Director's Message

'family•ish

There is probably no time of the year that we collectively talk about family more than during the Holidays. Whether we are preparing for the upcoming gatherings or even missing those who are not with us for the first or twenty-fifth year, the theme of family permeates this season. This is not just in our personal lives. As a division, there have been several opportunities this month to celebrate, for fellowship, and to serve together as a “work family.”

The average, full-time American employee spends 40 hours a week at a workplace that is outside of his or her home. It is no surprise that in a recent Hewlett Packard workplace survey, 56 percent of respondents report that they spend more time with their "work family" than they do with their real family. This survey, which sampled 1,000 full-time office workers ages 18-65, found that having a familial relationship with co-workers boosts productivity and feelings of well-being in the workplace.

Managing to be happy at your job is not only good for your company's bottom line, but you also become a more engaged worker, according to Gallup's 2017 State of the American Workplace report. One way to boost your happiness at work is to form good relationships with your coworkers. Perhaps the happiness is connected to the stress relief associated with the support and cultivation of social capital that comes from these bonds. 

Most would be surprised that I actually agree with those thought leaders that argue that it can be pretty tricky referring to our work relationship as a family. Indeed, there are some distinct differences and boundaries in our approach to our actual family and the conceptual work family. We do not get to choose our biological families, but our work family is one that has flexible membership. People may retire. People may move to new opportunities outside of the organization. Work is also built upon a mission or purpose of service, innovation and/or profit that the group is working to achieve. Families are built on foundations that are inherently more personal and deeper than that. 

In spite of these distinctions, I still contend that at the very least, we hope for our teams to be family-ish. While we aren’t an actual family, we do collectively work daily to institutionalize some of the ideal tenets of healthy relationships and families in our work life. There's no downside to intentionally creating a work culture that prioritizes commitment to shared goals, caring about one another’s well-being, open communication and acceptance of each other’s differences. You don't have to call it a family. Call it whatever you want. I just challenge us to do and be it.

During this season, I hope that each of you take the time to reflect on what our families really mean to us. The ones we were born into. The ones we choose. The ones we serve. Even the ones we work with. I also hope that we will take the time and care to renew our commitment to strengthen our family and family-ish units so that we are able to thrive for the remainder of 2019 and the new decade ahead.

Happy Holidays!

Dorcas Young Griffin
Director of the Division of Community Services
Shelby County Government

Office of Justice Initiatives - Pretrial Services
Helping Families through Social Skills Classes

Family values and healthy social skills are often at the core of positive and safe relationships. The Programs Unit of Pretrial Services helps those previously incarcerated to improve their social skills to have healthier relationships and prevent future offenses. Pretrial Services offers programs such as Bringing Peace to Relationships, Batterers Intervention Program, Anger Management, Parenting, and 24:7 Dad.  In these programs, clients are allowed to share personal experiences of their own, listen to group members, and follow an evidence-based curriculum aimed at improving the well-being of the entire family and community. 

Each program has unique curricula that offer knowledge, skills, and cognitive behavior themes.  The Bringing Peace to Relationships and Batterers Intervention Program are domestic violence programs. Both programs focus on abusive relationships in the family and the power and control that one person can exert. The Anger Management Program allows one to identify their anger and how to cope with anger.  The Parenting Program gives direct guidelines on parenting skills and family values.  In addition to parenting, the 24:7 Dad program offers principles of parenting, directly to the father. 

Pretrial Services’ Programs Unit is designed to help bring balance to one’s self, others and the community by fostering a positive family. For more information, contact 901-222-4000 or visit. 

Community Services Agency 

New User-Friendly Website for CSA 

We are excited to announce the launch of the Community Services Agency's (CSA) newly designed website. CSA is an integral part of the Division of Community Services providing much needed assistance so families can break free from the cycle of poverty. Utility, rent/mortgage, prescription medicine assistance, and family support through our self-sufficiency program are available.

With feedback from our partners and clients we were able to make our new website faster, easier to navigate, and more user-friendly. Residents now have an easier way to access information, applications, and alternate means of communication. Please visit CSA's new website at www.shelbycountycsa.org. We hope that you like the changes.