Status of Child Welfare in America

    As a social worker, child welfare is an area of passion and great interest to me. Working in the social work arena has opened my eyes to the downfalls of the policies that affect how children and families are serviced. Many agencies such as the Department of Human Resources (DHR) work specifically to ensure the needs of the child are being met by the family unit; however, there are area within the agency that could use considerable changes.
    I have gathered experience in working within this particular agency. As a direct worker to the children and families that are serviced, I have noticed how the families are often discriminated against based on environmental factors and the situations that have placed them into the eye of the DHR. There are families who need to be involved with DHR in order for the child to be in a safe environment, even if it requires being placed into foster care. For those families who truly need the help, other alternatives should be offered where the family is not put on a strict timeline within Family Court to achieved goals set up by an outsider. The process of getting involved with DHR sometimes requires the child to be removed from the home, even if the parents are not neglectful or abusive. Once the case opens in court the family is then placed on a timeline that requires the child to be returned back in the home by the 22 month of being in foster care. After this time limit ends, the parent's parental rights are then terminated and the child is considered eligible for adoption. For those families who truly need the services offered by DHR, an alternative to family court should be offered.
    Other alternatives I have been informed to tell my families is to apply for welfare and/or food stamps. These programs are good for starting off or an attempt to get back on one's feet; however, when the particular individuals who receives these benefits has an income even one cent over the threshold, there benefits are terminated and the individual and his or her family is forced to make the decision to either continue making more money and struggling more or to take the lesser paying job to continue receiving assistance.
    As a social worker and future public administrator, I am appalled at the available options for families who are in serious needs. There needs to be strong efforts by the public at large to foster change and major improvements in how children and there families are serviced. This change will not happen until there is a consistent and true effort to make changes in the policies that affect child welfare.