Strategic plan
Pillar #1: Pursue Excellence
- Deliver the highest quality programs in residential care, clinical treatment, and education to the children and families on our campus and in our community.
- Recruit and retain excellent staff who meet our high-performance expectations and retain this staff through incentives including competitive compensation packages, educational support, and training in exemplary practices.
1:1 Safety for all
- Restraint – Continue steps to minimize and eliminate restraint by fully implementing trauma-informed programming and explicit instruction of Social Emotional Learning for staff and students.
- Redesign, adapt, and implement continuous quality improvement around the reduction of restraint, including a Spaulding Crisis Management Plan focused on a review and debriefing of reduction efforts.
- Expand and improve a consistent workers’ compensation plan to include committee assignments, debriefing, and additional education regarding the reduction of workplace injuries.
1:2 Learning environment for students – improved outcomes
- Using best practice education methods and regular testing, increase outcomes for each student by having at least 50% of students achieve their expected RIT growth scores.
- Increase opportunities for students through the expanded use of technology, active inclusion in community integration activities, and promotion of school-based and extra-curricular activities.
- Design and implement a campus-wide vocational program that supports students in accessing career education on and off campus.
- Investigate and promote normalcy around cell phone usage, social media (including artificial intelligence), and other platforms.
1:3 Learning environment for staff
- Continue to update Policies & Procedures by developing, updating, and communicating policies and procedures regularly.
- Further enhance all types of training curriculum for both mandatory and progressive training, optimizing current tools, exploring new methods and utilizing a variety of delivery methods to train and develop staff at all levels.
- Provide tools and training to develop skills of frontline supervisors and all people managers across the organization.
- Provide support for professional development and tuition reimbursement.
1:4 Residential environment
- Continue an investment in residential cottages to ensure they are as comfortable, safe, and useful as possible.
- Embrace a wide variety of after-school activities and evening and weekend community excursions that are fun and accessible for as many students as possible.
- Investigate the addition (construction/purchase) of an additional residence for medically intensive children.
1:5 Therapeutic practice and general methodologies
- Research and adopt the best therapeutic methods and standards to help our children and families meet and exceed their goals.
- Incorporate evidence-based practice into the daily therapeutic environment to include trauma-informed practices using increased therapeutic engagement, group and individual therapy and behavioral interventions to support all youth.
- Ensure high caliber staff in all wrap-around service areas, such as SLPs, OT, PT, BCBAs, Vocational Coordinator, clinicians, nursing, case and family workers, PCP and a child psychiatrist.
- Continue to develop a Spaulding Academy & Family Services system of support for all students (including community-based) utilizing a psychiatric and medical clinic model.
1:6 Technology roadmap
- Develop a meaningful IT roadmap that includes maintaining a secure and reliable infrastructure.
- Maintain excellent basic tools (Outlook, SharePoint, hardware).
- Select and utilize security cameras throughout the campus; activate emergency information alerts and explore safety-related IT options.
1:7 Communication – external and internal
- Update the Spaulding Academy & Family Services website.
- Expand the use of social media and online presence.
- Continue to provide relevant marketing/outreach materials for referral sources, clients and supporters.
- Develop/expand/improve communication with external and internal stakeholders.
1:8 Compliance
- Prudent Parenting – Ongoing compliance review and TA from the state.
- Families First Prevention Services (with independent assessment)
- CARF Accreditation
- School Accreditation
- Child Care Licensing
- Child Placement (ISO)
- DCYF Certification for Payment
Pillar #2: Ensure Financial Sustainability
- Maintain sources of revenue for annual operations and special projects, expand options for planned giving and pursue external grant opportunities.
- Remain vigilant for opportunities to develop supplementary and diversified sources of earned income.
2:1 Fiscal stability and growth
- Maintain responsible annual operating and capital budgets with input from staff and Board approval.
- Maintain a close watch on monthly operating variances and proactively adjust actions based on results.
- Maintain contacts and active involvement with typical funding sources to influence rate/revenue growth.
- Update rates for current services as warranted and/or required.
- Revisit grant funding options and expand the donor database.
2:2 Donor stewardship
- Improve Board member support and advocacy through direct and indirect sourcing, introductions and active stewardship of new and existing donors and supporters.
- Provide training to support Board members in development activities.
- Ongoing staff cultivation of supporters and donors.
2:3 Staff recruitment and retention
- Use progressive recruiting tools and techniques to attract diverse, high-quality staff.
- Maintain market parity in wages and benefits.
- Retain staff through well-executed performance, merit reviews, training, professional development and a high-performance workplace culture.
- Review and update current performance evaluation metrics.
2:4 Investigate new programs
- Staffed Foster Homes
- Psychiatric and Medical Outpatient Model
- Additional Satellite Community-Based Programs
- Outpatient Mental Health Services
- School-based Mental Health
- Transitional Age/Independent Living/Vocational Career/Alternative Education Programs Early
- Childhood Development
- Child Care and After-School Care
- Affordable Housing
- Adult Foster Care
Pillar #3: Revitalize the Facilities and Maximize the Wise Use of the Campus
3:1 Campus and facilities
- Review current Campus Master Plan; prepare revised 3-year Campus Plan.
- Maintain/update all buildings and infrastructure on campus.
- Explore options for an additional MI-centered residential building.
- Create an outdoor classroom/amphitheater and an adaptive tree house.
- Explore utility options, including renewable sources, water/sewer connections and solar.
3:2 Safety planning
- Complete general safety and Homeland Security review of all buildings and practices and develop and implement an action plan as needed (School safety, visitor control).
- Finalize Emergency Operations Plan review and develop and implement an action plan for day-to-day procedures as well as disaster plans as needed (informed by DOE and CARF standards).
- Update all emergency communication and safety protocols, ensuring relevancy and adherence to best practices.
Pillar #4: Ensure Strong Leadership
4:1 Board development
- Ensure Spaulding has a high-performing Board with governing principles in place to provide for healthy succession planning and organizational support.
- Ensure Board Governance focuses on updating Bylaws that support a high-functioning Board, with clear roles, responsibilities and attractive, simple principles.
- Ensure that Board development actively supports succession planning and transitions that encourage healthy growth to benefit the organization and its future.
4:2 Engagement of staff
- Encourage employee engagement activities through an Events Committee, incorporating wellness programs and other methods.
- Continue building and maintaining a positive and high-performing work culture, focused on the optimization of roles and expectations.
- Continue the performance review process, creating positive dialogue for advancement and improvement.
4:3 Engagement with decision-makers
- Continue building relationships with key DCYF and DOE officials along with out-of-state counterparts.
- Maintain continual attendance and involvement at key functions, events, committees and statewide awards opportunities.
- Increase collaboration and program development with schools/colleges, non-profits, for-profit businesses and leadership in professional associations and statewide committees.
- Engage/solicit legislative and legal policy updates and introductions.
4:4 Engagement with families
- Continue hosting Foster Family events and training opportunities.
- Continue building on methods for supporting parents and families through PTO, Advisory Councils and parent education programs for students, families and Community-Based Program (ISO) recipients.
- Develop a Family Engagement Committee and Advisory Counsel.
- Recruit a parent or family member to the Board of Directors.