First week on the job…

Well, my first week at my new job went off without a hitch. All the employees are really nice and helpful. I spent the entire week in orientations for everything from benefits to processes to trainings. Thankfully, their processes and procedures are streamlined. Amen! I sat with my supervisor for the clinical training and process piece. She is very nice and knowledgeable. She complemented my preparation (me, prepared??? heh) and said she can tell I will catch on quickly. To say the paperwork is overwhelming is an understatement, but that is social work for ya.


We discussed ethics, privacy, compliance and the like. The HR person described some ethical issues in the past, and honestly, I am shocked at some of the choices people make. One employee had to get something signed over the weekend, so she stopped by the home with a car full of people. Um, seriously? Major HIPAA breach. Another employee had a home for rent and rented it out to his client. Yes, this is a nice gesture, but it is absolutely forbidden to enter into any sort of dual relationship with your client, during and after service.


I was assigned my first 4 clients yesterday. I have not yet made contact because I am waiting to hear from the employee I will be shadowing next week. I plan to call Monday and set up first appointments at the end of the week. I also have to do a ton of online trainings next week on-site.


As far as my clients go, what a doozy! Four males. Three of them have been treated by the agency before, two of them have a Conduct Disorder Dx, two have ADHD/Anxiety. One of them is a refugee from Africa! THAT is way amazing, for me, because it is a population I am extremely interested in working with. To say I am hella nervous about meeting these people next week is putting it mildly…


-SWS

My first group experience: The Good, The Bad, and The Whoa.

So I did my first group with children last night! I have so much to learn. *sigh* In case you didn’t know, I’m interning at a domestic violence program. The children have witnessed the violence in many different forms, and they attend group while their parents (just the victim, and I don’t say women/mothers because we have one male – it does happen!) attend group. I’ve been working with the child therapist for the last few weeks and she gave me the floor tonight. She actually left the room while we did the activity, and I think it went ok. The children are 1-6 grade, and they are at different levels of maturity. While they were being typical kids, they did complete the activity and actually talked about it afterwards. To me, that equals a win.

It is very obvious that I don’t know proper ways of getting children to settle down and behave. We do things differently in a therapeutic setting. Telling little Johnny to sit down and be quiet doesn’t work so much. I may not have as much control as the child therapist, and she certainly has an entirely different style than I, but I think I did ok. I’m alive, they’re alive. I’ll get better, right? :)

However, I met a young man tonight who I will refer to as E. He’s in 1st grade and is very troubled, as exhibited by his behavior in group. He used a few bad words, talked about Hell, and ran around the room like some sort of big cat, growling all the way! He was very agitated and certainly did not want to participate in an activity where he sat the entire time. I was told that he is going to be my first client, and I must say, I am nervous as heck! We will be using the playroom, where he will likely get our his anger and frustration and wild-childness. I do think this young man is in desperate need of someone to pay attention to him, to tell him that he is special, to let him know he matters. I haven’t read his file yet, but I bet it’s a doozy.

I am also going to start working with an adolescent girl (I will refer to her as Y) who has siblings in the program, as well. In fact, her 2 younger siblings are in one of the child groups, and they journaled about some ugly stuff happening with big sis. She has been inappropriately dealing with her anger lately and we want to find out what's beneath the anger. The adolescent group facilitators says she doesn’t speak much in group, so hopefully I can gain her trust and give her an outlet.

---

I met with my supervisor today and she really put things into perspective for me. I’ve never had a therapy session yet, so I feel at a real disadvantage about providing it! However, she said some things that make so much sense and eased up my anxiety a tad. She said the most important thing about therapy is the human connection. The relationship. She said just be human to human, be present and actively listen. Don't worry about what theory or model l should be following - that comes with experience. Just listen, and be genuine. She also added that she still gets nervous 15 years later but said working through that fear is what will make me grow…

I am starting my FINAL year of Graduate School today!

I am entering my final year of graduate studies in Social Work! I’ve decided to go full-time my last year so I can finish up start a family. So, that means 4 classes (12 hours/wk) and 20 hrs/wk of internship. Of course, this doesn’t include the countless hours spent reading textbooks (my psychopathology textbook is over 1500 pgs long!!), writing papers/presentations and studying for horrible exams.

Fall Semester courses:

• Psychopathology (SCARY!)


• Advanced Evaluation (MORE SCARY!)


• Advanced Practice with Children and Adolescents (Excited for this class)


• Field Practicum (Not a strenuous course)

In addition to my courses, I will be interning in a Domestic Violence program. I think I will mainly be working with the children, but I definitely have the opportunity to engage in the full spectrum of services. To save on study/reading/writing time, I decided to do 2 – 10 hour days. I am freaked out about this, but I’m sure the days will go by fast, and then I will come home and crash hard.

Mon-Thurs is jam PACKED. 6 hours of classes (until 10 PM!) Mondays, back-to-back 10-hour days at internship on Tues/Wed, then 6 hours of classes on Thurs. I will no doubt be a ZOMBIE!

I’ve also taken on a position in the Social Work Student Association. I am the Communications and Marketing Chair, which means I run the Blog, Facebook page, email communications, etc. It’s a strength of mine, which is why I was asked to take it on. :) I look forward to it, honestly. We have a fantastic team of people and we are going have some stellar professional development and community service events. All good for my future in Social Work.

Ciao!

Cause of the Month: The Girl Effect

I started the Cause of the Month post after the lovely SocialWrkr24/7 started a monthly meme featuring a Cause a Month, where she speaks about a cause that represents her work in the field (child welfare) or something she is passionate about. Be sure to check out her blog! I've learned a lot from her.

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Please take a moment to watch this video before reading the post.

Being a woman, an activist, a humanitarian and someone who wants to empower young women, this video gets me every time. I honestly do not remember how I came across this amazing message, but is definitely a message that we all need to hear. Females are very lucky in the United States of America. In fact, most of us do not know how good we really have it. Despite our equal opportunities here, we still see discrimination, and the so-called "glass ceiling" effect.

In many countries around the world, women have no voice, and even though we had to fight for it here, women elsewhere sometimes literally face death in such a fight. Situations have changed and continue to change in a lot of countries, but females have a long way to go. It is unfortunate that so many people do not realize the value of females, aside from their baby-making abilities. Yes - that is a major and very important piece. But they have so much more to offer, as the video above describes.

The Girl Effect is an interesting and inspiring organization.

"The Girl Effect is the powerful social and economic change brought about when girls have the opportunity to participate. It’s an untapped force in the fight against poverty, and it’s driven by champions around the globe: the Nike Foundation, the NoVo Foundation, the UN Foundation, the Coalition for Adolescent Girls, CARE, Plan, the Population Council, ICRW and the Center for Global Development – and many others."

Why Girls?

Because there’s poverty, and war, and hunger, and AIDS, and because when adolescent girls in the developing world have a chance, they can be the most powerful force of change for themselves, their families, communities, countries, and even the planet.

But while those 600 million adolescent girls are the most likely agents of change, they are often invisible to their societies and the world."

• Girls really are an untapped resource. In developing countries, there are usually no identifying documentation, so a girl doesn't know her age, and cannot protect herself from child marriage, vote, open a bank account, find a job.


• 70% of the world's school-aged children who are not in school are GIRLS! Girls have the human right, just as much as boys, to be educated and given a chance to make a better life for themselves!


• Child marriages are the norm in many countries because women's bodies aren't considered their own! Many adolescent girls die from childbirth. This is a major violation of body and soul!


• Girls can be educated about HIV but it is not enough. Until they don't risk the chance of rape the minute they leave their home, or have a voice when it comes to sexual relations, no amount of education will help.


• Girls can learn the skills for economic independence! They need to be given the tools, the education, and the respect first.


• A girl is said to reinvest resources within her community at a much higher rate than a boy would. Girls are better investments.


• Girls are a distinct category. They deserve this distinction when it comes to aid, education, sports, civic participation, health and economics.


• Girls need US - YOU and ME - to speak up for their human right to live a life of their OWN! We all have a stake in the future of these young ladies. Their future is our future.

Source: The Girl Effect

So what can you do about that?

Join the movement: A million people can make a lot of noise. Help make girls visible. Stand up and be counted by becoming a fan of The Girl Effect, and getting your friends to do the same. Tell the world that you think the 600 million girls in the developing world deserve better – for themselves, and for the end of poverty.

The Revolution will be led by a 12 year old girl.

Thursday's Thoughts: Gay Adoption

This article came up on Social Workers Speak on 6/9/10: Gay, Lesbian Couples Fit to Adopt.

A study done by researchers from two social work schools shows gay couples are just as fit to adopt as heterosexual ones, according to this article in the Ottawa Citizen.

Paige Averett, an assistant professor of social work at East Carolina University, Blace Nalavany also from East Carolina, and Scott Ryan, dean of the University of Texas School of Social Work Arlington and National Association of Social Workers member, interviewed 1,400 couples from around the nation, including 155 gay and lesbian parents.

They found sexual orientation had no bearing on the emotional development of adopted children. What mattered far more to the children’s well being was whether parents were satisfied with the adoption process, had a stable income and functioned well as a family.

I have very strong thoughts on gay adoption. I live in Florida, which is a pretty conservative state. It was here (Miami-Dade County) that good ole former beauty queen/singer, Anita Bryant, went on her Save Our Children tirade in late 70s, spouting nonsense that gays should not be allowed to adopt "based on conservative Christian beliefs regarding the sinfulness of homosexuality and the perceived threat of homosexual recruitment of children for child molestation." There was absolutely no evidence of this, purely based on supposed evilness of gays. [insert barf here] Now, the ban was overturned almost 30 years later because it was unconstitutional and irrational.

Unfortunately, this discrimination was written into the Florida Statutes and thus, is constitutional (unfairly so). People have been trying to remove/revise this statute for years, including myself at this year's NASW Lobby Day in Tallahassee. It never makes it very far due to the still anti-homosexual feelings in this state. It just sickens me.

I'm not turning this post into a religious face-off because I whole-heartedly respect everyone's religious beliefs. However, I cannot accept that people feel they have the right to interfere in other's lives. Yes, I know these individuals feel that children will be living with immoral evil beings and therefore, will grow up to be such themselves. However, I find the idea a bit laughable/ridiculous/unfounded. What makes me even more angry is that homosexuals are allowed to foster children in FL, but they can't adopt them! HOW IN THE BLOODY HELL IS THAT OK? Ridiculous, is what it is.

FINALLY, someone has taken the time to scientifically study children in GLBTQI homes. Granted, only one study is mentioned, but it's a start. I took the time to read the article, which can be found here: Averett, Paige , Nalavany, Blace and Ryan, Scott(2009) 'An Evaluation of Gay/Lesbian and Heterosexual Adoption', Adoption Quarterly, 12: 3, 129 — 151.

Abstract: Many experts in the helping professions have agreed that there is no scientific credence to support a gay and lesbian adoption ban. Nevertheless, there continues to be persistent mythology pertaining to outcomes for children adopted by gay and lesbian parents. This position may be somewhat due to the dearth of research that compares heterosexual and homosexual parenting outcomes with adopted children. To respond to this gap in the literature, this study explored the extent of emotional and behavioral problems among children aged 1.5 to 5 years (n=380) and 6 to 18 years (n=1,004) with gay and lesbian or heterosexual adoptive parents. A multiple regression analysis was used to assess the association between the dependent variables (child internalizing and externalizing behavior) on adoptive parent sexual orientation (gay and lesbian or heterosexual) while controlling for child age, child sex, pre-adoptive maltreatment, co-sibling adoption, adoption preparation, family income, and family functioning. As hypothesized, results indicted that child internalizing and externalizing behavior was not contingent upon adoptive parent sexual orientation. Rather, regardless of sexual orientation, adoptive parents are likely to encounter similar challenges in terms of risk factors for child behavioral problems and mitigating factors of such behavior. Recommendations for practice, policy, and future research are highlighted.

This research study found no significant differences between heterosexual and homosexual parents and had no significant impact on the internalizing or externalizing behaviors of the children.


You don't say? Obviously, you will get bad apple parents with homosexuals, just as you do with heterosexuals. However, that does not mean that all homosexuals are evil incarnate, just like it doesn't mean all heterosexuals are bad parents. Obviously. I actually know someone in my Social Work program who has one of the most successful homosexual parent-child situations I've ever heard of. He and his partner of 9 years have joint custody of his biological daughter. She spends the other half of her time 1 mile down the road at her biological mother and step father's home. That young lady has FOUR LOVING, DEVOTED PARENTS, whereas many children don't even have one. How this is bad for her emotional/physical/mental development is beyond my knowledge. In my opinion, she is one lucky child, who will grow up with a very diverse background, and will have acceptance for those who are different.

The evil mythology surrounding homosexuals and adoption needs to be BUSTED. Too bad we can't get this topic on MythBusters. :)

Remember the 7 Cs

Remember the 7 Cs

Some children with moms and dads that drink too much think that it is their fault. Maybe you are one of those children. Well, it's not your fault and you can't control it. But, there are ways that you can deal with it. One important way is to remember the 7 Cs.

I didn't Cause it.
I can't Cure it.
I can't Control it.
I can Care for myself by
       Communicating my feelings,
Making healthy Choices, and
By Celebrating myself.

Source: National Association for Children of Alcoholics.

GREAT resources for motivating clients to CHANGE!

I'm doing an online course to better under stand Substance Abuse and how it affects client in the Child Welfare system. I just came across some really great motivators from change. All of this information came from the below source, of which you can register and take the trainings for free.

Parent’s Stage of Change and Motivational Tasks for Child Welfare Workers
Parent's Stages of Change		Motivational Tasks for Child Welfare Worker
Precontemplation	No perception of having a problem or need to change	Increase parent's perception of the risks and problems with their current behavior; raise parent's awareness about behavior
Contemplation	Initial recognition that behavior may be a problem and ambivalence about change	Foster and evoke reasons to change and the risks of not changing; help parents see that change is possible and achievable
Decision to Change	Makes a conscious determination to change; some motivation for change identified	Help parent identify best actions to take for change; support motivations for change
Action	Takes steps to change	Help parent implement strategy and take steps
Maintenance	Actively works on sustaining change strategies and maintaining long-term change	Help parent to identify triggers and use strategies to prevent relapse
Lapse or Relapse	Slips (lapses) from a change strategy or returns to previous problem behavior patterns (relapse)	Help parent re-engage in the contemplation, decision, and action stages

Motivational Strategies for the Precontemplation Stage

When parents are in the precontemplation stage on a specific issue, child welfare professionals can use the following motivational strategies to help move them to the next stage:

• Establish rapport and build trust



• Raise concerns about a parent's substance-related risk behaviors to self and children



• Elicit the parents' perceptions of their level of risk



• Elicit the parents' perceptions of their children's level of risk with respect to safety, well-being, and health



• Explore the benefits and risks of risky behaviors and treatment, including the timetable of the dependency court



• Express concern and remain available.

Motivational Strategies for the Contemplation Stage

When parents are in the contemplation stage on a specific issue, child welfare professionals can use the following motivational strategies to help move them to the next stage:

• Help parents understand that ambivalence about change is normal



• Elicit and weigh their reasons to change and not to change, including the consequences for the child if the parent does not meet the requirements of the dependency court



• Emphasize parents' free choice, responsibility, and self-efficacy for change



• Elicit self-motivational statements of intent and commitment from parents



• Elicit ideas regarding parents' perceived self-efficacy and expectations



• Summarize self-motivational statements



• Elicit ideas for the child's well-being and safety

Motivational Strategies for the Preparation Stage
When parents are in the preparation stage on a specific issue, child welfare professionals can use the following motivational strategies to help move them to the next stage:

• Clarify the parents' own goals and strategies for change



• Offer a menu of options for change or treatment



• Offer expertise and specific guidance, with permission



• Make sure that parents follow through on referrals for treatment assessment



• Help negotiate a change or treatment plan and behavior agreement



• Consider how to help parents lower their barriers to change



• Help parents enlist social support



• Explore the parent's treatment expectations



• Elicit from the parent what has or has not worked in the past



• Have the parent publicly announce plans to change



• Explore legal and social consequences to the parent and the child



• Help parents make plans for dependent children

Motivational Strategies for the Action Stage
When parents are in the action stage on a specific issue, child welfare professionals can use the following motivational strategies to help move them to the next stage:

• Support a realistic view of change through small steps



• Acknowledge difficulties for the parent in early stages of change



• Help the parent find new reinforcers of positive change



• Help parents assess whether they have strong family and social supports, and how these can be used to support child safety and well-being



• Help parents engage community supports



• Reflect on appropriate legal and social interactions and gains

Motivational Strategies for the Maintenance Stage
When parents are in the maintenance stage on a specific issue, child welfare professionals can use the following motivational strategies to help them sustain the benefits that they have achieved.

• Support parents' lifestyle changes



• Affirm parents' resolve and self-efficacy



• Support parents' use of new communication or coping strategies



• Maintain supportive contact and availability



• Sustain parents' resolve to meet statutory timetables



• Review long-term goals with parents



• Advocate for legal and community supports and rewards



• Help parents make plans for dependent children



• Help parents, kin caregivers, and children recognize risk factors and behaviors involved with substance abuse

Motivational Strategies for the Relapse Stage
Many clients will not immediately sustain new changes they are attempting to make. Substance use after a period of abstinence may be common in early recovery. Clients may go through several cycles of the stages of change to achieve long-term recovery. Relapse should not be interpreted as treatment failure or that the client has abandoned a commitment to change. With support, these experiences can provide information that can facilitate subsequent progression through the stages of change and identify new areas in which treatment and case plans can be enhanced. When parents lapse or relapse, child welfare professionals have an especially important role helping parents to reengage by using the following strategies:

• Help parents to reenter the change cycle



• Explore the meaning of relapse as a learning opportunity



• Maintain nonjudgmental, supportive contact



• Help parents find alternative coping strategies



• Keep parents' attention focused on the social and legal consequences of relapse for themselves and for their children

The FRAMES Strategies
F	Feedback regarding the parent's impairment or risk behavior
R	Responsibility for change is the parent's
A	Advice (guidance) to change is provided by the social worker
M	Menu of treatment and self-help alternatives is offered to the parent
E	Empathy and non-blaming style is used by the social worker
S	Self-efficacy or positive empowerment is facilitated in the parent

GOOD STUFF!

Monday Morning Musings

*yawn*

I have a Literature Review due in 2 weeks and it has become the bane of my existence. I have to do a full-scale review and analysis on "Best Practices in Family Preservation." Finding appropriate research for that exact topic has been a pain in the arse but I finally found 4 (we need to have between 3 to 5 articles) and I'm not changing them now! I've been reading through what I've found, identifying the research question and reading through the discussion for the findings. Once I've read them all, I will go back and review the Methods. And let's face it. Analysis isn't my strong suit. It is going to kick my arse. I just don't have an analytical brain, and to try and understand their methods and make sure they covered all the bases (in other words, they conducted a solid study)...it makes me just laugh thinking about it.

Family preservation services are family-focused, short-term, intensive therapeutic services designed for families with a child at imminent risk of out-of-home placement. That is good, right, because when children are removed from their parents and their environment, it is serious trauma! Also, if the child is young and they are placed in foster care for a length of time, the attachment process can be interrupted. Research has shown the disastrous effects of disrupting the attachment/bonding of a young child and their main caretaker.


The goals of the program are to resolve the crisis that led to the decision to remove the child and teach the child's family the skills they need to stay together. It emphasizes the strengths of the family and seeks to empower families to solve their own problems. What a concept! Obviously, children who have been abused will be removed from the home and really don't qualify for these types of services. (Other services are provided, obviously, as the primary goal of child welfare is to reunify the child with their biological parents). But what about the families who have been neglectful due to inadequate housing, addiction, mental health issues or poor child care skills?


{rant}
FPS could work for them, but my findings so far are a bit disappointing. It seems as though the caseworkers in the field don't always identify the proper families for FPS. Meaning, some inappropriate families receive it, and the ones that could have benefited from FPS have the child removed. I think a lot of caseworker's err on the side of caution because they are afraid to leave a child in a home that has been identified as neglectful, etc. Makes sense - I know I'd feel that way - but it leads me to my next rant. Proper Training, please! I've come across a lot of literature that says caseworkers are not trained on proper assessment of the families and treatment of the above problems, as well as many others. This isn't the first time I've heard this! When are we going to put trained human services people in these positions and quit hiring any joe blow off the street? I doubt that their intentions are bad but they aren't educated/trained to assess these families properly, and therefore, the families are provided incorrect services. The system is not meeting their needs. We are failing them!
{/rant}

Anywho, besides reading and ingesting the research articles (time consuming, anyone?), I have to fit in my work hours (thankfully I can do those from my computer, but they take up valuable school work time) and write the damn review in TWO WEEKS! If you know me, I am not a quick writer. It takes a while for the writing flow (in other words, days, weeks, etc). I can't just sit down and spit it out. Ugh. UGH! I see sleepless nights is in my near future. As I sit here and contemplate how I am supposed to pull this off, my brain quickly reminds me that it is 25% of our friggin grade, which makes me feel so much better.

Child Abuse: What are we doing wrong?

Tonight's class was a toughie. We watched a Dateline investigative report on the death of Kayla McKean in 1998. I have yet to work directly with abused children so I have no personal experience in this area. These are opinions based on my education, and I am quite aware that things are very different in the field.

Disclaimer: My facts and details aren't exact, so don't blast me for that. There are plenty of resources (see below) to find the exact details.

In 1998, Kayla McKean was a 6 year old girl in the 1st grade. She lived in central FL (why the hell is it always FL?) with her mother, who soon gave up on parenting her. I don't remember any details about her mother, but something tells me she wasn't parenting Kayla in a healthy fashion). Her father, Richard, was married and had a small child. At some point, Richard took in Kayla.

Kayla showed up to school with 2 black eyes. Her guidance counselor or teacher made a call to Richard, who says she fell off her bike. Kayla confirms the story. Richard is urged to take Kayla to a doctor immediately, so he takes her to the emergency room. The doctor came to the conclusion that her injuries (a broke nose, which causes black eyes, a broken knuckle and some bruising) is conclusive to falling off a bike. It can happen. She took Kayla aside to see if she would admit to anything, but Kayla stuck to the story. While the doctor believed the story, her instincts still persisted, so she called the abuse hotline, and a child protective investigator was sent to the hospital. The doctor told the social worker that Kayla's injuries were conclusive to the accident, but didn't share her instincts about anything else. She believed the abuse call was proof she thought something was awry. The SW interviewed all parties, all had the same story. She concluded that abuse was unfounded.

Richard had an anger problem, and admitted this throughout his casework, so the SW sent them to a contracted family services program to receive assistance with parenting and his anger problem. She also ordered a psychological eval, which she never followed up on. Why didn't she ask to see this bike? Or where the accident happened? She was new to the job (big surprise!), maybe experience and the stress of too many cases for one person to handle where clouding her judgement. Maybe she really did believe the story.

The SW assigned to the case was on a leave of absence when another abuse report was made a few weeks later. Kayla again showed up to school with the same injuries and the same story. Again, she was asked to be medically evaluated, and we taken to a pediatrician. The pediatrician concluded abuse on sight, and after examining Kayla, made the abuse report. A new SW was sent to investigate, and abuse was unfounded (I can't remember the details).

A friend of Richard took notice of Kayla's condition and tried to pry info from Richard and Kayla. Neither ever let on to abuse. When Summer came, Richard called up said friend and told him he couldn't handle Kayla anymore (he said she was evil) and would the friend take her indefinitely. The friend did, and for 3 weeks, Kayla had a very happy and healthy existence. However, Richard called the friend up to say he wanted Kayla back to prepare her for school. The friend was very reluctant to give Kayla back, but he had no legal grounds to keep her.

Some time into the first half of the school year, Kayla comes to school with different injuries and a new story (of which I can't remember). This time, the Guidance Counselor made the abuse report. Because time had passed and no abuse had occurred, the case was closed. When the new report came in, a new case was opened and a 3rd SW was assigned to the case. For whatever reason (details I can't remember), abuse was unfounded.

Thanksgiving comes and Richard files a missing child report. Kayla is gone. A search party is sent out immediately, on Thanksgiving Day! The FBI investigate Richard and his wife, Marcie. After a few days and no body, Marcie breaks down and tells the truth. Richard beat the life out of Kayla when she soiled her underpants. After Richard threatens to take their baby and run, he talks Marcie into driving to the Ocala National Forest to bury Kayla's body. Both are arrested, Marcie later gets out, but Richard is served with a life sentence. I do believe he was eventually given the death penalty and executed by lethal injection.

My first reaction is "Why did Marcie allow this to happen?" I assume it is because Richard threatened her and their child, and she complied out of fear. I will not judge her, although I have so much I'd like to say! As far as the system side, I have not worked in this field, so I think it allows me to see both sides. I definitely believe there was ample evidence and enough professionals involved with this family, that Kayla should and could have been saved. However, we watched an investigative report, so what we heard was a hell of a lot more information than what each of the workers involved knew. I am also very aware of the severe amount of work the case managers and investigators deal with, and unfortunately, these workers are human, and humans aren't perfect. There was also a severe communication issue between entities and a serious lack of follow up. The teacher said that there is so much paperwork involved that a lot of focus has turned away from protecting the child to CYA (covering your own ass). This obviously didn't occur in Kayla's case, as workers did not follow up when they should have (first step in CYA, people!) and a lot of reportable evidence was not properly documented.

The SWs involved all had the same story:

• new to the job
• no social service background
• little training
• few workers, which meant major caseloads
• pressure to close cases ASAP
• little follow-up

These complaints sound very familiar! They are the same complaints made in the mid-1800's by social workers who investigated the Orphan Train children. That was over 150 years ago! Are you seriously telling me that we are still experiencing the same exact problems? Yes, I know that the importance and action in child welfare has improved LEAPS AND BOUNDS since then, but the system itself seems to be stuck in limbo. What the heck are we doing wrong, and how can we change it for the better? Unfortunately, I don't excel at this type of problem solving, but I'm sure many people have suggested different types of reform, but how do you fix a problem that is nothing but a big cycle of problems?

Resources:

http://www.childrens-angels.org/kayla-mckean/

http://kaylaslaw.blogspot.com/?zx=917eb70dc7ec524a

http://www.mcjackie.com/galcrisis.html

https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://laws.flrules.org/files/Ch_1999-168.pdf

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=20000723&id=Ep8sAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Zf0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6493,1507481

R.I.P Kayla McKean