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In-house workshop teaches workers of community services available to them
The Division of Youth Services held a staff-in-service workshop on community assistance programs available to them in their daily line of work last Thursday and Friday.
DYS administrator Vivian Sablan said a major component of the DYS action is to increase professionalism and this workshop added to that.
Division of Youth Services and other government agency staff pose for a photo during a break from their workshop at Mariana Resort and Spa last Thursday. (DENNIS B. CHAN)
“I brought agencies in together that cover community assistance programs that DYS deals with on a regular basis with our families. My intention is get these people in and have an overview, a question-and-answer session to clarify some of our protocol issues so we can also improve on our standard operating procedures,” she told Saipan Tribune.
For example, one presentation from the Department of Public Safety was on car seat safety.
“We transport clients on a regular basis, to and from appointments—when we move clients from homes and take them shelter, when we transport clients to foster care. So we want to make sure that we have the knowledge we need to make sure the kids are safe,’
Melycher Sablan, a DYS caseworker for the last four years, said one thing she learned was “how to install car seats” the right way.
She also got good advice from the Medicare office.
“Before, we would line up and turn in applications for our clients… but today it’s much faster if applications are attached with a letter from DYS,” she said.
Other agencies that participated were the Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority, CNMI Social Security Office, Northern Marianas Protection and Advocacy Systems, and Commonwealth Health Care Corp., among others.
