air force caring for people 2009
DESCRIPTION
Air Force Caring for People Conference from 2009TRANSCRIPT
I n t e g r i t y - S e r v i c e - E x c e l l e n c e
Air Force
Caring for People
Top 11 Initiatives
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• Develop ideas in targeted areas to benefit
The Air Force Family
Overview
•School Support
•Guard and Reserve Support
•Special Needs Support
•Deployment Support
•Family Support
•Single Airmen Support
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• Analyze SWOT – Perform analysis on strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats facing a focus area
• Generate Themes
– Transform analysis into themes
• Develop Initiatives (8)
– Transform themes into initiatives
• Select Initiatives
– Present to large group for voting
Working Group Duties
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Family Support
Capt. Sundonia J. Wonnum
Family Advocacy Officer
Kadena Air Base
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Family Support
TITLE: Fenced Integrated Delivery System Funding
SCOPE:
• No dedicated Integrated Delivery System (IDS) funds
• Agencies using own funds to support initiatives
• Affects quality of services for Airman and families
RECOMMENDATION:
• Budgeted funds at Headquarters Air Force
• Fencing of funds at all levels
I n t e g r i t y - S e r v i c e - E x c e l l e n c e
Family Support
TITLE: Lets Talk Technology
SCOPE:
• Lack of centralization / uniformity in information dissemination
• Not using popular communication tools
• Affects opportunities to reach Air Force community
RECOMMENDATION:
• Create social marketing plan for military technical resources
• Fund a webmaster for each base to build/maintain
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Special Needs Child Support
Capt Kraig Smith
Chaplain
FE Warren AFB
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Special Needs Child Support
TITLE: Establish resources for effective special needs program
SCOPE:
• Lack of dedicated resources to provide a systematic AF approach for offering special needs support and services (i.e. manpower, funding, space, etc)
RECOMMENDATION:
• Build resource requirement into POM (FY11) for manning, funding, etc.
• Establish a position description outlining requirements for AF special needs support program
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Guard and Reserve Family Support
Ms. Denise Rampolla
Wing Family Program Coordinator
153rd AW WYANG (Cheyenne)
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Guard and Reserve Family Support
TITLE: Permanent Equitable Resources (Funding/Manpower) for Guard and Reserve Airman and Family Services
SCOPE: We have one Family Program Coordinator in each Air Guard Wing and fewer in the Air Force Reserve
• We are trying to provide EVERYTHING our Active Duty counterparts do with a full staff .. We sometimes fall short of the goal
• Frequently we have to be REACTIVE when we would prefer to be PROACTIVE!
RECOMMENDATION:
• Expand Reserve Forces Airman and Family Services
• Ensure “POM” includes resources for Guard and Reserve
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Guard and Reserve Family Support
TITLE: Erase discrepancies to access services
SCOPE: Guard/Reserve deploy and fight with active duty while continuing to support missions at home base; members/ families face same stressors and challenges as active duty families yet access to benefits/services are limited or non existent
• Lack of access to Air Force Aid Society funds impacts mission readiness
• Late orders cause lapse in TRICARE benefits
• Gaps in child care caused by connection to duty status
RECOMMENDATION:
• Eliminate active duty status tied to benefits/entitlements/ resources
• Create Guard/Reserve Financial Aid program
• Eliminate ties to orders/DEERS to access TRICARE
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Deployment Support
LtCol Robert Rottschafer
Mental Health Flight Commander
Kirtland AFB
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Deployment Support
TITLE: De-stigmatize Mental Health
SCOPE:
• People are not pursuing help/treatment due to negative effects of labeling and identifying those who seek Mental Health assistance
RECOMMENDATION:
• High level review of policies and processes making it as “safe” to go to a Mental Health provider as any other health care provider
• Embed Mental Health providers at unit level
I n t e g r i t y - S e r v i c e - E x c e l l e n c e
Deployment Support TITLE: Family Separation Continuum of Care
SCOPE:
• Need to coordinate all services and agencies throughout the mobilization /deployment cycle
• Gaps in services and communication culture of our communities has changed
RECOMMENDATION:
• Create base-level mobilization/deployment cycle support coordinator
• Leadership to enable agencies and family members access to latest technology
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Schools Support
Else Milner
Interim Flight Chief, Airman and Family Services
Davis Montham AFB
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Schools Support TITLE: AF Centrally Funded School Liaison Position
SCOPE:
• No central funding for CONUS and OCONUS bases
• Not a line item in Unit Manpower Document
• Identified need for education transition assistance
• Military Families and children impacted by high ops tempo
• Families continue to struggle as they transition to new schools
RECOMMENDATION:
• Centrally fund and validate manpower requirements for School Liaison position for each installation
• Provide appropriate policy and guidance to include
• Alignment under MSG
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Single Airman Support
TSgt Kanisha Carson
Mental Health Technician
Incirlik AB, Turkey
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Single Airman Support
TITLE: The Voice of the Single Airman
SCOPE: Single Airman want to be Heard, Understood and Acknowledged
• Limited voice creates barriers to communication, lack of a sense of community which affects retention and recruitment
RECOMMENDATION:
• USAF level Single Airmen Summit creating initiatives
• Modify Army BOSS Program to meet AF needs
• Change AFI 90-501 CAIB/IDS to include Single Airman as core members
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Single Airman Support
TITLE: Single Airman Coordinator (SAC)
“Not an additional duty”
SCOPE: Single Airmen are often overlooked in community programs which leads to a sense of isolation and discontent.
• The needs and wants of Single Airmen deserve a focus
• This will increase retention, increase mission readiness and enhance well being
RECOMMENDATION:
• Establish a Single Airman Coordinator (SAC) funded position, with the initial focus First Term Airmen (includes Officers) , long term focus is deployed Single Airmen
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Single Airman Support
TITLE: From Sponsorship to Mentorship
SCOPE: Single Airman lack a sense of community support
• No sense of belonging leads to loss of Airmen and trouble off base
• Affects can be felt by every Single Airman, base and USAF at large
RECOMMENDATION:
• Provide written guidance and utilize media to emphasize intentional sponsorship and mentorship of Single Airman
• Official Air Force Adopt-An-Airman program
• Warm handoff from Sponsorship to Mentorship mode
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Family Support
TITLE: Targeted Local Needs Assessment
SCOPE:
• Too many surveys • Timeliness makes data less relevant
• Negative effects • Leadership, helping agencies, community ability to effect change
RECOMMENDATION:
• Develop more efficient Air Force survey process
• Develop survey template/tools to assess local needs
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Family Support
TITLE: Encourage Partnerships with External Agencies
SCOPE:
• Diminishing internal Air Force resources
• Need for relevant family services
• Promote Air Force Esprit-do-corp
RECOMMENDATION:
• Establish Air Force public affairs campaign
• Revise Community Action Information Board/Integrated Delivery Service to direct external partnerships
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Family Support
TITLE: Build Sense of Community
SCOPE:
• Lost sense of community
• Prevents cohesion and decreases retention
• Entire Air Force community affected
RECOMMENDATION:
• Redefine community
• Build standardized self-help resources
• Revitalize sponsorship programs
• Standardize ‘dot-com’ with local information
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Family Support
TITLE: Caring for people: taking our services to the streets
SCOPE:
• Services not available where people/community are
• Lack of knowledge/marketing + time constraints
• Affects community and staff
RECOMMENDATION:
• Implement mobile services
• Individualized needs assessment
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Family Support
TITLE: Community Helping the Community
SCOPE:
• People unwilling to work “uncommon tour of duty”
• If roles defined – not being followed by Integrated Delivery Service/Community Action Information Board
• Limits ability to offer programs
RECOMMENDATION:
• Invigorate the Community Action Information Board
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Family Support
TITLE: Back to the Future
SCOPE:
• Military pride/culture/esprit de corp lost
• Disconnected from legacy
• Affects leadership, military members, families
• Lost sense of community and unity
RECOMMENDATION:
• Funding/implementing family wingman day
• Fund/bring back dining-ins/outs, balls, retreats
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Special Needs Child Support
TITLE: Service Delivery and Availability
SCOPE:
- Special needs population subjected to inconsistent services (military branches, installations, states, school districts)
- Families denied appropriate care which potentially impedes the mission
- Potential non-compliance with federal statutes
RECOMMENDATION: Establish corporate policy to develop and enforce a comprehensive delivery system