Daring leaders in the animal services sector need the power, competence, and resources to support their staff and create programs and policies that are grounded within a trauma-informed and culturally safe approach. Providing animal services is challenging and taxing work. This session highlights the ways that three online training programs for animal service workers can be used by leaders in implementing a trauma-informed, culturally safe approach in all aspects of animal service work. Specifically, we’ll draw on learnings that share practical and actionable steps that leaders can take to work towards a safe, healthy, and supportive workplace.
 
Leaders will learn how to create a culture of curiosity, courage and support, with new language, tools, and skills to put into practice supporting the goal of organizational resilience. Improving psychological and emotional health and safety in the workplace leads to better outcomes, and this session provides reflection questions and activities that can be used for self and organizational assessment and planning.
 
Three key learnings for participants include:

1) A look at trauma-informed leadership competencies and how leaders can implement these to spur changes in organizational norms, policies, and practices.
2) Best practices for combatting and preventing compassion fatigue and burnout in animal protection work.
3) How innovation with mental wellness policy, including the consideration of cultural safety, can lead to better productivity for people and improved outcomes for animals.