Caseworkers- Are You Contented?

Caseworkers- Are You Contented?:

AFRA EDITORIALS
Guest editorial by Carolynn J. Middleton BA BSc
October 17, 2011

Caseworkers- Are You Contented?

We all like to think of ourselves as righteous, noble, honorable, and ethical, with dignity and self respect. But, in cases where there is no abuse/neglect, or where indications of abuse/neglect are quite questionable, how do you sleep at night. How do you live with yourself knowing that, earlier in the day you tore a family apart? How do you look at yourself in the mirror in the morning, knowing that you apprehended a child(ren), taken them away from their parents, and left a family devastated, and maybe you really didn't need to?

Think for a moment...

Whether you are a religious person or not, this is a pretty good Personal Rule, "Do onto others as you would have done onto you." With that in mind, how would you feel if someone came along and hurt your children, your spouse, and your family, without good reason, even though they may have thought they had good reason?

In many or our planet's animal species, the mother will die trying to protect her offspring from would-be predators. I know there are cases where children need to be taken into custody to protect them.

But what about all of those children who've been apprehended who don't need to be?

Are you a narcissist?
Are you a sociopath?
Do you take delight in causing someone else pain?
Or is it that you just don't think about it?
Or is it that you really don't care.
I know many people who got into the field of social work because they wanted to help others. That is a very noble sentiment. But how does unnecessarily devastating a family and tearing it apart, help? How does dragging parents into court and through a long and drawn out bureaucratic process help? Certainly if a child is being seriously abused/neglected- then they need your help, and the important thing here is to try and help them.

But many foster homes are either inadequate or run by people I wouldn't trust to care for my pet rock.

When you apprehend a child, do you follow up to ensure the child you chose to protect, continues to be protected while in your foster care? I know that, as a worker your caseload can be crushing. I know that sometimes it may be necessary to fudge the numbers just a little, numbers like the times and dates you made home visits to the foster home to ensure the child you apprehended it being well cared for. But, if your fudge these numbers then you aren't doing the good that you got into this work to do!

Sometimes it is very hard to think of people as real life, honest to goodness, human beings. You look at your desk and all you can really see is a pile of file folders, many of them with mere numbers attached. But it's not just a bunch of paperwork. These are real life human beings with hopes and dreams and lives of their own.

If your bank clerk moves that dot over a couple of places it could mean your financial demise. This dot is the smallest character of all the characters, (letters, numbers, figures, etc.), yet just moving this little dot over a couple of places on a balance sheet can financially destroy you. How would that make you feel? Anger, hopelessness, outrage, fear, anxiety, etc. and so on and so forth (and all from just a little dot on a bank statement).

Think about the minimum wage clerk at your local fast food eatery. In the back they make up hundreds of burgers, salads and the like. Meanwhile the boss is standing over them pressuring them to fill meal quotas and stock trays relentlessly. Should an insect or some piece of dirt fall into the food, and the clerk didn't care, but just left it there, how would you feel? After all, people in the back don't really see a live customer. All they see is that sea of baskets, paper wrappers and the like; the ones they are being pressured to fill. They make up the food and send it down the shoot to who knows where? Since they don't really see the person that will eat this meal, why should they care?

It's not like they're being well paid, is it?

So, if you are not honestly protecting some child from severe abuse/neglect by apprehending them, how does that make you feel? If you see a family in crisis, what do you really see yourself doing to try and help that family, rather than just policing the parents and tearing the family apart?

You may be worried about keeping your job. But, if keeping your job is the only reason why you are doing things that go against the grain of harmony and happiness, then you may not realize it but this job is causing you unnecessary pressure. Unnecessary pressure may affect you physically, emotionally and mentally. If it does, then your life may be suffering adverse effects from this job.

If this is so, then maybe you should seek a different kind of job.

You may think that what you're doing is important. You may be right. But, if you are merely being a Family Police Officer, taking children into custody, and dragging parents through the Courts- Then maybe, just maybe the difference you are making is a negative one.

You may even think you're making a difference. Again, you may very well be right. But family is the most basic collective in our society. If you attack, terrorize, and otherwise devastate families, then what is to become of neighborhoods, regions, suburbs, towns/cities, states/provinces that are made up from them and what happens then to the very make up of your Nation?

I know that, as a caseworker, social worker, etc., you've taken courses and been trained. But all that training and study may very well be a type of brain washing too. There were some rather intelligent and knowledgeable people among those who drank the Jim Jones Cool-Aid. How is it they were lead to do such a thing? Maybe all that training, education, and experience might have somehow, down the road, lead you to make wrong conclusions too.

Ask yourself one ultimately important question, "When was the last time your investigation and subsequent intervention actually made a child, a parent and/or a family's life better?" As a social worker, caseworker, etc., isn't this what you got into the field to do?

If that is why you became a worker, and you are not helping people, then what's it all for?

These are all rhetorical questions and I really don't want you to answer them to anyone. Look deep within yourself. Stare long and hard into the mirror. Take an intensive personal inventory. Ask yourself if you are proud of what you are doing? If you are not happy in your work, you are making others unhappy with your work, and/or the work that you do is harming others, then it may very well be legal, but is it right?

It's been said that Politicians are liars and cheats. How do you think these politicians got this way? Do you think they just woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and decided, "I'm going to get a job where will lie, cheat, and steal." I don't think you got up one morning and decided to go out and get a job that would see you cursed by parents all around you.

So how did you come to be a social worker, caseworker, etc.? What motivated you to do this kind of work? What drew you to do this kind of job? Do you honestly care about what you do, or is this just a job? Do you take pride in your work, or do you merely see yourself as this microscopic cog in the great wheel of bureaucracy; unseen, unnoticed, and unappreciated?

There are many uncertain aspects in this world today. We have armed terrorists throughout the world, threatening our very lives. We have an economy that is threatening to leave us homeless, hungry and hopeless. We certainly have enough things in the world today to make our lives poorer than they should be. If you are not enriching someone's life by honestly protecting children and continuing do to so even after they are apprehended, helping parents to become better nurturers, and aiding families to remain united, strong and constructive, then what are you doing and why?

I do not ask these questions in anger. I do not mean to accuse, berate and/or belittle you. I have no ill will towards you what-so-ever. My only goal, with this message, is for you to take a "Personal Inventory", as a caseworker, social worker, supervisor, director, etc., and ask if you really believe in what you are doing- If you honestly feel that what you are doing is right?

Absolutely no negative inference intended...

Honestly - and - Sincerely,

Carolynn J. Middleton BA BSc
( Executive Secretary )
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