Thirty-fifth US president John F. Kennedy once said, “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.” Child Welfare Workers have to make a difference every day. They have to see thousands of children daily, and they help to make a change. Being a Child Welfare Worker is a long education process, and there are multitudes of disadvantages, but there are also lots of benefits and advantages to it. Being a Child Welfare Worker (CPS) is gratifying and imperative.
There are a wide range of policies, legislations, guidelines and procedures in place to protect the welfare and wellbeing of children and young people below I have listed some: Childrenâ€TMs act 2006- The main purpose of the act is to ensure that United Kingdom is a better and safer place for children of all ages, it is also in place to protect the welfare of children and specifically covers disabled children. The 2006 act also is in place to improve every child matters outcome in pre-school it also defines new rules in place for working parents who need childcare. Safeguarding vulnerable groups act 2006- This act introduced the disclosure baring services, which is now a CRB check in ensure thatâ€TMs everyone who comes into contact with a child in a work
I have struggled to keep my school work a priority as I need to balance it with my part-time work and with the things I like to do to keep my life as normal as possible (like cheerleading and spending time with my friends). I am very honored and thankful to be the first the person in my family to attend college fall of 2016. As I strive to end my senior year positive, I always remember to tell my younger siblings to try as hard as they can in school, because “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” I’ve decided that I would like to get my degree in social work, specifically working with children. Growing I’ve been around kids that are unhappy with thier home, but couldn’t do anything about it.
I am a first-generation college student who aged out of the foster care system. My formative experiences in foster care led me the profession of social work. I earned a BSW (San José State University) and MSW (University of Michigan) with a specialization in social policy and evaluation in the practice area of children and youth in families. During my second year of my MSW studies, I was invited to speak at the White House bill-signing ceremony of the Foster Care Independence Act (FCIA), based on my advocacy work to reform the foster care system. This invitation led to an MSW field practicum at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where I worked on the implementation of the FCIA.
Program Purpose The Department of Juvenile Services is currently mandated and operated by the state of Maryland. In 1967 when the Department of Juvenile Services became official, it was responsible for running the camps and boys centers. In 1969, the Department shifted from the authority of the State Department of Public Works to being overseen by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as Juvenile Service Administration (JSA). By 1987, the JSA was an independent agency and was named Department of Juvenile Service in 1989. (Department of Juvenile Service, n.d) Target Population
The foster care system is a very sensitive topic to talk about. Especially when it comes to different parenting issues or the mental state of most of the children in this system. Although the things in foster care that happen are sad, it is based on something good. The ideology of these foster care systems is to provide homes for neglected or abused children. Not always do foster care systems take children from their families permanently but they try their hardest to reunify them to their biological families.
Enhancing the Foster Care System The foster care system plays a crucial role in providing temporary or permanent care for children who are unable to live with their biological families due to various reasons. However, the current state of the foster care system reveals significant gaps and challenges, and there needs to be an approach to improve the well-being and future of children in foster care. The foster care system can be enhanced by training foster care providers, increasing the stability of care, and addressing the unique needs of a child.
My cousin and her husband once had a foster child in their home. At first, this child was blind to normal living and was very rude and not trained to normal family living, for example, going to amusement parks, having dinner every evening, sleeping in her own room, etc. These normal family activities really transformed that child within a matter of months. Everyone saw the total transformation in this child. Environmental development and social setting have serious effects on children in the foster care system.
In 2020 there were approximately 407,493 children in the United States foster care system, all under the age of 20 (“The AFCARS Report”). Foster care plays a big role in providing homes for children that experience abusive homelives, loss of parents or guardians, or severe financial hardship at home. However, being in foster care takes a toll on many children, due to both previous trauma, and trauma experienced in the foster care system. In order to understand the foster care system, one must research how the system works, how it affects childrens’ physical health, how it affects their mental health, and how being in foster care affects childrens’ chances of being successful.
Child abuse isn't a new problem in the foster care system. Over one hundred children in Texas alone died in 2022 (Oxner) while being taken care of by a foster parent. The foster care system requires more funding to help ensure foster children escape poverty, prevent mental illness, and become financially stable. Because of this, the foster care system should look more deeply into rehoming children and help affirm the safety children need to grow into functional adults. Although the foster care system protects children in danger from biological families, neglect, and unhealthy environments, the foster care system requires more funding to help ensure foster children escape poverty, prevent mental illness, and become financially stable.
I am not certain yet exactly what area I want to work with yet. I have considered Child Protective Services, Adoption and Foster Care Agencies, or working in a group home with children. I am sure as I continue my degree in Human Services and do my field observation and internship that it will help guide me in the direction of what I want to do with my degree. At the moment I know I will make a
Research Statement I am passionate about the field of child welfare and focused squarely on advancing scholarship on foster care and adoption through research and teaching the next generation of social work practitioners and scholars. I am knowledgeable about child welfare and youth services broadly, as a result of my past experiences as a child welfare social worker in Santa Clara County, as an applied researcher at Westat (a social science research firm) and Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, as a policy analyst with the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, and as a senior policy advisor to former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, where I worked directly on a major overhaul of the Arizona child welfare system.
When asked to pick a 501c3 organization only one major came to mind, which was the Children Advocacy Center (CAC) www.TNCAC.org. This non-profit caught my attention while doing my research because as a police officer I work with a lot of different agencies such as the state police who work cases for crimes against children. According to the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Tennessee a child is abused or neglected every 48 seconds. The Child Advocacy Center located in Memphis Tennessee addresses the need that parents and love one seeks for their child after they have been abused either sexually or severe physically.
I am confident that the skills that I will gain from completing a social work master’s degree will help me collaborate with people in need and aid sustainable growth in their lives. My first introduction to social work as a profession came while living on a small
The quality MSW program offered at Our Lady of the Lake will enable me to conduct research into, and increase my understanding of the diversity this program entails. I know that my adaptive personality will help me to form lasting connections to further build my professional goals. I believe that I my passion, drive, having an open mind and willingness to learn will grant me success as a Social Worker. I am determined to do all that I can to pursue a Master’s degree in Social Work and commit myself to improving the social and personal experiences of family’s, geriatrics, and children. After receiving my degree, I want to find a career in Child Welfare, while also servicing the geriatric
