I think the topic for this blog came rather naturally. I find myself feeling overwhelmed when I think about the statistical future for children who have a history of abuse and neglect. I am the adoptive mother of four children with these delightful futures ahead of them. And then I think about the foster children I have known through professional avenues. Will these children have the same future? Just a few minutes researching this topic can prove overwhelming when I think about all the children in foster care. All the children who can't get the services they need due to budget cuts, uninformed caseworkers, uneducated foster parents, biologicals who can't improve. And what do these children deserve???? A greater risk of being addicts, convicts or abusers. The perverbial cards are stacked against them.
As the brain continues to develop into adulthood, individuals are left with the issues from many years past. I know that I have put many protective factors into place for my children who have suffered abuse and neglect. But I will not know if it is enough until it might be too late. As a social worker, will I be able to educate, inspire, advocate, counsel enough to effect the statistical data for my clients. Will the protective factors be enough?
Young adulthood can be a trying time for anyone. I wasn't abused or neglected, but this time of coming into one's own can prove more difficult than expected. The newfound independence may be difficult to moderate. My hope is that through this blogging experience, I can come to terms with the difficulties that may lie ahead for my clients, and my children, and determine the best way for me as a social worker, and a mom, to help them through it.
4 comments:
You're so right about the protective factors, how do you know if it's enough? I work with adolescents in DHR custody living in a group home, and it's so frustrating to think that you've put protective factors in place but due to their history the protective factors are (sometimes) eliminated.
nI agree with what you have stated. I have been a caseworker with DHR for 7 years. I see myself attempting to provide the children in my case loads with positive protective factors to avoid risk along their life course. It it seems times very trying especially when they reach the age of young adulthood. It appears some can put their old life behind and move on and accept the protective factors and begin an adult life.
It is very difficult for children to accept or acknowledge these protective factors, especially teenagers. For some reason teenagers think they know it all, I guess we were all once there! The teenagers I have dealt with while working at DHR have not responded too much of anything I have said. I have tried to explain/help them to become the best they can be, but they choose other routes, for instance running away, doing drugs, or getting pregnant. Christina, hopefully your children have had stability long enough that they will have the protective factors your family has instilled in them, but I am sure they will possess some of the know it all teenager attitude that comes with being a teenager.
I agree with you. I work in the child abuse/neglect unit at DHR and so many of the parents in the families I deal with were in the system when they were kids themselves. Most of these parents were the children who were unfortunatley bounced from foster home to foster home for some reason. In many cases there was some sort of behavioral problem that started in their biological and was never able to be corrected. I think this is where your protective factors come in to play. These protective factors were missing in their biological homes but why could they not be made up for in one of the many foster homes.
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