Psychology Essays (UOP)

Psy/305 Personal Career Goals

Personal Career Goals

Samantha Craig

PSY/305

1/19/2015

Kelli Gray-Smith

In the article Foster Care and Social Services there was a lot of information on what should be expected of case workers within Child Protective Services and Foster Care Case workers. Thousands of Children and adolescents are in some sort of foster care program or involved with child protective services. In foster care these individuals are placed in homes that should be nurturing and provide healthy living environments. According to Schwartz (2008) this is due because the biological parents either abused the child(s), abused drugs, or are in prison and can't provide for them. However, this article highlights how there are some families out there who strictly only take those children in for the funding that they would receive and neglect the children in general. It also shows why it is important for the case workers involved with the children to actually do their job and meet with the children and observe the living habits.

First, it covers why it is so important for social services workers to actual be involved more with the foster care system. These children grew up in harmful environments or were even abandoned. Therefore, they are placed in a new home with strangers. This article goes into further detail about three different cases about neglecting within the system. It states in each case children were placed in foster homes with parents who endangered the child's health buy lack of nutrient, hygiene, education, and environment. In one of the cases the child actually died. This article emphasis that it is important to maintain contact with the children and see them on a regular basis. Many of these cases went under the radar because the caseloads where too big to carry out and planning around and taking the proper steps to check ins with the families were not covered well within the training. Furthermore, screenings of the families made mandatory if they want to become a parent in that specific system.

Second, I chose this article because I have always had a huge interest to work within either of these fields. Growing up in the system I know all too well how certain families are only in it because they get paid for the children they take in. Children no matter what age need that bond of trust and love in order to grow up strong and independent. If they don't get this they could in up dead, in jail, or addicted to substances. Those should not be options for anyone. If someone is working in social services or foster care as a case worker they should be trained and take the appropriate steps needed to insure that the home and living environment is great for the child and that the checkups on the children show positive healthy signs. Protecting children and adolescences has been my dream career sense I was a teen and I had a great support system within the foster care and social services system. Therefore, I know what it takes.

Third, based on the information that was provided with throughout the article, there are many skills that would be necessary to succeed in these specific career choices. One of the skills that will be utilized is that "social workers are taught primarily about therapeutic interviewing techniques." (Schwartz, 2008) There is also going to be a need to access situations and to be able to screen the families that the child is with to further protect the child. The last skill is along the educational line, which is more based on knowing the laws that pertain to the state in which I live.

In conclusion, Foster Care and Social Services need to work with each other due to the fact that too many children are not being followed up on and are falling through the cracks. This can be dangerous to the child(s) health in many different ways. Considering the fact that this is a dream career. It is vastly important to understand the skills and knowledge that will be required if this career is proceeded. If children are in the system it is for many different reasons and it is important to watch them and take the extra steps to insure their safety along with the workers. After reading this article I learned that too many caseloads can cause problems and confusion for those who are working and the children because they may not get the right help needed.

References

Schwartz, L. L. (2008, winter). Foster Care and Social Services. Journal of Psychiatry & Law, 36(4), 609-615. Retrieved from: