moving their organizations through organizational trauma when violence strikes a member of their workforce. As Dutton and colleagues note ED (2002), “Once in a great while, tragic circumstances present us [leaders] with a challenge for PT which we simply cannot prepare…The managerial rule books fail us in times like these when people are searching for meaning and a reason to hope for the future ( p.55).” Recent events CE have shed light on the scarcity of resources within the field that could provide a guiding light for AC leaders to help their organizations move through the darkness of the initial days and months following an act of violence against a child welfare staff member. This paper aims to alleviate this gap by providing information and concrete strategies for child welfare management to utilize as they lead their workforce from crisis to resilience. Specifically, as depicted in figure 1, this paper will: (a) provide a brief overview on the prevalence of workplace violence in child welfare, (b) describe prevention strategies, (c) provide a framework for responding to consumer-related workplace violence with composure, communication, and compassion, and finally (d) provide child welfare management with a concrete case example of how the framework can be applied using the example of a tragic ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT shooting of a public child welfare social worker in Vermont. Prevention Response Application NU SC RI PT Prevalence Literature Review Prevalence of workplace violence Over the past five decades, studies have found that social workers are exposed to verbal, emotional, and physical violence in their workplaces (Horejsi, Garthwait, & Rolando, 1994; MA Shin, 2011; Sousa, Silva, Veloso, Tzarfri, & Enosh, 2014). Social service workers “face significant risks of job-related violence” (OSHA, 2015, p. 1). The exact prevalence of client ED violence toward child welfare professionals is unknown; however, there is evidence that child PT welfare workers are at a higher risk for experiencing workplace violence compared with other human service professionals (Kim & Hopkins, 2015; Newhill et al 2003; Robson, Cossasr & CE Quayle, 2014;). For example, in a nationally representative study of social workers across the AC United States, Jayartne, Croxon and Mattison (2004) found that institutional mental health and child protective services professionals received the most verbal threats and acts of violence directed toward them in the workplace. In this study, approximately 44% of child protective workers reported either personally experiencing or knowing a colleague who had been physically assaulted while 64% were threatened with physical violence. Further, according the Bureau of Labor statistics (2014), over the past several years there has been an increase in work related injuries within social services despite a decrease in many other professions. Workplace violence, as defined by The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, includes “violent acts (including physical assaults and threats of assaults) directed toward ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT persons at work or on duty” (CDC/NIOSH, 2002 as cited in OSHA, 2015. Workplace violence has been categorized into four types (Peek-Asa et al, 1997): NU SC RI PT Workplace violence has been categorized into four types (Peek-Asa, et al, 1997): “Type I: External/intrusive violence: workplace violence events of criminal intent by unknown assailants, as in a robbery. Also includes terrorist acts, protest violence, mental illness or drug related aggression and random violence. Type II: Consumer related violence: workplace violence events involving customer/patient/client and family violence against staff; includes vicarious trauma to staff. MA Type III: Relationship violence: worker-on-worker violence (including bullying) involving current or former co-workers and managers; includes domestic violence and sexual harassment at work and third party violence. ED Type IV: Organizational Violence: against staff, consumers/clients/patients; against other organizations or communities. Terrorist acts condoned or sponsored by PT organizations. (p. 1050).” CE The prevalence of violence against child welfare workers by clients/consumers (Type II) AC was reported in the literature before the 1990s and resulted in some changes in practice such as improved preventative health and safety measures (Scalera, 1995). More recent child welfare data is scarce; however, we can look at the prevalence of workplace violence in social service settings. For example, 27% percent of the fatalities in healthcare and social service settings that occurred in 2013 were due to assaults and violent acts according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (as cited in OSHA, 2015). Further, approximately 70% of all workplace assaults between 2009 and 2013 occurred in healthcare and social service settings (US Department of Labor Occupational Safety Health Administration, 2015) Despite the statistics, the attention given to the issue seems short shrift and regrettably, often tied to tragedies. As such, Zelnick and colleagues (2013) advocate for more consistent and ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT rigorous research into effective prevention and response strategies to mitigate workplace violence in social services. NU SC RI PT Preventing Consumer-related Workplace Violence Common prevention strategies include education and in-service trainings, reinforced safety policies, and improved work environment (Gilmore-Hall, 2001; Horejsi et al., 1994; Jayaratne, Croxton, & Mattison, 2004; Macdonald & Sirotich, 2001; Newhill, 1995; Newhill & Wexler, 1997; Ringstad, 2003; Sousa et al, 2014). In 2015, the Occupational Safety and Health for Preventing Workplace MA Administration (OSHA) published Guidelines Violence for Healthcare and Social Service Workers which ED identified 5 building blocks for the development of an PT effective workplace violence program. These include (1) CE Management commitment and employee participation, (2) Worksite analysis, (3) Hazard evaluation. AC prevention and control, (4) Safety and health training and (5) Record keeping and program Management commitment and employee participation. Commitment of the organization’s management and employee participation in safety initiatives are essential. Some experts have suggested making prevention of workplace violence a priority through the use of employee teams to develop, review, and implement policies dealing with violence (The Littler Firm, 1988). The establishment of clear internal and external lines of communication is a necessary strategy for responding effectively to crisis situations (Littler, 1988). Such communications strategies may include clear plans for communicating effectively ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT and briskly with the entire workforce and equipping workers with cell phones to call for help at any time (Gilmore-Hall, 2001; Horejsi, 1994). NU SC RI PT Some experts have suggested making prevention of workplace violence a priority through the use of employee teams to develop, review, and implement policies dealing with violence (The Littler Firm, 1988). In addition, Rey (1996) noted that “A key component of [prevention] efforts is the development of high professional self-esteem and refusal to accept violence as a condition of life for our clients or ourselves” (p. 33). Developing this professional self-esteem can lead to employees’ increased participation in developing preventive measures within their MA organizations. Worksite analysis. ED According to OSHA (2015) the assessment of the workplace should include input from PT senior management, supervisors and workers to survey employees and clients, review incident records, examine procedures and operations, and analyze workplace security. In addition to a full CE worksite analysis, Littler suggests that management should make efforts to prevent workplace AC violence by using the employee assistance program (EAP) and other medical resources. Upon completion, the worksite analysis should be used to identify the hazard prevention and control measures needed to reduce the potential for future incidents of workplace violence (OSHA, 2015). Hazard prevention and control. A clear plan should be developed that details potential hazard prevention and control measures such as increased physical security measures, enhanced relationships with local law enforcement authorities, and the development of crisis procedures for responding to an incident of workplace violence. According to OSHA (2015) and Littler (1998), the worksite analysis and ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT hazard prevention measures should assist in the identification or development of appropriate training. NU SC RI PT Safety and health training. Many argue that workers should be trained on safety and preventative practices in school (if applicable) as well as through yearly in-service trainings (Horejsi et al., 1994; Jayaratne, Croxton, & Mattison, 2004; Newhill, 1995; Newhill & Wexler, 1997; Ringstad, 2003). Recommended topics for training include recognizing dangerous situations, intervention and deescalation tactics, teaming, and creating a safety culture (Newhill, 1995; Ringstad, 2003). MA Recognizing dangerous situations. Managers should work with trainers to educate employees and supervisors to recognize the early warning signs of potentially violent behavior. ED According to the Littler Firm (1998) there is a clear pattern of escalation leading to violent PT behavior is often present so workers and their supervisors should be trained on how to recognize and respond to the following behaviors: CE “Ominous threats - such as "bad things are going to happen" to a certain person or "that AC propane tank in the back could blow up easily." Threatening actions - such as intimidation of others or attempts to instill fear (others). Menacing gestures and flashing of concealed weapons…could be ways of testing reactions to their conduct. Bizarre thoughts - such as perceiving that the world is falling apart or expressing a highly overstated sense of entitlement. Obsession - which is likely to be expressed by holding a grudge…or, in some cases, a fascination with an unrequited romantic interest.” ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Training should also focus on policies that support employee reports of threatening behavior and reporting of early warning signs to supervisors for further investigation. NU SC RI PT Intervention and de-escalation tactics. Training on de-escalation techniques should include simulations or practice component. Curricula would incorporate recognition of the warning signs of escalating behavior and how to “recognize, prevent or diffuse volatile situations or aggressive behavior” (OSHA, 2015). While clients may be the primary focus of these trainings, content should also include how to handle relatives and visitors. Self-defense and the Recordkeeping and program evaluation MA use of restraints may also be included. Organizations should have policies in place to report all incidents of abuse and violence ED to ensure that support and services are available, as well as to help identify potentially dangerous PT situations (Gilmore-Hall, 2001; Horejsi, 1994; Macdonald & Sirotich, 2001; Sousa et al. 2014). Reviewing records (e.g. medical, safety, threat assessments, workers’ compensation, and CE insurance) will help identify patterns of violence or “near misses” that could have been prevented AC or reduced if appropriate controls were in place (OSHA, 2015). Specific attention should be paid to when and where these incidents are occurring since individual offices, units, or job positions may be experiencing violent incidents at higher rates than others during specific times or while carrying out certain duties. Record reviews should be routinized and incorporated into ongoing program evaluations in order to assess progress and identify opportunities for additional training or policy/procedure changes. As program deficiencies are identified, a system needs to be in place to implement changes in an effort to lower the incidence and severity of violence (OSHA, 2015). Responding to Workplace Violence: A framework for the 5 Essential Elements ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT In 2007, Hobfoll and Colleagues developed a framework called the Five essential elements of immediate and mid-term trauma interventions based on current research evidence. NU SC RI PT Although this research-based framework was developed in response to mass trauma, in this paper it will be applied to consumer-related workplace violence in public child welfare. The five essential elements of the framework are summarized below and include: 1. Promote safety 2. Promote calming 3. Promote sense of self efficacy 4. Promote connectedness MA 5. Promote hope Promote safety. The trauma literature suggests that as perceptions of safety and actual ED safety are increased, post-traumatic stress reactions decrease (Ozer, Best, Lipsey, & Weiss, 2003). As a sense of safety is reintroduced after an acute stress response, the brain will begin to PT regulate its release of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) which inhibits an individuals’ CE ability to access functions of the pre-frontal cortex necessary in a crisis response such as AC decision-making and moderating social behavior (Charney, 2004). It is important for leaders to understand that establishing actual safety may be achieved more quickly than reestablishing a sense of safety (Pynoos et al, 2005). Skip Stuck (2013) noted the importance of teaching safety, not through fear, but through preparation, awareness and selfconfidence. Steps that might be taken to establish a sense of safety in an organization recently affected by extreme trauma include utilizing effective communication strategies, increasing social support, revisiting safety training and policy, and providing effective mental health services. A timely, informative, choreographed and open communication plan will relieve possible “pressure-cooker” effects that lead to damaging rumors that only hinder feelings of safety among the workforce (Hobfoll et al, 2007). ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Promote calming. Regulating emotionality and extreme anxiety after a crisis is essential in promoting calmness and a return to normal life rhythms of sleep, nutrition intake, NU SC RI PT hydration, decision making, and performance (Hobfoll et al, 2007). Effective clinical strategies to establish calm immediately following a crisis include adequate sleep, hygiene, practicing yoga, mindfulness, or muscle relaxation. Additional organizational strategies for promoting calming include increasing opportunities for social support and providing psychoeducation on the effects of trauma and secondary trauma in addition to guidance for media exposure. Providing opportunities that facilitate these strategies can assist individuals in activating higher MA order cognition and brain functioning. Increased arousal may inhibit restoration of equilibrium; therefore, immediate calming of the extreme emotions associated with the trauma is crucial ED (Bisson et al, 1997). PT Promote self-efficacy. A workers’ belief in their own ability to produce positive outcomes has been termed self-efficacy, while collective efficacy is the belief that the group CE within which an individual belongs will be capable of overcoming a threat and will positively AC respond to adversity (Bandura, 1997; Benight, 2004). Promoting both self and collective efficacy within a child welfare organization that has experienced workplace violence is essential for healing and recovery from the crisis. There are several cognitive-behavioral strategies that might be employed in order to enhance the likelihood of restoring self- efficacy (Follette and Ruzek, 2005 as cited in Hobfoll et al 2003), including:  Promoting individuals as experts with the skills to overcome the crisis  Demonstrate belief in the efficacy of the group  Remind individuals of their own efficacy rather than focusing on building efficacy as if there was none prior to the crisis ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT  Solicit assistance from individuals in solving the larger system challenges related to the crisis, which in turn leads to collective group efficacy. “Empowerment without resources is counterproductive and demoralizing NU SC RI PT  (Rappaport, 1981 as cited in Hobfoll, 2007, p. 295.)” Promote connectedness. Related to collective efficacy, leadership must promote connectedness after workplace violence. Humans are social animals and the neuroscience literature points to the importance of mirror neurons in creating the capacity for humans to connect and identify with one another and to have a sense of social identification (Gallese, MA 2009).The literature on the role of coworker support, and other professional social support networks, in recovery from stress and trauma is abundant (Gabert-Quillen et al., 2012; Kim & ED Hopkins, 2015 Padyab et al, 2012; Sippelet al 2015; Southwick et al, 2016). PT According to Hobfoll and colleagues (2007), social support activities include knowledge sharing and dissemination, mutual problem solving, emotional understanding, sharing CE of traumatic experience, feelings of being needed, advice, and the normalization of reactions to AC the traumatic event. The destructive nature of negative social support is also noted with an emphasis on putting systems in place to protect survivors from unrealistic expectations about their recovery (Hobfoll, et.al, 2017). Promote hope. Evidence found by Carver and Scheier (1998) supports that the more that individuals are able to retain hope after trauma, the more likely they will experience positive outcomes. Specific examples of effective strategies for instilling hope include engaging community leaders in the facilitation of hope building interventions such as the Trauma Informed Community Building (TICB) based in San Francisco. The TICB “aims to enhance residents’ capacity for participation in community change process; promotes social cohesion, ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT reinforces community supports and resiliency; and, counteracts negative aspects of the community reaction to trauma (Rose, 2014, p. 3).” Further, Siegfried states (2008), “Child NU SC RI PT welfare work is motivated and sustained by hope, compassion, and knowledge. It is important for workers to find relief from everyday tasks by engaging in activities or relationships that restore hope and serve as reminders of the benevolent side of humanity p. 4 .” Thus, restoring hope in the aftermath of a tragedy is essential for continued healing and progress. MA Summary. When Hobfoll and colleagues developed the framework, Five essential elements of immediate and mid-term trauma interventions, they identified the importance of ED maintaining flexibility within the framework that could be applied across culture, place and type PT of trauma. The five elements described in the above section were developed in response to a mass trauma, although they are adapted above to trauma experienced in the human service CE workplace. In the following sections, the authors will demonstrate how this framework applies AC to steps that were taken in response to a fatal workplace shooting of a public child welfare social worker. The following example is the first outline a public child welfare organization’s response to workplace violence through the lens of the 5 essential elements. Application of the framework to a real case example: Vermont’s response to an incident of consumer-related violence On August 7, 2015, Lara Sobel, a veteran Vermont social worker was fatally shot by a client outside of the public child welfare building where she worked. There have been few events in recent history that have resulted in such a widespread response from the child welfare ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT and social work communities. The shooting launched the child welfare workforce, in Vermont and across the nation, into new territory. In the words of a state leader, “The way that this NU SC RI PT unfolded was so unbelievable, so painful, and I knew this was going to change everything, but I underestimated what everything was…” The following describes the immediate and mid-term responses taken by leadership at all levels in the Agency of Human Services, Department for Children and Families (DCF) and the DCF Family Services Division. Leadership in all roles including the Secretary of the Agency of Human Services, the Commissioner of DCF, the Deputy Commissioner of the Family Services MA Division as well as District Directors in each of the DCF Family Services offices around the state responded to the tragedy. Below are examples of how leadership applied within the Five ED Essential Elements for Trauma Response. PT Promote Safety Leadership focused instantly on choreographed communication and support to hold the CE workforce together through the initial stages following the shooting. These immediate actions AC were then followed by the implementation of safety training and policy changes. Choreographed Communication and support. In order to promote safety, it was the responsibility of organizational leaders to provide accurate information about the incident and to notify staff that there was no current safety threat. Upon receiving a report of the shooting, the operations managers within the division decided that every member of the workforce would be contacted about the tragedy by someone they knew. This was accomplished by activating phone trees in each of the district offices. Simultaneously, an email was sent to the workforce from the union that a worker had been shot. Shortly after the email from the union, three emails were sent from management. First, the District Director sent an email to her staff that included the steps ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT that were planned to ensure continued and ongoing safety, strategies for self-care, and guidance on how to respond to media and manage communication. The next email came from the Deputy NU SC RI PT Commissioner of the Division which included several facts about the incident including that the shooter was in police custody, a directive that no worker was to be called out on a case, and supportive statements from both herself and from the governor. This email did not release the name of the worker as the family had not yet been informed. Twenty minutes later, the Commissioner of the larger Department for Children and Families sent an email releasing the name of Lara Sobel to the statewide workforce and providing information on what mental health MA supports were available to them. These emails each served a distinct purpose and attempted to instill a sense of safety in the workforce while not overwhelming them with repetition and ED unnecessary information. PT Workforce safety training and policy changes. In order to address workforce safety over the long term, the department utilized their staff safety workgroup, their university training CE partnership staff, and their national network of supports to develop new policies and trainings. AC An overview of training curriculum from across the country was reviewed. Security risk assessments were completed on all state buildings and a policy was developed in order to provide staff with information on how to respond to threats, violence and other safety or security issues. It also includes instructions on how to document and communicate about the incidents. This documentation allows the department to track incidents and to use the data collected for the purpose of program evaluation and prevention. With the support of resources from the New Jersey Child Welfare Partnership, the Vermont Child Welfare Training Partnership created a “Safety Awareness in Child Welfare Practice: Staff Safety Toolkit”. This document supports a two-day training that provides ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT participants with information on safety-related issues and opportunities to develop skills for managing the personal safety of workers, supervisor, and managers. Topics include: The Four NU SC RI PT A’s of Safety (Awareness, Assessment, Anticipation and Action), De-escalation Techniques, Factors that Impact Response to Danger, Considerations for Working with Certain Populations, Environmental Assessments, Safety Agreements and Self-care. This training is part of the development of a resilient and confident workforce that participates in a culture of awareness within a secure physical environment by providing baseline knowledge and opportunities for district planning. Additional safety training needs were identified through evaluation of the two MA day training, including Advanced Communication Skills and Active Shooter training. These additional trainings are being coordinated and developed by the Vermont Child Welfare Training ED Partnership and the Family Services Division. PT Promoting Calming. Communication through the three initial choreographed emails shared a powerful balance CE between providing facts, advice and sharing necessary information (promoting safety) and being AC compassionate, and educating about what emotional reactions might arise as they moved through this horrific event together (promoting calming). Calming was promoted through comments like, “This is the time to focus on supporting one another and to call on our supports to help us through – this isn’t going to be easy individually or as an office….Our heads are reeling and our hearts are hurting, I care about each of you…” and “Right now it is hard to see a way forward. It will take all of us together to find the strength. Each one of us will grapple with this in our own way. Please, please seek the support that you need.. (excerpted from emails received from division leadership)” ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT In addition, middle management from the state provided assistance to district leaders by helping them to stay connected to outside support, while not allowing it to overwhelm them. NU SC RI PT These managers directed communication so that the division leaders could remain calm and focused on the needs of their district, while still receiving necessary information. Within one week, there was support from a neighboring state offering to provide a trauma debrief to the management team across the state. This debrief provided an avenue for management to grieve together while balancing professional responsibilities. MA Psychoeducation and training on trauma and resilience is another way that the department was able to promote calmness. Fortunately for Vermont, there was a foundational ED culture of self-care in place as evidenced by their commitment to the prevention of secondary trauma and worker resilience team. Staff had previously received training on secondary PT traumatic stress (online and in-person) where staff who attended these trainings had created their CE own self-care plan. When this traumatic incident occurred, the state was able to bring in a therapeutic consultant to help manage traumatic impact, remind staff of their self-care plans, AC connect them to available resources, and provide therapeutic debriefing. In an effort to understand how staff were coping, the consultant wrote up an evaluation and assessment that summarized district needs and provided management with suggestions for immediate and future interventions. Promoting Self Efficacy through workload management and collective mourning rituals. Vermont’s focus on addressing workload so that workers could be effective at their job, while effectively healing from the trauma, is consistent with the third essential element. To achieve this element, administrators relied on the organization’s infrastructure and leadership capacity to promote self-efficacy among the workforce both in the short-term and in an ongoing way. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Workload management. Within days of the shooting, there was a plan in place to release staff in the affected district from all non-essential duties and have all critical functions covered NU SC RI PT by staff from outside districts and the central office. The leadership recognized that there was a need to both cover critical functions and ensure that staff had support and the capacity to grieve with each other. One central office manager stated, “During first week back – we knew we needed additional staff on an ongoing basis in Barre beyond the immediate coverage. They already had 3 staff vacancies and with Lara’s murder they were down 4 staff. So over the weekend we finalized the plan to manage the front end workload.” This reduction in workload MA continued for the first two months after the shooting. The state provided this ongoing reduction by taking over child safety investigations at the front end and bringing six workers from other ED offices and a supervisor into the district. PT Two months after the shooting the district’s trauma consultant completed an assessment of the workforce that showed that the impact of secondary trauma on the capacity of the ongoing CE staff in Barre was affecting their self-efficacy. At that point, leadership decided to give the staff AC a week off. They needed time to step away from the work to focus on themselves and each other so that they could come back and focus on the work. During that time, 80 cases were moved to the two neighboring districts. The operations manager became a full time presence in Barre walking the fine line between support and accountability. One co-worker suggested that her presence encouraged workers to get the support they needed to solve problems and use their skills to successfully work with families. The management reported maintaining a balance between allowing the district workforce to make decisions for themselves and recognizing that the ability to do so in times of traumatic stress can often be impaired, so it can, at times, be more helpful to have someone at the state level making those decisions for them. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Collective mourning rituals are also needed for building a sense of self-efficacy. On Sunday a vigil was hosted by the Union in honor of Lara’s life. Hundreds of community NU SC RI PT members from across the state came together in support of each other and to pay tribute to Lara’s dedication to serving vulnerable children and families. On the first workday following the shooting, all of the staff from the district where the shooting occurred came together state leadership to grieve and connect with one another as a supportive community of practice. Clinical supports were on site and available to staff and remained an important, available MA resource for several months. Promoting Connectedness, both internally and to the larger ‘hubs of hope’, was integral ED in the organization’s response to this tragedy. As mentioned above, staff came together immediately and throughout the first few months following the shooting. Administrators helped PT them to connect to services including psychoeducation and therapy along with supporting their CE connection to resources in the community. The department communications office created a webpage so people could access supportive messages when they were ready to view them. In the AC intermediate term, one key to the recovery was to identify who was not feeling connected and to join them with others. While the field was doing everything that they could to reinforce connections, safety and security, the response on social media from segments of the community response often felt very disconnected, and damning of the system for removing children. It was an unexpected consequence that other clients would use Lara’s murder as a springboard for an increase in verbal threats directed at FSD child welfare workers such as “You’ll be just like that Sobel woman.” Leadership at all levels of the government, including up to the Governor, were critical in helping to counter-balance the increase in verbal threats and promoting increased connection ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT between FSD and the surrounding community. Key messages from state leadership to community partners, legislative representatives, parents and staff statewide over the course of NU SC RI PT several months reminded people of the impact on the office where the shooting had occurred. It also kept the community apprised of the plans that had been put in place to support staff who were still struggling with the traumatic impact of the murder. In addition to local responses, the shooting of Lara Sobel received national attention and there was a countrywide response that connected all levels of Vermont’s workforce to a national ‘hub of hope’. The state leadership was contacted by leaders in neighboring states with offers of MA support. One state that had experienced its own event of consumer-related workplace violence their state training partnerships. ED reached out and connections were made between the two state commissioners and staff within AC CE PT Communication strategies implemented are displayed in Figure 1 below. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Figure 1: Hubs of Hope Statewide Agency of Human Services/Department of Children and Families Agency/Department: Commissioners communicated facts of case and supportive resources out to the Department Division: Deputy Commissioner communicated out to the Division District: District Director informed her workforce directly and in a timely fashion PT ED District Level MA Division of Family Services NU SC RI PT National National: National agencies compiled supportive messages from professional community Statewide: Department communications created a webpage so people could access supportive messages CE Promoting Hope. Two ‘hubs of hope’ were created for Vermont’s workforce that served as a forum where people could send thoughts of support, suggestions for moving forward, AC guidance, and reactions to the event. The first was created on the state’s intranet for workers to be able to share emails that were received without needing to forward to the entire listserv and overwhelm the communication avenues. The second was created by the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) as a forum for the nation to voice their support for the child welfare workforce of Vermont. News about the death of Lara Sobel spread quickly throughout the national child welfare community and within days of the shooting, NCWWI, a national center that provides workforce development resources to a large national audience of child welfare professionals and researchers, had received many requests for resources and offers to help. On August 11, 2015, ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT four days after the shooting, NCWWI sent an email to their distribution list providing links to safety-related materials and inviting the child welfare community to offer their condolences and NU SC RI PT perspectives about the critical importance of child welfare staff. In response to this invitation, NCWWI received messages from hundreds of child welfare staff, leaders and partners from states, counties and tribes around the country and Canada who offered their condolences to Lara’s family, friends and colleagues in Vermont, and their support and appreciation for the critical work of child welfare. These messages of hope and connection covered five primary themes including: respect and support from the field, community/family of MA practice, larger systems change, religion and spirituality as hope, and worker safety. This national ‘hub of hope’ provided the Vermont workforce with messages like, “I know ED that all social workers from around the world send their love and care in solidarity”. Comments PT also served as a reminder that those who work in child welfare have a “love for the work and for the families that we serve.” They mentioned the sacrifices made by the child welfare workforce CE but also tied these sacrifices to the positive outcomes that workers are able to help families AC achieve. There were many comments that included the words appreciation, gratitude and thanks. These communications also carried a very deliberate message of hope and connection to why workers dedicate their lives to this work. One person remarked, “I am saddened…but empowered by what she represents and will continue to lift up my fellow workers and continue our good work…” and another said “We truly believe in the success of families staying together and value children even more! I am hopeful that her family can find peace knowing that Lara made a change in lives – a real change!” and finally, “Child welfare is not just a career choice, it is a lifestyle. The commitment to assist families and communities to find better outcomes for ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT vulnerable children, and the passion that fuels that drive to protect children lies deeply within each of us.” NU SC RI PT To experience hope after a tragedy it is important to build on one’s strengths and to share experiences of success with others. Comments from the national network also expressed how important the work is to families, children and communities. Saying things like, “may her sacrifice shed some much needed light on the positive work that she and so many others do and the lives that are made better because of child welfare workers like her” and “I recognize and honor all that my fellow social workers do to protect children; your work has not gone un- MA noticed” and “They are the mountains that hold up the kids…the hope that fosters positive beliefs…that a child can be somebody no matter their life circumstances”. ED These messages were shared both with the Vermont workforce and the national network PT in an effort to use these expressions of collective sorrow to bolster efforts to advance worker safety and build on the range of resources needed to effectively support the child welfare CE workforce. Conclusion AC Despite losing multiple staff to turnover since Lara’s murder coupled with the vacancies that were already present, the effects were, and continue to be, tremendous. However, for the six months following the shooting the leadership rolled onward with flexible and responsive practice changes consistent with Hobfoll and colleagues (2007) essential elements framework. According to leadership at the Division, the key elements and lessons learned include the following:  Return to normalcy is slow.  One state leader stated, “The natural tendency is for people to want to try to get back to normal, so the further away you are, the more people try to ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT get back to their own natural state of being, so people who were not in the middle of it were beginning to get insensitive and expecting people to be NU SC RI PT moving on.” It is important to keep a balance of moving forward and honoring that the trauma can still be very real and very powerful depending on the sphere of influence.  There is a shifting nature of reactions to traumatic events  “ Sometimes you won’t see impact on people’s ability to function until months later when the immediate crisis response calms down.” Be MA continuously prepared to respond to staff needs with mental health supports. “Provide an environment that is conducive to onboarding new staff into PT  ED  Remember to focus on building positive new culture that district.” Build a culture that allows for remembrances and continues CE to permit grieving and healing.  Balance empowerment with resource allocation and strong decision making. AC  Create a hub for decisions and assistance outside of the district so it can be plan full and not piecemeal. Give a role to helpers in a structured way that has an external hub. This paper provides a framework for preventing and responding to workplace violence, but more importantly it tells the story of how a leadership team may be able to moderate the deleterious effects of violence through strategies that promote workforce resilience. The field of child welfare has a solid bedrock of worker commitment that is represented in individuals such as ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Lara, and many others. The resilience of the child welfare workers, supervisors and managers is AC CE PT ED MA NU SC RI PT evidenced by a continued dedication to the children, youth and families they serve. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT References Auerbach, C., McGowan, B. G., Ausberger, A., Strolin-Goltzman, J., & Schudrich, W. (2010). 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