| OCR Text |
Show Objective 2: Establish the ways in which IRC staff is accountable to family mentors. Current Practice: 5 .3 .2.1 IRC is accountable to family mentors in providing a clear definition of the family mentor role and then to assess to what extent that role is understood by mentors. As well as to communicate what the initial months of mentoring will entail. This has all been discussed in Goal 1. IRC is also accountable to offer resources to family mentors that include: the Family Mentor Training, on-going assistance for training needs, and distributed materials, as discussed in Goal 2. For Goal 3, I would like to focus on IRC feedback to family mentors in general, the case manager role in relation to family mentors, and the lack of privacy policies for obtaining sensitive refugee family information. 5.3.2.2 I would like to discuss the current situation relating to the lack ofIRC's foundation of consistent commitment to heeding the needs and suggestions of family mentors in a timely fashion, no matter how irregular mentor feedback/questions may be. While I believe that IRC strives to fulfill this commitment, it is evident from family mentors that this is not happening. From my discussions with mentors, it is clear that IRC often has not contacted mentors regularly nor responded to individual requests on a consistent basis. One mentor explained a scenario that happened to her when she was in search of a car seat for her family. "Well, Dianne (Development Coordinator ofIRC) told me that she would get me one but, I couldn 't get a hold of her and she never did anything about it. So I contacted my family's case manager, [case manager] and I didn't ever hear back from her either. Eventually, I was just able to get the seat from a guy named, I think, [IRC Staff] or something like that. It was so disorganized, like they didn't even write my name down, they just said, "Bring it back". I was like, all right, we 'll see" (FG2). 5.3.2.3 Because of multiple experiences like this, family mentors are not motivated to have a communicative relationship with IRC because they lack confidence in them. Many mentors remarked that they do not tum in IRC' s desired feedback (uncertain as to what this actually includes) because they do not think that the feedback will even be read by anyone. They feel this way because of IRC' s failure to read/respond to the mentor's questions, concerns, and/or suggestions (FGl, 11). 5.3.2.4 One anxiety that many family mentors expressed was the frequent turnover in IRC Staff. These mentors feel that this may be one of the causes for the inconsistent communication that is taking place. They also expressed the difficulty in staying motivated to the giving and taking of feedback from staff, when they know that the employees are newly acquainting themselves with the program (FG 1, 12). One family mentor said, " ... it was kind of hard because when I got used to one person, s/he would leave and I would have to reestablish a relationship with another person that did things completely different. Some people were great, I would ask them about something and they would follow through. Others, I would have to ask five or six times and still not get a result. I really wanted more information on my family" (12). 25 of 25 |
