Webinar Overview

Staff turnover continues to strain youth residential care programs, disrupting continuity of care and the therapeutic relationships that support young people’s progress. One key driver is that direct care staff and supervisors are often asked to manage complex clinical and behavioral needs without the depth of training, coaching, and day-to-day support required to feel confident and effective. In this webinar, we will present the impacts of a workforce development model, GuideTree, designed to strengthen staff knowledge, confidence, and evidence-based practice skills across a broad range of youth needs. The program also supports supervisor and organizational capacity by providing a shared language and therapeutic framework to guide intervention planning and implementation.

The session will feature lessons from the implementation of GuideTree in a Therapeutic Residential Care program at Hoyleton Youth & Family Services, where program leaders partnered with an evaluation team from the UConn School of Social Work to assess early impact. Presenters will describe staff and supervisors experiences implementing GuideTree in a real-world residential setting, including key implementation facilitators and barriers, strategies for sustaining coaching and supervisory supports, and how the model fits within daily operations. We will also share preliminary findings from a mixed-methods evaluation examining changes in staff and supervisor perceptions (e.g., skills, knowledge, confidence, job satisfaction) alongside youth-level indicators drawn from administrative data (e.g., progress toward treatment goals and critical incidents).

Designed for residential and community-based providers, supervisors, and administrators, this webinar highlights GuideTree as a practical, scalable approach to strengthening the workforce and supporting more consistent, therapeutic care for young people.

Learning Objectives 

• Understand the factors that contribute to an effective workforce development program.
• Identify the possible organizational barriers, challenges, and facilitators of implementing a broad-based, ongoing workforce development program within a residential setting. 
• Conceptualize a methodology for assessing the impact of a workforce development program designed to improve staff and supervisor skills and improve youth-level outcomes. 

Attendance Certificates Available

*Must watch webinar LIVE to receive Certificate

*Each individual requesting a Certificate, must be registered and logged in to zoom under their own name.

If you have questions, please email Amanda.