I work in child welfare. It’s not something I usually share with many who are outside of my circle because I tire of the questions and the judgement. I tire of the assumptions and the stories everyone seems to have of the one cousin who had a bad experience with their local child welfare office. Child welfare is both the best and the worst job. It is emotional and exhausting. It requires equal parts empathy and stoicism. It is unpredictable and specific. It is a job that is impossible and so full of possibility. It is a rabbit hole.
A friend shared this post tonight and I thought, “YES. Finally.” Read it. Share it. Spread the word. Or don’t read it and finish reading this, because I’m going to say some of the very same things (I’m thinking the more posts like hers, the better). Every day, child welfare caseworkers are knocking on the doors of known criminals with little more than a notepad to protect them. They are in court advocating for parents and children who have no voice. They are transporting children to their schools/doctors offices/visits/therapists office. Caseworkers are managing the lives of 15 + children at a time, doing literally feet of paperwork per case, and documenting every conversation they have with every key player in the case. They are developing safety plans to ensure that a child doesn’t suffer further abuse or neglect. They are finding adoptive resources for children whose parents have relinquished or lost their parental rights. They are having conversations with a 5-year-old about why she can’t live with her mommy or daddy anymore and trying to explain to a 10-year-old that even though his mom didn’t show up for her weekly visit with him, she loves him and it’s not his fault. Caseworkers do all of this while making the same amount per year that most recent college grads make in their first jobs (I know this because people typically laugh out loud when I tell them my salary).
So that’s my soap box. If you come across a caseworker, give them a hug or buy them a sandwich. The sandwich would probably be best: they most likely worked through lunch.
An ErinBird 