At The Mall

Suppose you had the afternoon off and had an opportunity to go to the Social Worker Mall over in Government-town. What kind of social worker would you shop for? What qualities would you want your ideal social worker to have?

Although each person will have his/her own wish list, I would imagine that somewhere near the top of your list would be someone who was

• sympathetic to you and your child's needs,
  
• cooperative,
  
• willing to take time to listen, and
  
• willing and able to give you respect for your skills and the job you do.

Unfortunately, my super powers as a social worker are not great enough to allow me to wave my hands (the battery on my magic wand is dead and there is no money in the budget for a new one) and transform my colleagues into the ideal Mr./Ms. Goodworker. All I can offer is my view on what I have seen in my particular system and make some suggestions that you might want to try to improve working relationships.

First of all, let me say "up front" that most of my colleagues are dedicated, hard working, individuals who are very concerned about the children in their care. Most agencies are woefully understaffed, work has to be prioritized, and paperwork to insure funding and legal documentation must be done. In plain English, that means that there are not enough bodies to do the job, that the Child Protective Services investigations (and removal of the child from risk) will get done before ongoing foster care cases. Because of that factor, that all-important ingredient of nurturing the foster parents/foster children relationship often doesn't get the attention that it should. I know you have heard this sad tale before but it is not an excuse, it is a reality.

Also a reality is that the social workers' stress level is high, their time is short, and they function on a "catch as catch can" basis, going from one crisis to another. This means that many will not think to give you praise or say "thank you", to take extra time with you, or to do things that would make your life easier. But let me say it once again... most are not bad, evil or incompetent people, they are trying to make the best out of a bad situation.

So... if we don't have magic wands that work, what can we do? Fortunately, there are some strategies to try. Most of them are long-term and will be focused on you and your family. That may sound like a "cop out" idea... but let's face it, that's where we have the most chance of success.

Next: Part 2: What you can do

© by Emil Baldwin, Jr., LSW
© 2001 Reprinted with permission