OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Human Resources Frame Worksheet

Worksheet Objectives:

1. Describe the human resources frame

2. Apply the human resources frame to your personal case situation

Complete the following making sure to support your ideas and cite from the textbook and other
course materials per APA guidelines. After the peer review, you have a chance to update this and
format for your Electronic Portfolio due in Module 6.

1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

The conflict that I am exploring under the human resources frame for my personal case
analysis is in reference to my volunteer work with CASA (Court Appointed Special
Advocates). In this role I was responsible for being the eyes and ears of the family court
or juvenile dependency judge to make recommendations in the best interest of the child I
was appointed. My role for this organization was on a volunteer basis and in a non paid
position. I visited with the child, meeting with key players in their life including social
workers, child attorney, foster parents, school counselors, teachers, etc. I would then
compile my notes, logs, and any pertinent information into a written report for the judge
to review at the child’s next court hearing. The situation I am examining in this PCA is in
reference to the sometimes limited contact I was able to maintain for various reasons with
some of the interested parties in my child’s life.

2) Describe how the human resources of the organization influenced the situation.

Looking at this situation from a human resources frame, I am able to identify how I
became so withdrawn towards the end of my time with the organization. The non-profit
organization CASA does not have the typical “human resources” management that I
knew of at the time. Concerns or issues that came up were to be voiced to the
LMFT/LCSW/MSW that managed a large group of CASA volunteers. Oftentimes, these
individuals (while very nice and helpful when they had the time) had a lot on their own
plates, and many volunteers they were managing.

I believe the situation was exacerbated from this aspect because of my volunteer role, in
addition to the lack of awareness people had for my position. While CASA is able to

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 provide “meaningful and satisfying work, and get the talent and energy they need to
succeed,” (Bolman & Deal, 2017), the relationship was not the greatest fit for me as I was
left exhausted from having to explain and defend my role to everyone (sometimes even
including the child). Doing this role in a non-paid position became taxing while juggling
life in the military, schoolwork, and a baby on the way.

3) Recommend how you would use human resources for an alternative course of action
regarding your case.

I think one way to improve the conflict I’ve described is to make this a paid position.
CASA (the organization) is currently a non-profit organization that is based mostly on
volunteer advocates, but I wonder what it would take to create these jobs as a NGO. I
think it would help people take CASAs more seriously as well as keeping us from getting
burnt out from a volunteer position that requires many hours of visits and keeping case
logs up to date.

I think I would also recommend the organization show more of a commitment to taking
care of their CASAs so they will stay long term. This may be coming from my
experience working in one of the busiest counties, but I remember when I told the
supervisor that I was going to have to take an extended break from cases, there wasn’t
much pushback or figuring out what they could do to keep me on. I’ve stated it in past
frame worksheets for my PCA, but there just aren’t enough volunteers for the massive
amount of foster children in the system. I think they should do better to keep those people
who truly want to help.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned
about this frame.

Based on what I’ve learned from this frame, I would absolutely recommend incorporating
an effective human resources program into this organization. At the very least, some kind
of incentive can go a long way for the people who are selflessly volunteering their energy
and time to better these children’s lives. It creates a barrier for those people like me, who
want to continue volunteering but don’t have enough time and energy to balance a young
family, school, and work. What’s left are those that have the time, but may be older and
may have to work a little harder to relate to the children (mostly the teens).

Admittedly, what I’ve learned from the Bolman & Deal text about this frame is that I
withdrew towards the end of my tenure with the organization because I didn’t feel valued
enough. I had a couple of difficult cases in a row, had put in a lot of energy getting
acquainted with all the key players all over again, and had a lot going on in my personal
life. Instead of talking with the supervisor and addressing the frustration, I’m

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embarrassed to say that I gave up and asked for an extended break. When I do decide to
start volunteering again, I will make sure that I communicate better and let whoever is
managing the program know my concerns.

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 Reference

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership
(6th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass