Agency Dossier Reference Sheet
Confidential Briefing Unit 3: Organizational Systems
Community Connections Family Services
Nonprofit Multi-Service Agency · Founded 2011 · Contract Services & Crisis Response
Committee Packet #1
Date: Nov 5 | 90-Min Lab
Total Staff 18 Case & crisis staff
Vacancies 3 17% staff deficit
Wellness Budget $10,000 Single-year grant
Active Caseload 385+ ~25 families / worker
Agency Mandate & Operational Reality
Community Connections provides emergency housing vouchers, family stability support, trauma-informed crisis referrals, and community resource navigation across the county. Because contract funding requires high documentation standards, workers face mounting compliance paperwork while managing acute family crises.
• Hours: Case managers routinely log 8–12 unpaid overtime hours weekly to finish logs.
• Supervision: 2 clinical supervisors manage 16 frontline staff with under 15 min 1-on-1/wk.
• Turnover: 2 veteran caseworkers resigned in the past 6 months; morale is at historic lows.
• Client Impact: Intake wait times jumped from 4 business days to 18 business days.
Direct Staff Testimonials: Exit Interviews & Anonymous Climate Survey
Collected October 2026
Maria R., MSW Family Support Case Manager (4 Yrs)
“I know we’re legally entitled to a 30-minute lunch, but when twelve desperate families are waiting for callbacks and court filings are due at 4 PM, stepping away feels like neglect. I eat crackers at my desk while typing case notes.”
Derrick T., BSW Housing Specialist (1.5 Yrs)
“Management sends us wellness emails with breathing gifs and suggests chamomile tea, but three desk pods next to me have been empty since August. Telling us to ‘breathe’ while dumping three caseloads onto one person is insulting.”
Aisha K. Crisis Intake Coordinator (3 Yrs)
“I used to feel deep empathy when clients came in tears. Lately, when someone starts sobbing in my office, my first thought isn't compassion—it's pure irritation because I know I won't go home until 8 PM. That terrified me. That’s not who I am.”
Elena G., LCSW Clinical Supervisor (6 Yrs)
“My workers are traumatized by secondary stress, but I spend 90% of my week in state compliance audits and grant reporting. I only talk to my staff when a file audit fails or a critical incident occurs. They feel completely abandoned.”
Carlos V. Bilingual Community Navigator (2 Yrs)
“Our software crashes three times a day, losing unsaved notes. Then clients text my personal cell phone on Sunday morning because no one explained after-hours emergency protocols. There is zero separation between work and life.”
Exit Interview (Anonymous) Resigned Senior Caseworker (5 Yrs)
“I loved our mission, but my physical health broke down. Insomnia, panic attacks in the parking lot, and migraines. The agency lost five years of institutional knowledge because leadership treats staff like renewable batteries.”
NOTICE
Employee Wellness Committee Charge: Executive leadership has recognized the crisis and allocated an emergency grant of $10,000. Your committee must review employee feedback, distinguish individual coping symptoms from structural workplace causes, allocate funds strategically, and propose policy solutions. Self-care slogans will not solve structural failure.
Community Connections Family Services · Internal HR Docket #CC-2026-W3 Fundamentals of Human Services · Resource Reference Dossier
Burnout Budget Group Packet
Simulation Packet Human Services · Unit 3: Lesson 3.10
The Burnout Budget Challenge
Saving Our Staff Without Sacrificing Our Clients · 90-Minute Block Lab (50 Formative Points)
Committee Working Packet
Agency: Community Connections
Lead Facilitator
Student Name
Budget Director
Student Name
Staff Advocate
Student Name
Client Impact Analyst
Student Name
Essential Question: How can human services organizations reduce employee stress and burnout while maintaining effective, continuous services for their clients?
1 Part 1: Diagnose the Workplace, Not the Worker (15 min · 10 pts · Reference Agency Dossier)
Examine the agency profile and direct staff testimonials. Separate individual burnout symptoms from organizational root causes, then evaluate how each breakdown directly threatens client welfare.
| 1. Observed Employee Symptoms
Exhaustion, cynicism, anxiety, detachment | 2. Systemic Root Causes
Staffing, caseload, tech, supervision gaps | 3. Direct Client Service Consequences
Wait times, dropped files, ruptured trust |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Domain A: Workload & Hours | | |
| Domain B: Compassion Fatigue | | |
| Domain C: Boundaries & Support | | |
Worker Self-Protection: Boundaries Staff Must Set Despite Organizational Deficits Professional Agency
While leadership is responsible for working conditions, human services professionals cannot wait for management to save them. Based on Maria, Derrick, and Carlos's testimonials, what concrete boundary-setting actions and self-protection practices must workers independently establish to avoid burnout and compassion fatigue?
1. Operational & Time Boundaries: (e.g., protecting lunch breaks, digital disconnect after hours, documenting over-capacity limits)
2. Emotional & Clinical Safeguards: (e.g., peer debriefing, identifying early cynicism, maintaining empathetic detachment)
Fundamentals of Human Services · The Burnout Budget Challenge Page 1 of 4
2 Part 2: Spend the $10,000 Wellness Budget (25 Min · 15 Points)
Discretionary Cap: $10,000 MAX
Your committee must choose at least three (3) initiatives below without exceeding $10,000. Each line item must be justified by directly linking it to a documented problem from Part 1.
Official Improvement Menu & Cost Schedule
Admin Help: $6,000
Ext. Supervision: $3,000
Counseling Pkg: $2,500
Boundary Training: $1,500
Case Tools: $3,500
Break Coverage: $4,000
Peer Mentoring: $1,000
Wellness Room: $1,500
| Selected Initiative |
Cost |
Documented Problem Addressed |
Expected Staff & Client Outcome |
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| Total Spent: |
$ |
Remaining Balance: |
$ |
Zero-Cost Policy Recommendations (10 Points · Choose 1 or 2)
Requires Board Approval
Spending alone cannot change culture. Select at least one structural policy change to mandate agency-wide:
A. After-Hours Firewall Ban on internal emails/texts & client calls between 6:00 PM – 8:00 AM. Emergency line diverted to county crisis.
B. Protected Supervision Weekly non-cancelable 45-min reflective debrief for each caseworker. Exempt from billable audit quotas.
C. Intake Pause Protocol Mandatory automatic diversion to county waitlist whenever agency caseworker vacancy rate exceeds 15%.
1. Selected Policy & Operational Guidelines (Exact rules staff and managers must follow):
2. Management Accountability (How will leadership be prevented from violating this policy when pressure rises?):
Fundamentals of Human Services · The Burnout Budget Challenge Page 2 of 4
3 Part 3: The Problem With Your Plan (15 Min · 10 Points)
Management Update Card
Leadership has dropped an unexpected operational shock. Check your assigned card and analyze how this complication challenges your budget allocation and policy defenses.
Assigned Card: Update A: Another Resignation Update B: Client Surge (+25%) Update C: Boundary Revolt
1. Vulnerability Diagnosis: What immediate failure does this complication expose in your current staffing capacity or client services?
2. Strategic Pivot vs. Standing Firm: Do you reallocate your $10,000 (e.g., swapping items for coverage or admin help) or defend your original ledger? How do your policy changes shield the team?
4 Part 4: 60-Second Executive Board Pitch Preparation (20 min · Oral & Written)
60-Sec Cap
Structure your group’s 1-minute spoken presentation to the Board of Directors using this script framework:
1. The Systemic Problem Hook (15s): “The real crisis at Community Connections is not worker attitude, but...”
2. The $10,000 Budget Defense (20s): “We invested in [Initiatives] because they directly eliminate...”
3. Non-Negotiable Policy Shift (15s): “Without spending money, leadership must immediately enforce...”
4. Client Service Guarantee (10s): “This plan protects our clients from harm and delays because...”
Fundamentals of Human Services · The Burnout Budget Challenge Page 3 of 4
5 Part 5: Final Systemic Reflection (5 Min · 5 Points)
Essential Understanding
Why is it insufficient—and often harmful—for a human services organization to respond to employee burnout solely by encouraging workers to practice individual self-care? Explain using evidence from your budget decisions and trade-offs.
Performance Assessment Rubric (50 Formative Points)
Formative Evaluation
| Criterion |
Exemplary (Full Pts) |
Proficient |
Developing |
Score |
| Workplace Diagnosis |
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|
| (Part 1 · 10 Pts) |
Accurately separates symptoms from root causes; articulates actionable worker boundaries & client risks. |
Identifies main causes; links employee symptoms to client outcomes and basic boundaries. |
Confuses personal coping with systemic issues; superficial client risk links. |
/10 |
| Budget & Justification |
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| (Part 2 · 15 Pts) |
Selects ≥3 initiatives under $10k; provides rigorous root-cause justification for each expense. |
Under $10k budget; selects 3 initiatives with reasonable operational justification. |
Over budget, fewer than 3 choices, or lacks clear connection to agency issues. |
/15 |
| Policy Recommendations |
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| (Part 2 · 10 Pts) |
Actionable zero-cost policy with clear operational rules and realistic management enforcement. |
Identifies valid structural change with basic operational guidelines. |
Vague suggestion with no realistic implementation or accountability rules. |
/10 |
| Crisis Adaptation |
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| (Part 3 · 10 Pts) |
Thoughtfully evaluates complication shock; logically defends budget pivot or policy defense. |
Addresses complication and explains basic tactical adjustments. |
Ignores complication realities or offers contradictory spending changes. |
/10 |
| Systemic Reflection |
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|
|
| (Part 5 · 5 Pts) |
Demonstrates sophisticated critique of individualizing burnout in human services organizations. |
Articulates clear understanding of organizational responsibility for worker welfare. |
Defaults to basic self-care rhetoric without addressing organizational role. |
/5 |
Team Collaboration Sign-Off Total Score: _______ / 50 Pts
Member 1: (Contrib: 100%)
Member 2: (Contrib: 100%)
Member 3: (Contrib: 100%)
Member 4: (Contrib: 100%)
Fundamentals of Human Services · The Burnout Budget Challenge Page 4 of 4
Management Crisis Update Cards
Simulation Triggers Part 3 Facilitator Resource
Management Complication Update Cards
Facilitator Note: Cut along dashed lines. Distribute 1 card per group at min 40.
Crisis Update A
Another Veteran Staff Resignation
Impact: Caseload Shock
Situation: Effective 8:00 AM today, another senior case manager has resigned without notice, stating: “My doctor told me my blood pressure is in stroke territory; I cannot survive this caseload.” Their roster of 26 active, high-acuity families must be immediately divided among the remaining 15 caseworkers, increasing average caseloads to nearly 27 families per worker.
Committee Directives:
- How does your current $10,000 budget allocation prevent a cascade of further resignations?
- Do you need to divert funds into temporary coverage or administrative support immediately?
- What policy boundary will stop remaining caseworkers from working until midnight to absorb these files?
Cut Here · Card B Below
Crisis Update B
Economic Shock: 25% Client Surge
Impact: Demand Spike
Situation: The region’s largest manufacturing plant has announced immediate indefinite layoffs. Within 48 hours, emergency applications for rent vouchers, utility shutoff prevention, and emergency food referrals have spiked by 25%. The lobby is overflowing, wait times have doubled, and distressed clients are shouting at reception staff.
Committee Directives:
- Which of your funded initiatives becomes the most critical lifeline to keep staff functioning?
- How does your committee protect workers from secondary traumatic stress and compassion fatigue during acute crisis?
- Will you implement an emergency intake freeze or rerouting policy, or will you keep doors wide open?
Cut Here · Card C Below
Crisis Update C
Staff Feedback: The After-Hours Revolt
Impact: Culture & Boundaries
Situation: Staff submit an open letter: “We appreciate the committee’s good intentions, but purchasing new furniture or wellness apps means nothing when supervisors message us at 9:45 PM asking about compliance audits, and clients text our private phones on Sunday mornings. The culture demands 24/7 self-sacrifice.”
Committee Directives:
- Does your budget plan contain items that staff might view as ‘empty wellness perks’ rather than systemic relief?
- What strict structural policy must your committee demand leadership sign before spending a single dollar?
- How can the agency create enforceable boundaries between worker availability and emergency client support?
Fundamentals of Human Services · The Burnout Budget Challenge Management Complication Triggers (Print 3–4 copies per class)
