The Fellows Program.

Introduction

Through organization and member feedback, ORIMHA has been prioritizing the development of highly qualified reflective supervisors to support our infant and early childhood service organizations and providers. Oregon has lacked capacity to meet the Reflective Supervision/Consultation (RS/C) needs of home visitors and supervisors and build capacity for the RS/C needs of the larger cross sector infant and early childhood systems of providers. RS/C provides a variety of benefits to the workforce and the families they support.

The ORIMHA RS/C Fellows project will help to build Oregon’s capacity to deliver high quality RS/C across the state by creating a fellowship program for aspiring RS/C providers.
As the Fellows complete their training and Endorsement, they will be able to grow the RS/C workforce in Oregon and support their own agency staff and individuals in the field looking to join RS/C groups; ultimately leading to an increased network of supports for providers with the intent to reduce turn-over and improve the understanding and awareness of our relationships with each other, ourselves, and our families.
To grow RS/C providers from our current workforce through a combination of education, demonstration and guided implementation with home visiting providers benefiting from high quality reflective supervision provided by Endorsed and qualified RSC group facilitators.
Oregon has lacked capacity to meet the Reflective Supervision/Consultation (RS/C) needs of home visitors and supervisors and build capacity for the RS/C needs of the larger cross sector infant and early childhood systems of providers. RS/C provides a variety of benefits to the workforce and the families they support. RS/C: ‘RS/C reduces burnout and compassion fatigue while awarding practitioners the opportunity to share personal and professional challenges to their work within the context of safe and trusting supervisory relationships. It is within this relationship that issues related to culture, diversity, equity, and inclusion, vital to self-awareness and effective service, can be explored’ (Wilson et al 2021).

The Fellowship

ORIMHA is using its expertise and relationships with RS/C providers in the state to leverage, coordinate, and provide an RSC Coordinator/Primary Facilitator of home visiting reflective groups. This project will focus on sustainability by growing RS/C providers from our current workforce through a combination of education, demonstration and guided implementation with home visiting providers benefiting from high quality reflective supervision provided by Endorsed and qualified RSC group facilitators. These "Fellows" groups will include co-facilitators who are fellows identified due to their training, ability and interest in providing RS/C in Oregon in the future. Fellows and RS/C recipients will be supported and encouraged to pursue endorsement through specific outreach activities and targeted resources as well as through coverage of their membership as members of ORIMHA. As the Fellows complete their training and Endorsement they will be able to grow the RS/C workforce in Oregon and support their own agency staff and individuals in the field looking to join RS/C groups; ultimately leading to an increased network of supports for providers with the intent to reduce turn-over and improve the understanding and awareness of our relationships with each other, ourselves, and our families.