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We joined an FFA instead of going directly through the County for a number of reasons.
1) The initial training was over the course of 2 Saturdays (8 hours each) instead of 2 hours a week times 2 months for PRIDE.
2) We learned through the orientation how much more supportive an FFA is when you need assistance. Where as we all know how hard and sometimes next to impossible it is to get hold of the County workers. (The downfall is that the FFA social workers typically have no clue about the specific case of your placement/s that you may have questions about. They get that information from you typically long before they find anything out from the County worker.)
3) They have fun activities a number of times a year such as a fall harvest festival and Christmas party, etc.
4) The stipend is higher than the Counties, but the FFA also requires more from you such as weekly visitations instead of the Counties monthly requirement, they also expect a higher standard of care and do continuous check ups to make sure you have all your sharps, chemicals & medications locked up. They require monthly progress & medication reports to be filled out and submitted, etc, etc.
5) They offer a yearly recertification bonus so long as you have been keeping your reports up to date, have attended all your necessary trainings, as well as 2 mandatory trainings and 2 functions (like the Christmas party) and that is per person if you are married.
Is an FFA worth it? - Sometime yes, sometimes no and really comes down to personal preference.
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