Analysis: Employment Conditions of Child Protection Same All Over

                        

Sadly the state of child protection services is no different here in B.C. Hiring freezes, far too many managers and bureaucrats. Unreasonably high caseloads, too much emphasis on paperwork and administrative tasks. One of the highest sick leave rates and worker turnover in all of the B.C. government. A government that doesn't care here and a union that is MIA. 

DCF workers protest heavy caseloads

Crimaldi, L. (2014). 

LOWELL — Child welfare workers are struggling with what they say is a caseload crisis caused by longstanding staffing shortages and new policies implemented after the disappearance of a Fitchburg boy who was under state supervision, union officials said Tuesday.

The state Department of Children and Families was handling 35,066 cases as of March 1, according to the Service Employees International Union Local 509, which represents child welfare workers. That’s a 9 percent increase since December, when officials learned that Jeremiah Oliver was missing.

Jeremiah’s body was found Friday off Interstate 190 in Sterling, authorities said. He was 4 years old when he was last seen in September. No one has been charged in his death.

The preschooler is alleged to have been the victim of violence involving his mother, Elsa Oliver, 28, and her boyfriend, Alberto Sierra Jr., 23, both of whom have refused to say anything about his whereabouts since their arrests in December on assault and child endangerment charges. They have pleaded not guilty.

On Tuesday, a judge allowed requests from Elsa Oliver’s lawyer to let an independent pathologist examine the boy’s body before it is released to his family for a funeral, said her attorney, James Gavin Reardon Jr.
“There has been no announced cause of death nor have I been given any information about my client’s alleged involvement in the death,” Reardon said.

Sierra’s lawyer didn’t return a call seeking comment.

The Oliver case exposed systemic problems at the state child protection agency, including heavy caseloads and poor internal communication.

“We need something done today. We need more workers. We need lower caseloads,” said Kelly Ballum, a caseworker in Lowell, where about three dozen caseworkers and DCF investigators held an informational picket Tuesday. She said she’s handling 22½ cases and must visit with 30 children this month.

Union officials singled out a directive requiring the agency to conduct a full investigation of any claims of abuse involving children age 5 and under in families with young parents, or parents with a history of substance abuse, domestic violence, mental health issues, or unresolved childhood trauma.

“It’s just impossible for the agency and for the investigators and ongoing workers to handle the volume of cases that are coming in,” said Anthony Labo, a child welfare investigator in Lowell and a union official.

The contract for investigators says they should have no more than 12 cases per month, but Labo said some are now juggling upward of 30 a month.

Peter MacKinnon, president of the union that represents child welfare workers, said he supports the reasons behind the new directives, including an increase in opiate abuse and research into the causes of death and injuries for children age 5 and under.

But, he said, the agency should have put staff in place to carry out the policy change.

“They put in writing that we don’t have the staff to do this, but we’re going to do this anyway,” MacKinnon said. “To do it without any thought or any planning and without the staff to do it caused the spike and actually made kids less safe.”

Governor Deval Patrick said lawmakers are working on providing more money to hire additional staff. “They have had staffing needs for some time, we’ve known this for more than a year, we’ve been working on it for more than a year,” Patrick said, according to a transcript of his comments provided to the Globe.

The agency got an additional $2.8 million in funding this year, and Patrick’s budget plan for next year includes an additional $9.2 million to pay for 175 new social workers and staff and to improve technology, according to a statement from Cayenne Isaksen, a DCF spokeswoman.

More than 150 social workers and staff have been hired in the last four months, she said.

The union said the extra money being sought would not meet demand.

Jeremiah Oliver’s disappearance only became known to police when his 7-year-old sister told school staff that she and her 9-year-old brother had been physically abused at home and that she had not seen Jeremiah in a long time.

The boy’s father, Jose Oliver, who lives in New Britain, Conn., said he hopes to hold a funeral in Fitchburg and burial in Worcester.

“I hope I get answers. Why? Just why? That’s what I want to know — just why and what happened,” he said.

Technology: Using Digital Media in Social Work Education

This article is very close to my heart. Since I made the shift to being an educator I've found ways to incorporate media, social media and technology into curriculum. Its an exciting and innovative time for learning technologies. 

I've also found, today's students, particularly the younger ones who have never known a world without the internet, really benefit from engaging in multi-media learning materials and content. In the classroom it has its pluses and minuses, but overall, I believe the profession of social work needs to expand our use of media and technology in a variety of ways, keeping in mind ethical practices. 

How can we use digital media in social work courses?
Social media can be an invaluable tool for learning, but student participation cannot be taken for granted
Megele, C. (2014). The Guardian Professional. 

Digital services are playing an increasingly important role in social care, whether it is video training that can be viewed on a mobile, or remote tools for carers. So given the rise in e-services, how can the social work profession ensure that all staff are able and confident when it comes to using digital tools?

An important starting point is for students to be introduced to the professional use and applications of social media during courses. We are seeing a move towards this; indeed, my passion for the use of technology in social care was why I started @SWSCmedia and @MHChat, two online practice communities. I then created Enable, the Enquiry and Networked Action Based Learning Environment, and used it as the model for incorporating social media in the MSc Step up to Social Work programme, for teaching and assessment. This was followed by a Higher Education Academy (HEA) workshop on using social media in academic curriculums.

These experiences, and the ideas discussed at the HEA event have taught me that it is important to establish clear objectives for what you would like social media to add to the course: assuming student participation with social media may be incorrect. It is essential to explicitly communicate your expectations, as students need to feel that the use of social media in the course is relevant and aids their learning. Furthermore, given the vast array of software and platforms, it is important to choose which social media will be used and their role.

A systematic approach and clear delivery are essential for successful use of social media in teaching and learning. The model I came up with, called Enable, encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning. The model uses networks and communities of practice to encourage interaction, connections and social learning.

Using social media may involve learning how to use the technology, and this can require training. However, technology should not be the driver. The most important thing is how these tools can help people develop their potential. People value what they help to build and social media offer a collaborative platform for sharing and co-developing projects and ideas. Therefore, it is important to go beyond meeting students' learning needs, and use social media as an opportunity for enhancing learners' social and collaborative competencies.

Learning requires motivation, and maintaining this drive is closely related to its social elements. Therefore, it is important to create a supportive, interactive and open learning environment that recognises learners' previous experiences and builds on their capabilities.

Rather than thinking of social media as a teaching tool, it can be used to create a culture of continuous improvement. Social media offers opportunities to model diverse practices, develop personal learning networks, and to establish a rich and inclusive learning process. However, to be effective, it needs to be focused on students' experiences.

Claudia Megele (@ClaudiaMegele) is a senior lecturer and CPD/PQ programme leader at Middlesex University and head of practice learning at Enfield council. 

Ethics: Social Worker Fired for Misconduct

Social worker sacked over missing child

The New Zealand Herald, (2014). 

A social worker who failed to tell his superiors that a child in their care was missing was rightly sacked, the Employment Relations Authority has found.

Gavin Temara had worked for Child Youth and Family in Auckland for nearly 10 years before he was fired last November.

In May last year, Mr Temara was assigned to a family, known as the K family, which had already been in the social welfare system for three years.

In the two months that followed, Mr Temara completed safety assessments of the family without interviewing any of the children.

An initial report by Mr Temara identified a long history of neglect and violence, the authority said.

Another report by him identified vulnerable infants and that one of the children, RK, was showing dangerous and criminal behaviour.

He prepared an order for that child only to be removed from the the child's parents.

He later interviewed RK and an older sibling who both reported no problems in their home. Mr Temara did not interview any of the other children.

On July 1, Mr Temara was contacted by a colleague who told him one of the children, 8-year-old MK had gone missing from the family home.

He had been missing since the previous day and the parents were going to the police.

"Mr Temara took no further action on the file. He did not note MK's disappearance in CYFS records or advise his supervisor this had occurred," the authority said.

Four days later the child was found and told police of incidences of violence towards all the siblings.

MK was placed in emergency care and custody orders were made for the other children.

Mr Temara was fired for serious misconduct following an investigation by the agency.

He told the authority his actions did not fit within the definition of serious misconduct within the disciplinary policy. At best it was "conduct that brings the employer into disrepute".

The social worker's failure to interview the children, despite knowing there had been 17 previous domestic violence incidences was "an act of wilful  negligence or gross incompetence", authority member Tania Tetitaha said.

Because Mr Temara did not notify his superiors for four days that MK was missing, they were unable to use their own resources to help in the search for the child, she said.

His dismissal by the agency was justified, Ms Tetitaha ruled.

- APNZ

Reflecting on Social Work in the 21st Century

I am Getting my MSW, but I Do Not Want to be a "Social Worker"

Richardson, J. (2014). Social Work Helper.

As I finish up my first year in graduate school, I am reflecting on the reasons I chose to enroll in a social work program. First, I want to change to world, and I want to help as many people as I can. I  know I cannot change everything, but I can motivate and empower other people to help to make a bigger impact. 

My passion for social justice drove me into the MSW program, and I was ready to set forth and learn how to save the world. Now during my whole time at school, I get ask the same questions over and over again about what I am studying social work and the reasons behind it. Once I tell people I am getting my MSW, they certainly jump to conclusions about my career path.

You are not going to make any money.

You are going to take kids away from bad parents.

Oh! I know a social worker at my school. She’s great!

Good for you; that job is so challenging.

Why are you learning about fundraising if you are going to be a social worker? They are so different.

What population do you want to work with?

What therapy method do you prefer?

Why do you want to help poor people?

You need to get licensed right away.

You should memorized the DSM

Take a course on CBT for sure

You need to focus to take as many advanced clinical courses as possible.

Sadly, I have heard all of these statements and more related ones too many times. The frustrating part about these comments is not the fact people are trying to help or learn more about my career, but they are judging my career choice before I get a chance to explain my reasoning. The worst part about this is that people who call themselves social workers are the most judgmental. They believe in their definition of social work, and what I want to do is not it.

They in some ways diminish my motivation for social change and push more towards therapy. Even the educational requirements are steering away from social justice initiatives and focusing on therapy. Is that what social work is now? Cheap therapy? If you would like more information on the subject, there is a book called Unfaithful Angels: How Social Work has Abandoned its Mission by Harry Spect and Mark E. Courtney. The book is a great read for any social worker out there trying to evaluate their roles as a social worker in society.

As many of you know, the definition of social work is vast and expanding. You can read about the great things about the various social work professions and opportunities in other posts on this website. It is not just counseling or adhering to the needs of individuals, but much more.  This can include anything related to helping individuals including but not limited to social policy analysis, program development, community assessment, advocacy, community organizing, development, organizational management, case management, research, social change and more, not just counseling.

With this being said, it is said that many schools and professionals are telling students every day that their focus should be on therapy and clinical intervention. I do not discredit the wonderful work clinical social workers do, because it is necessary. I just want the opportunity for my fellow students and I to mold our own definitions of social work based on personal and communal factors. We should focus our education, internships, jobs based on what we like to do and what we feel is necessary. We certainly would not tell clients what to do based on our own perceived conceptions of their identity, then we should not do it for social work students.

For clarification, I do plan on being a social worker, but I am going to be MY definition of a social worker. I plan to be a nonprofit executive leading human service agencies. I am getting my MSW to understand the perspective of oppressed individuals, and how my good friend says it, put the human back in human services.

If a label is part of my identity, I will dictate what I believe the label means. In order for you to know, you need to ask me instead of judging based on your preconceived notions. Rather than tell me what to do, maybe you could offer your advice or assistance if I ask for it.  Our future is determined by our decisions, and we students need to learn that for ourselves. Honestly, you’d be surprised how much we know already, and you could learn more about us if you do not jump to conclusions. 

Training: Love Workshop for Couples - Vancouver

GETTING THE LOVE YOU WANT!

A weekend workshop for couples

This 20 hour Imago workshop, based on the work of Harville Hendrix, helps couples to listen and to be heard, to become conscious of the dynamics that drive their relationship. Couples will learn practical skills to change self-defeating behaviours and learn to focus their energy on meeting their partner’s needs while honouring their own. Couples will leave the workshop more connected to each other, more able to replace conflict and animosity with compassion, respect and a deeper love for one another. Couples are encouraged to participate to their comfort level but are not required to speak in front of the group.

We welcome all couples in all stages of relationship – newly in love, struggling with endless arguments, wanting to enrich their relationship, thinking about separation, and not wanting to repeat the mistakes from previous relationships. Couples with diverse backgrounds – sexual orientation, cultural, ethnic or spiritual affiliations – have all benefited from this workshop.

NEW DATE: May 23-25, 2014

Our weekend workshops tend to sell out! Register early to avoid disappointment.

A note to therapists: Please know that we encourage couples to make an appointment back with their referring therapist after the workshop to continue their relationship work. All therapists who attend with their partners receive a significant discount. 

See our website for registration and referral information.  www.ImagoVancouver.com 

Facilitators: Tamara Adilman, RCC, 604-732-7344 and Maureen McEvoy, RCC 604-873-3278 Certified Getting the Love You Want workshop presenters.

Celebrating Social Work: PEI Social Workers Recognized for Distinguished Service

Two Island social workers receive national awards

Journal Pioneer (2014). 

Two Prince Edward Island social workers recently received Canadian Association of Social Workers Distinguished Service Awards.

Margaret Kennedy and Phil Matusiewisz were selected from the membership of CASW partner organizations during National Social Work Month. The awards serve to honour the significant contributions made by the social work profession in support of building stronger families and a more equitable Canada.

Kennedy is currently the provincial director of Community Mental Health and Addictions Services with responsibility for in-patient and out-patient programs and facilities across P.E.I. She is also the director responsible for the Mental Health Act of P.E.I. (a ministerial appointment). Kennedy is past president of P.E.I. Association of Social Workers and is an author and contributor to various social work related publications.

Matusiewisz is currently the registrar of the P.E.I. Social Work Registration Board, and actively involved in the Canadian Council.

Matusiewisz was involved in the implementation of the Best Start Program on P.E.I., an early intervention program for at-risk families with children under the age of three. He is the registrar of the P.E.I. Social Work Registration Board and actively involved in the Canadian Council of Social Work Regulators. He is currently employed as executive director of P.E.I.'s Family Violence Prevention Services.

In receiving their awards, Kennedy and Matusiewisz were cited as having provided "exceptional service to the populations they serve as well as upholding and exemplifying the best of the profession."

Organizations: P.E.I. Social Work Registration Board, Community Mental Health and Addictions Services, P.E.I. Association of Social Workers Canadian Council of Social Work Regulators

Celebrating Social Work: Statement to the Canadian Senate

Statement by the Honourable Judith Seidman for National Social Work Month

March 28, 2014

Honourable senators, in the last few years,  experts from across the country have been questioning the use of the word  “system” to describe Canada’s health care sector, some calling it a “misnomer.”  In 2011, then CMA president Dr. Jeffrey Turnbull put it this way: The health care system is fractured to such a degree that it is, in some ways, a system in name only.

Professional silos — as they are described by health experts — may be most visible in the transition between acute and community care. In 2007-08, outside of Quebec and Manitoba, more than 1.7 million hospital days were attributed to people waiting to be moved to more appropriate care settings. Often it is seniors who occupy these beds, no longer in need of acute care but unable to be discharged with no support.

One study included in a 2012 CIHI report found that more than one in four people over the age of 75 had been in this position and that 35 per cent of them were in need of home care.

Recently, the integration of care across sectors has become a mantra for  health system reform. Yet, it is important to consider what this means in practice. How do we ensure quality services across a broad continuum of care?

Social workers are in a unique position to help. In a hospital setting, they  address the psychosocial needs of both patients and families. This includes caregiver support, grief and loss counselling, and community resource  information and referral. Social workers also provide discharge planning, a critical support during the transition from acute to community care.

Honourable senators, in practice, social workers bridge gaps between sectors and bring us closer to the meaning of a “health care system.”

As we shift focus away from the delivery of acute care in hospital settings and towards a holistic community approach, we must ensure that the points of  transition between sectors are seamless. Social workers are essential to the  success of this transition.

Please join me in recognizing March as National Social Work Month.

Thank you.