Hiring and Retention of Bilingual Staff
through contacting a qualified bilingual staff member or a language services vendor for telephonic or non-telephonic interpretation . In addition , Departments should emphasize the importance of using language services to efficiently and effectively communicate with the members of the public they are serving . Inclusion of language access protocols in onboarding and periodic refresher trainings for public-contact staff will help ensure consistent approaches to addressing language access needs across staff members . OCEIA is introducing two new technical assistance tools with the publication of this report to support Departments in disseminating language access best practices across teams .
RESOURCE PLANNING
Hiring and Retention of Bilingual Staff
Hire and retain more bilingual staff to ensure sufficient internal resources for addressing the needs of LEP community members served by City departments .
The FY 2022-2023 data showed a slight decline in bilingual staff Citywide , with a drop in both Department of Human Resources ( DHR ) -certified and total bilingual staff . Departments should prioritize recruitment , hiring , and retention of bilingual staff members . Bilingual staff are often the experts in a Department ’ s programs , services , and terminology . Maintaining a robust roster of qualified bilingual staff members with fluency in the languages spoken by San Francisco community members will improve the accessibility of Department programs and services for LEP members of the public in future years .
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