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Caseworkers, Stand Up Against Racism in Child Welfare Or Be Part of Problem [youthtoday.org]

 

I feel very fortunate that I discovered social work because it was just by chance that I did. I moved to Texas from Chicago when I was 22. Until that point I had attended two different universities where I had several different majors. In Texas I started a new college but was still unsure of a major — I knew I wanted to do something that made a difference, but I didn’t know what that would be.

Then one evening I saw a news story about a social worker working for Child Protective Services (CPS). A reporter was doing a ride-along with this social worker, visiting homes and talking about her experiences helping children and families, and the difference she was making in their lives. I realized instantly this was what I wanted to do, and the next day I changed my major to social work. I did my undergraduate internship with CPS, and worked for CPS after I graduated for a total of six years.

It wasn’t until after I left the agency that I reflected on the work I did and whether I was able to make a difference. Sadly, I realized I did make a difference, but it wasn’t the difference I had hoped for. When I was working in the system, I thought I was helping vulnerable children and families. But as I reflected back on my time working for this system, I realized that I was very young, I was very ill-prepared, and I became caught up in a culture of removal, where taking children away from their families was viewed as helping them.

[For more on this story by Alan J. Dettlaff, go to http://youthtoday.org/2018/01/...-be-part-of-problem/]

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