Program Implementation

Tips to Implementation: Spexcell encourages other programs to consider the experience and credentials of staff. If people working in the program are not qualified, the program could do damage to already volatile personalities. Agencies should maintain a collaborative approach by reaching out to other agencies and leveraging community resources such as supports for housing issues or domestic violence prevention. Spexcell also recommends that a program reach out to the community to recruit experts on particular subjects to assist with program implementation.

Keys to Success:

• Knowledgeable and multi-talented staff. In four offices, Spexcell employs 17 staff, all of whom have overlapping roles. Spexcell staff include master trainers, marketing specialists, job development specialists, and licensed counselors; external consultants are scheduled to speak on topics that reinforce the messages Spexcell presents to customers.
• Creative thinking. Spexcell and the Fulton office maintain that if something fails to work, it should be reassessed in a different way. For example, the program addresses the inner person because without that component, the program was not productive in Fulton County.
• Relationship-building. If an organization does not have the ability to relate to and feel compassion for a customer, the program will not be able to help that individual.
• Wraparound support. DFCS notes that Spexcell provides wraparound supports within the same staff. This way, the client will not have to learn to relate to many different people, which helps increase trust. DFCS also notes that clients historically did not trust DFCS; so services delivered by contractors often prove to be more effective than those presented by caseworkers.