HOW TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT
AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Tanya Kahl, 211 Manager
Info Line (Akron, Ohio)
Info Line
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Non-profit organization, incorporated in 1975 to
provide Information and Referral in Summit County
Operate five main programs
Provide 24/7 2-1-1 service for
Summit and Lorain Counties, Ohio
Provide after-hours 2-1-1
service for 6 additional counties
Info Line Background (continued)
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Answer approximately 97,000 calls per year
(2-1-1 calls and other contract calls)
Since 2001, Info Line has lost about 50% of the
revenue to support 2-1-1 for Summit County
Daytime I&R Specialists reduced from
approximately 6 FTE to 2 FTE
Calls continue to increase
Increased management time overseeing new
contracts to help support operations
Help!
Info Line’s Intern Program
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In January 2009, started offering internships with
Emergency Food Clearinghouse and MedAssist
In November 2011, began offering full 2-1-1
internship
Intern/Volunteer Hours
Expanded in fall
2012
In Spring 2013 had
seven social work
interns
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
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1,500
1,000
500
0
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
(projected)
Impact of Intern Program
% I&R Calls Handled by Interns/Volunteers
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
2011
2012
2013 YTD
Impact of Intern Program
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13% increase in calls answered
Reduction in abandoned calls
Reduction in hold times
Total I&R Calls Handled
Improved morale
Resource updates
Other projects
29,000
28,000
27,000
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26,000
25,000
24,000
23,000
Jan-April 2012
Jan-April 2013
Getting Started
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Buy-in at your agency
Identify staff to recruit/train/supervise
Identify potential programs at universities and
community colleges and learn their requirements
Decide minimum number of hours for each internship
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2-1-1 : 200 hours during a semester
Food referrals : 64 hours over a minimum of 2 months
Get started!
Potential Interns
Recruitment
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Meet with potential programs
Find out if colleges have Career/Internship Office
Find out about websites for posting internships
Post on your website and let board/partners know
Sample Internship Posting
Selection Process
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Develop position description(s) and application
process
Interview each candidate
Make sure intern understands the type of work
Check references
Determine whether to conduct a background check
Orientation
Sample Training Schedule (Day 1-2)
Training Schedule--(Monday, Wednesday 9-5)
ABC's of
I&R Section Person
#
Responsible
Date
Time
1/14/2013
9:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
1:00
1:30
3:30--5:00
1/16/2013
9:30
10:00
11:00
12:00
1:00
2:30
3:00
4:00
1
2
6
Mary
Mary
Mary
Mary
Mary
22
9
Tanya
Tanya
Tanya
Tanya
Mary
Description
Orientation--picture, agency tour, introductions to staff
Introduction to I&R
I&R Process; Code of Ethics
Confidentiality; include Info Line Policy
Break
Expectations
Shadow Staff
Read ABC's of I&R 1,2,6, 9 and 22
Do scenarios of what is Information only and what is a referral
Computers, phones, emails, network drives, log-ins; accessing Refer-Net
Taxonomy
Refer for searching
Break
Practice searching
Questions/Open Discussion; Review scenarios
Shadow staff
Review Sections 9 and 22.
Read Sections 4, 5, 18
Training Manual Table of Contents
1
2
Sections from ABC’s of I&R
The Nature of Information and Referral
From Greeting to Closure – The I&R Process
3
4
Empowerment and Advocacy
Crisis Intervention
5
6
Follow Up
Confidentiality
7
8
Values, Awareness and Self-Determination
Responding Effectively to “Challenging” Inquirers
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10
Using the Resource Database for I&R Referrals
Disaster and the I&R Specialist
11
Special Populations –Serving Diverse
Communities
Serving People with Addictions
Serving Older Adults
Serving Young People
Serving People with Mental Illness
Serving Miltary Personnel and their Families
Stress Management and the Limits of I&R
Working in an I&R Call Center
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19
1A
2A
2B
3A
4A
4B
5A
6A
10A
11A
Additional Sections
Expectations
I&R Process (Practice determining whether Information or Referral Call with sample calls)
Practice communication techniques and assessment techniques
Code of Ethics
Advocacy Policy and Procedure
Crisis Intervention Policy and Procedure
Abuse Reporting Procedures
Follow Up Policy and Procedure
Confidentiality Policy and Procedure
Discuss process of obtaining verbal consent anytime name will be shared with an agency
Written consent for emergency food line is signed at pantries
Info Line’s Role in Disasters
Applicable sections of Emergency Procedures
Using Language Line for Interpreting
Ohio Relay Service
After each section is read, trainee should discuss that population with supervisor and conduct
relevant searches in ReferNet to help increase awareness of services for that population.
Supervisor will assign these throughout the internship.
18A
23A
Review call monitoring form
Review some reports from Taske
Taxonomy Section
Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria
Principles of Indexing and Taxonomy Structure
Taxonomy Structure and Types of Terms
Search Techniques
Using ReferNet
Introductory Taxonomy Exercise
I&R Poster with Annual Statistics
Top Referred Services and Agencies
Learning Contracts
Supervision
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Requirements of Supervisor
Weekly meetings
Call monitoring/Coaching
Evaluation/Grades
Meetings with faculty liaison
Supplemental Work
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Customer Satisfaction Surveys
Follow up calls
Contacting agencies regarding resource updates
Outreach events
Piloting new activities
Presenting at staff meetings
Shadowing management or staff at meetings
Site visits to agencies
And maybe…
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Data analysis
Analyzing phone recordings
Writing grants
Identifying potential funders
Helping create specialized directories
Social media posts
Reviewing newspapers/websites for resources
Program development
Intern Evaluation of our Program
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Most beneficial to career development
Least beneficial to career development
Training
Supervision
Projects
End of Internship
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Thank you card signed by staff in department
Small gift bag/gift card (~$15)
Treats
Miscellaneous Tips
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Post intern and volunteer photos and names on
bulletin board in breakroom
Food and meeting with I&R staff before start of
year
Block off supervisor’s calendar during first month of
internship
Develop a system for tracking intern/volunteer
hours
What worked well
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Increased capacity to answer calls
Reduced stress for regular staff
Interns are enthusiastic and energetic
Being selective about interns
Social work interns
Team approach to training
Experienced staff mentoring interns
Hiring interns after internship
Challenges
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Time required for training and supervision
Time required to oversee project work
Developing a steady stream of interns
Staff resistance
School breaks/gaps in intern availability
Not all interns work out
Why develop an intern program?
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Answer more calls
More time for each caller
Increase staffing during peak hours/days/seasons
Higher time commitment than most volunteers
Social work students have good background
Extra projects can work on
Valued by funders
Sample Documents Available
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Internship Posting
Intern/Volunteer Manual
Interview Questions
Training Schedule
Training Manual Table of Contents
Learning Contract
Evaluation Form for Interns
Contact Information
Tanya Kahl
Manager, 211 and MedAssist
Info Line
703 South Main Street, Suite 211
Akron, OH 44311
(330)996-5325
tkahl@infolineinc.org
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