By Noah Worley
Not many people know how to respond when I tell them I work in child welfare. I often get the routine, “I don’t know how you do it,” or “It takes a special kind of person to do what you do.” While I never contest either statement, it does spark a lot of thought, and I often say, “I just do it.” The reality is, I couldn’t do it without the people and the partnership of others. As a Permanency Planning Social Worker, I could not achieve permanency for the children I work with without meaningful partnerships.
In social work, there are very important partnerships between the social worker and the removal caregiver, and between the social worker and the placement resource provider. When it comes to removal caregivers, they know the child(ren) the best. I have yet to encounter a situation where this was not true. Admittedly, it may not always be easy to believe or comfortable to accept, but nonetheless, it is true. As social workers, we cannot allow our opinions or judgments to interfere with this understanding or the practice of working with the removal caregiver. We must check our bias often.
In addition to the necessary partnership with removal caregivers, we must also embrace and balance a partnership with the placement resource provider. Ironically, I have said and often think, “I could never do what they do,” when it comes to being a placement resource provider. A 3:00 AM phone call, the demand to be the most vulnerable, the impossible request to create normalcy, love temporarily, to attach with the likelihood of ultimate detachment, and to do it all with a smile; that is the reality of their role. I have learned that after a short time, I often have two team members who know the child(ren) better than I do: the removal caregiver and the placement resource provider. Social workers cannot adequately provide services to their clients without a partnership with the placement resource provider.
A good partnership with a placement resource provider begins with the first impression, with the first home visit, and the first Child and Family Team Meeting (CFTM). It begins with initial contact and should grow from that experience. As a social worker, it is important to evaluate and understand what the child welfare system expects of someone who agrees to serve as a placement resource provider. We must also ensure that we maintain a shared responsibility for the child(ren) with them.
While I recognize that no two people approach social work the same way, there are some similar paths we can take to strengthen our partnerships. Begin by creating a team mindset. A genuine team approach means two things: firstly, that everyone at the table—and that is where it begins, by having everyone at the table—has a seat of equal height. This includes the social worker, a supervisor, the GAL, the removal caregiver, the support people that the family chooses, the placement resource provider, anyone else who is truly important to be at that table, and most importantly, the child, if it is appropriate for them to contribute. Secondly, it means relinquishing the control that we as professionals in a position of authority often cling to so passionately. It is far too easy and convenient to wield the authority given to us as professionals in this field, and I can say unequivocally that when it is abused, no person benefits. When we approach our work from a team perspective, we relinquish that sense of infallible authority and welcome opportunity. We accept that input from the other people at the table is significant in the decision-making for the permanency planning case.
One thing remains true in the current state of the child welfare system: Social workers are tasked with an incredible responsibility. Our dedication and passion to help the most vulnerable in society are often overshadowed by unmanageable paperwork, antiquated policies and standards, and a system that is often detached from the work. Nonetheless, social workers must manage all demands while ensuring the child(ren) remain the primary focus. Once again, the statement is made “I don’t know how you do it. I say, we do know how. We do an incredible job, but we don’t do it alone.
In child welfare, there is work to be done, but social workers must start where they are and do what they can. We cannot directly influence the law or policy, but we can start making big changes in our work, and that begins with partnerships. Here are some ways to do that:
- Rethink CFT meetings: a CFTM or PPR every 90 days is simply not enough. Social Workers have high responsibilities, and there is too much happening in our clients’ lives. Hold a CFTM every month, and in the third month, combine your CFTM and PPR into a single meeting. If you use this approach, you meet policy requirements and follow best practices while staying up to date on your cases.
- Increase your communication: create a group text chain or a chain email and use it often. Include the appropriate people, but certainly the removal caregiver and the placement resource provider. Request a brief update after visitations, appointments, and other events. When everyone receives the same information at the same time, it reduces confusion and the Social Worker’s responsibility to bridge the gap.
- Encourage Shared Parenting: it should be a topic at every CFTM and every other opportunity. When quality shared parenting is happening, it improves partnership across the board. Placement resource providers often feel left out of information sharing and decision-making. Shared parenting is an opportunity for the removal caregiver to take responsibility for the case and for the placement resource provider to be included.
- Crucial Conversations: Often, in our work we have to have challenging, complex, and often uncomfortable conversations. The reality is that they are necessary, and it’s time to start getting confident. When you have crucial conversations constructively, you address the concerns and ensure all partners are aligned.
We do not do this work alone; when we build partnerships with those alongside us, especially our placement resource parent, we achieve timely permanence, achieve better outcomes, and reduce stress.
Noah Worley is a Foster Care Lead Worker III and B.I.D./Educational Coordinator with the Yancey County Department of Social Services
