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Reply to "This is More Urgent since watching The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez! on netflix"

I just finished watching this documentary.  It rocked me to the core.  I used to work for Child Protective Services and then worked for a non-profit as an in home parenting support coordinator.  This could have easily been me in that courtroom.  I was not properly trained, I was not prepared for all the parents who hid from me and wouldn't answer the door.  My very first case was a parent who, week after week, would not answer the door.  I didn't know at the time, I could do a welfare check on them by calling the sheriff.  I didn't know, and had little in the way of training on what to look for as far as abuse. 

I have since educated myself and become a Certified Trauma Practitioner and am much more qualified to do this work. 

This was just one layer of the problem with the system.  I, too have been told to watch my overtime.  The overwhelm and burn out rate in employees is astronomical, causing constant turnovers in case workers, families get lost in the cracks.  Now our funding has been cut and we no longer have in home visits AT ALL!  I shudder to think what is happening to some of the families I used to serve. 

The other thing that floored me was the amount of trauma that was inflicted on all the first responders, I hope these men and women find peace through trauma recovery.  

I think every social worker, law enforcement officer, first responder and teacher should watch this documentary.  Although, the worst part for me was to find out that nothing really changed and that this child's death made no difference in the system.

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