If there is a thankless job within the Foster System, in my opinion, it has to be the Case Managers.
Often carrying a very large caseload and viewed as an enemy by many birth families, these men and women have a very challenging job.
They are often part of the team that has to remove the child.
They see the harsh realities of the circumstances that bring a child into state custody first hand.
They can find themselves in what can become a very difficult position between birth families and foster families, especially when a child remains in custody for a lengthy amount of time.
They can grow to care very deeply for the children they represent but must remain focused on their job and the goals set before them by the court. And then, there is the confidentiality of all of their cases that limits them from even being able to talk through some of their experiences. This is a balancing act I imagine exhausting on every level and the turn over rate for this position is statistically very high nationwide.
Today I want us to ask how we can encourage Case Managers and staff within the Foster System. Simple gestures to remind them that their job and commitment to it matters.
If you know someone that is connected to the foster care system as an employee in some way, perhaps simply affirming that you can imagine how difficult their daily job must be at times and that you are thankful for what they do.
I invite you to comment with suggestions you might have for how we can do this and I will share a couple of different handmade gift ideas this week that would be easy to make as well.
When we Give Hope, perhaps it will be passed on.
I can't wait to find out what your gift ideas are. I've been trying to think about what I could do for our social worker! :)
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are talking about. Other unsung heroes with the same tough job are the Behavioral Specialists and Mobile Therapists. They experience the same thing in these situations. My daughter is one and the job is very stressful for her.
ReplyDeleteThe more I have been thinking about this, and I have been thinking about it since I read your post yesterday, the more I think that small gifts would be the way to go. Something that would simply brighten their day, a mug rug for instance. I am sure there is a lot of paper work and computer time involved with this kind of work and just something to have next to their computer that shows them every day that they are making a difference and are important to so many people. That is the kind of small gift that I think would make a huge impact.
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