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kelz03103
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my question

Postby kelz03103 » Fri Aug 29, 2008 12:03 pm

my question is a simple one, and may have been answered several times, what is the difference between a social worker and a cps worker? is it the same?

Socialworker
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Re: my question

Postby Socialworker » Fri Aug 29, 2008 1:31 pm

kelz03103 wrote:my question is a simple one, and may have been answered several times, what is the difference between a social worker and a cps worker? is it the same?


Not always.

A social worker is licensed through the state. We have a set of ethical "laws" that we're mandated to uphold. If we violate those laws, we can lose our license. We're required to complete a certain amount of training each year to keep our license. We have to hold a 4 year degree from an accredited social welfare program. With the major in social welfare. That's why you can make complaints to their board, it's through the behavioral boards in their state. If they choose to be a member of the NASW, you can report them to that organization as well. The best way I can describe the NASW is as an optional union.

A CPS worker may or may not be a social worker. Some states require that they are, some states don't. Not every state requires them to have a degree in anything, and I know of a handful of places that will higher caseworkers without a high school diploma if they have enough experience. As far as I know, not every state has a licensing board for CPS workers. They also aren't mandated to have the same amount of supervision and education. Some states treat CPS workers as social workers and hold them to the same requirements for education, continuing classes, and training, but they can't be reported to the same board as a social worker.

It's very common that people believe that all CPS case workers are social workers. I even thought that before I went through school. I think that's why there is such hostility to social workers based on their title. A lot of CPS workers fuck things up. I'm sure social workers do as well, but I would guess (again a guess based on my experience) that the majority of CPS workers aren't social workers, because licensed social workers tend to make more money than CPS workers. Not much, but enough that unless the social worker is very interested in children, most find other places to work.

w_woody
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Perspective

Postby w_woody » Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:24 am

I've read through these posts and I can see the back and fourth and both sides in this debate have made solid points. I think the real problem with the entire situation lies with perspective.

What many people don't understand that is reality is different to everyone. We all have our own unique perspective. Many parents have walked the line, so to speak. We have walked the floor at 3 Am with a crying infant, gotten angry when the flower pot is turned over and dirt spilled on the carpet, picked up and hugged a child that has fallen and banged it's head or scrapped it's knee. Most parents decide either at the moment of conception or in the delivery room when that child becomes screaming into the world that from then on we are going to do everything we can for this child.

Some parents make that choice...and others...don't. They don't see their children as the gifts that God gave them...instead they see a nusence a disruption to the life they where already living. The child doesn't become a welcomed responsiblity, instead the child becomes a burden, a load to carry that weights heavy on their hearts and minds. They become bitter and angry, and even though on rare occastion they know exactly what they are doing, most of the time they don't see the harm they do to these kids.

These are just two examples of how different parents are. How different parents think and feel. Now throw into the mix the chaos of abuse allegations. CPS and most case workers don't distinquish between the two above. That's not the issue. The issue becomes what happened to the child? Who is responsible? How do you fix it? They come into the situation blind to the day to day factors, the emotional perspective of the parent, and become the third party, the third party with the power and ability to disrupt and disect to determine what happend and why.

If your a loving parent as everyone on this board is, then it doesn't matter what happend, the mere fact that an allegation has been made is enough to emotionally wreck you for the rest of your life. That's what make these allegations against you false, even if you did spank your child a bit too hard, or grabbed them by the arm too tightly, you parent out of love and without intent of harm. How dare these people come into your life and do this, say these things. They haven't got the right. Yet they do have the rights, rights given to them by the state in which they opperate so that they can "protect children". Do you as a parent know about your rights as a parent when it comes to CPS...of course not. Kids don't come with a handbook, instructions, training, or any kind of restrictions. Parenting is pretty much a learn on the job type of work and you pretty much make mistakes all along the way but hey, you are doing your best and with love in your heart.

CPS, however, isn't in your home to determine what kind of person you are. They aren't there to look at the situation from the standpoint of a fustrated hard working and loving parent. They aren't there to help you...they have tunnel vision, they are there to find out what happened, who is to blaim, and what can be done to fix it? The truth is CPS doesn't have the time to invest itself emotionally in your family or it's needs, they have 100 other cases to work on. They have got other kids to protect. So what happened, who is to blaim, and what can be done to fix it?

Empathy can't be given because time doesn't allow it. There are too many kids to protect.

No one likes to look at themself in the mirror and see the mistakes they have made. No one wants to admit fault when they have done something wrong. It's the world we've made for ourselves. It's not our fault, it was our mothers, fathers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, somebody, anybody but us.

CPS is too full steam ahead. They haven't hit the brick wall thick enough to slow them down the one that makes them have to take a step back and say, "What have we been doing wrong?"

Yet every time a CPS caseworker knocks on the door, any door there is another parent in this country striking that very same wall and coming to a screeching halt, thinking "What did I do wrong?".

Every single person on this board has felt that and went through that and all we have ever asked is that CPS do that, just one time.

Just once.

Yet they still haven't and day after day more people come on here and post, "CPS took my kids, help me".

Abuse is there, kids are being tortured, murdered, burned and scarred, but for every single one of those, there are 20+ families that have been rocked to their very foundation by CPS simply showing up and knocking on the door. Self Doubt is CPS most powerful weapon...and it's a weapon they are using every day...every minute and they have no idea they even have it, they are too busy to stop and take a look at what they are shooting. It's like every bullet the US military had was suddenly a nucular weapon. It's that powerful.

For every child that appears on the six o'clock news that has been burned with cigaretts, molested, or killed by an uncaring, detached parent there are hundreds of thousands of caring parents who aren't having dinner with their kids because CPS took them away, simply because they where too busy to slow down and really take a look. In war it's called Collateral Damage...in family court, it's called business as usual.

If CPS case workers, social workers, people that do that for a living are really there, and are aware of the problems...they should be the first people to stand up and say hey...we need to stop and take a look at what we are doing to these people, their families, their lives. If they really want to see the reality of the situation...go back through their own case files and look and count the number of false, unfounded allegations and weight those against the really bad abuse allegations and then all the ones that fall right square in the middle, the ones where a good parent made one bad decsion and toss those in the trash...you'll see the reality of the situation in a heartbeat.

I don't care if your a social worker, a CPS worker, a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, a parent on this forum, or a parent who simply wandred in here and decided to become a part of it...if you want to make a difference then the first thing you have to do is stop looking at this from your own limited point of view, and climb into the shoes of the person posting before and after you for five minutes. Listen to their stories, and then decide what you can do to help...but above anything else...make sure every time you're given the oppertunity, let CPS know that this buisness as usual stuff won't stand. Cast your vote, speak your mind.

I pray for every parent who isn't going to see their children today.
I pray for every social worker who has to do this job, everyday and hope that God leads them to make the right decisions.

Will
Parrottsville, TN

Socialworker
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Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2008 2:50 pm

Postby Socialworker » Tue Sep 02, 2008 8:08 am

Woody,
That is probably the most well thought out post I've seen.

trappedinwreakage
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:56 am
Location: NY State

Postby trappedinwreakage » Tue Sep 02, 2008 3:12 pm

God does not enter the picture for me and I do not prey for any CPS workers. I am only aware of the fortune of those involved that I did not snap to the point of initiating the thoughts that go through my mind... yet.

I offer them NO quarter in "their job", they are adults and should behave as such. I care not what "the state" has allowed them "legal rights" to do, I dance to natural law only, not mans concocted written laws. I sit at a table and talk in complete earnest and I EXPECT to be RESPECTED, I expect to leave as the man that is still in charge of his familys affairs. I shoot straight from the hip and I expect others to shoot straight. I did not recieve this, I left broken, a mere shadow of the man I once was.

They know exactly what they are doing and in that they violate the natural laws of man and even worse they violate the concocted laws as well.

My area is a small rural area, they are NOT clogged full of abuse cases, in fact they are dying to see us come through the door like vultures on road kill.

On this site I have seen no other cases of teenage girls pulling this crap on their fathers. However I know for a fact it is the most common case in our area and others and many families have had to let their teenage girls go and do as they please as early as 12-14 years of age. These people here, all involved, have seen it repeatedly and they continue to liberate minors from their parents, destroying natural family structure and the life of any parent involved.

By their own admittance, to me, to my ears, they stated they had no houses in our area that would accept teenage girls due to the crap that they pull, that no one wants to take them in because they are "manipulative and devious", exact words ! Yet they proceed straight for the soul to bring down the parents that have had enough and drew the line in the sand for their children.... as has been done for all centuries. As soon as they award victory to the teenagers its all over. These kids know they can do this and pull it off, there is massive networking done by youth today in regards to this liberation method and NO ONE knows it more or sees it more than CPS workers and family courts.

NO QUARTER !

MaggieC

Postby MaggieC » Wed Sep 03, 2008 6:17 pm

Actually, the law has safe guards to protect parents -fit parents but from what I have found in my research is that CPS workers are trained to view all parents as unfit.

To me, sorry to those social workers out there-social workers are clerks, they are to expedite-they look for services - if they truly wish to help then they look for services such as turning on the electric, finding subsidized housing, etc.
they are not qualified to ascertain whether or not abuse has occured.

I am sorry -I know many social workers join the ranks to help but most destroy because they are ill trained and are taught that they know better than anyone else.

The system needs to be changed.

momomma
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:41 pm
Location: Missouri

Postby momomma » Mon Sep 15, 2008 5:38 pm

its for the couple of children per year that are seriously neglected or abused,


If by a couple you meant thousands I would completely agree with this statement. Regardless of how many innocent families are on here and out there fighting for their children and should be doing so, there are parents out there who are NOT FIT to raise their children. It's way more than a couple of kids per year.


Some people, and with good reason, are too blinded by their anger to see that fighting amongst each other is not the way to make the changes that are so desperately needed.

It's going to take (and I have said this before) all parties involved coming together and trying to keep families together.

It's going to take DFS not looking at the parents like they are "abusers", it's going to take parents not looking at foster parents like they "stole their kids", it's going to take ALL OF US to come together and find solutions that can really work.

Some parents can realize that they CAN have an ally in a foster parent and they can stand TOGETHER. They can stand UP to the cps workers that have been doing a piss poor job, up to the judges who are only listening to the piss poor job doers, up to the laws that need to be changed.

Working against each other is not accomplishing anything and in the end the ones who are really suffering are those children that we are all trying to protect.

trappedinwreakage
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:56 am
Location: NY State

Postby trappedinwreakage » Tue Sep 16, 2008 5:01 pm

Well... OK... In theory ONLY. In my case as well as others I know of, parents & myself were trying to protect our children from making bad mistakes, or fighting amounsts themselves, or showing other examples of bad behavior, we were doing the parent thing and sometimes it gets tough and that IS the way it is and has been for thousands of years. Then suddenly you have people involved, clueless people stepping into our lives and destroying the family unit. So frankly Im sick and tired of hearing about non blood, outsiders placing great value on themselves as some kind of superhero. Its meddleing in someone elses affairs which are under control as a matter of natural parenting and BA BAM, all control is gone, all the wrong messages are sent to the children, "Mom & Dad cant do a darn thing about it" "I have them under my little immature thumb now"

SPLENDID !

MaggieC

Postby MaggieC » Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:26 am

Trapped-
I couldn't agree with you more. No one can love a child like his or her parent does. Parenting is 24/7 and lasts a lifetime. And it isn't always "pretty". Parenting is hard work. It is not just about changing diapers and putting a meal on a table.
I was reading a few former foster children's stories and one of the writer's put it aptly:
"Living in foster care, with foster parents paid to be cleaners and babysitters and with only a caseworker to call, was like having a parent (caseworker) from 9-5 only and never on weekends."

Is it any wonder that most foster children never do well. They are just a commodity.

momomma
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:41 pm
Location: Missouri

Postby momomma » Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:48 pm

with foster parents paid to be cleaners and babysitters


The majority of foster parents do NOT do this for money, anyone who has done it for even a little while would see that. Parents are not the only one the state puts through hell and hoops.



Is it any wonder that most foster children never do well

Luckily I know and know others who have even had foster children age out and still do very well.


I wish for anyone who has had a bad time with the state could have at least a good expeirence with the foster family caring for their children while they can't.

MaggieC

Postby MaggieC » Wed Sep 17, 2008 5:35 pm

Momo,
Methinks that you are the exception to the rule. No one is fighting with you. God Bless you, you mean well and do well but statistics prove you wrong.

Again, you are the exception to the rule.

momomma
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:41 pm
Location: Missouri

Postby momomma » Wed Sep 17, 2008 6:04 pm

MaggieC,

Thank you. I hope I didn't come off as defensive. I really wish, like most of you, that the system was different. While I don't have the answers, I am one of many who are willing to stand up with parents to make changes.

I know that generally people are speaking out of anger and frustration and I really do try hard to try to remain objective.

You know, honestly, nothing makes me madder than BAD foster parents. That's one of the reasons we decided to foster...not because we wanted to help steal anyone's children, and Lord knows not for the money or glory, but because we were sick and tired of hearing about "abused" children being taken from one "abuser" and given to another.

The system is the way it is right now. Until it changes, the sad fact is we do need foster parents who are willing to take in someone else's child, love them and care for them, and then let them go home when it's time. We do need foster parents who will help the parents who do need help with their parenting skills so that they can get their children back home.


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