As a social worker in the field of child abuse and domestic violence for the past 40 years, I feel compelled to add to recent discussions about child welfare reform that follow several tragic child deaths.
While there is widespread consensus that reform is needed, how that reform should take shape, then be implemented, is far less obvious. Child abuse and neglect are complex issues with root causes deriving from social conditions (e.g., poverty, lack of adequate housing and impacts from discrimination and historical trauma) and individual family histories (e.g., abuse, mental health issues and alcohol/substance addiction.)
Effective child welfare reform goes far beyond changing agency policies and procedures. We must effectively address the social issues impacting families and ensure that our child welfare workforce has the expertise, training and resources necessary to tackle these difficult issues.
Over the years, our state has enhanced our child welfare system by supporting programs such as “Blueprint for Change,” family group conferencing and adopting a differential response system, which provide a strong foundation — a foundation which we must continue to build upon.
We also need to acknowledge challenges inherent in the system. Investigating and intervening in child abuse cases often means making potentially life-changing decisions to remove or not remove children. That decision, often made within days and sometimes within hours of receiving a report, is predicated on information gathered in a short period, in compliance with state and federal guidelines, and is made only after carefully balancing the needs of ensuring safety of children with the inherent rights of parents.
We must support this critical work by adequately funding staff training and resources such as parenting classes, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and housing so that Child Welfare Services’ workers have the necessary “tools” to ensure families can provide safe homes for their children.
In my career, I have never had a CWS worker say that they did not care about the needs of the children whose interests he/she was committed to protecting. I have, however, seen firsthand that there are often not enough hours in the day for them to complete their work, and how difficult it is to access services and resources needed for families in need.
I am always amazed at how social workers manage all they do — meet with children/families, attend court hearings and write court reports, meet with service providers to monitor family compliance and progress, transport children to appointments, etc. I have also seen how many sacrifice time with their own families because of their commitment to their work.
Finally, it is important to know that child welfare workers may only intervene if and when they receive a report of alleged abuse. Sadly, the general public is often reluctant to report child abuse. This may be for a host of reasons — fear of wrongly accusing someone, fear of retaliation, or feeling that family issues should be handled within the family. Child welfare reform must include educating our community that the safety and well-being of children is paramount, and that we must all do our part to support safe, healthy families.
There may always be a need for child welfare reform, and constructive dialogue from myriad perspectives will only help the process. But improvements to our system will be most effective if we all take ownership of the problem and are willing to work collaboratively and cooperatively to develop viable solutions.
Terri Lum is a licensed social worker in Hilo.