Child Welfare

Every year we take a look at the national statistics compiled by the Department of Health and Human Services on the state of childcare across the country. These statistics are used to evaluate whether the risk factors affecting the welfare of America’s children are increasing or diminishing.

AMERICA’S SCHOOLS ARE FAILING

For decades, well-meaning public servants and eager parental citizen groups have decried the quality of the American public school system. “Ed-reformers” claim that U.S. public schools are failing; that the culprits are bad teachers, teachers’ unions, and government bureaucracy.

There is no better way to introduce you to the heart and soul of Children First Academy than to reproduce parts of their mission statement here.

Having been in technical sales almost my entire 30-year career, I was used to selling to a variety of industries.  Whether it was helping banks make more money using technology or helping the Department of Defense build fighter jets and other weapons equipment, I was always in it for the money and career reputation.

WHEN CLOUDS FORM

In 2013 this blog reported on the meltdown in service at the Veteran’s Administration (VA). Similar signs of meltdown are beginning to gather in Child Protective Services. IN general – our team has been communicating what our clients have been telling us for years and why they moved to FAMCare.  We’ve talked about problems in child welfare and CPS in the states of Florida, Georgia, California and Texas.  Case Worker colleagues report crushing workloads, fear-based management, impossible expectations, and stress levels that are sending case workers out on medical leave at an alarming rate.

Over the holidays I volunteered at my daughters’ school.  While there I had the pleasure of speaking to one of the teachers.  During our conversation we talked about the many things happening in our local schools and here in the county. Out of the various topics we discussed, one hit me very hard.  This teacher told me of the growing number of children who are "food insecure."  A term I had not heard before.  I was aware that our school offered discounted, sometimes free lunches to families who needed help, but was alarmed at the number of children in need in a community that is considered to be thriving.

Good Practice | Ethics | Law 

A THORNY ISSUE 

The ethical standards in many areas of social work are still being worked through the legal system. A particularly compelling example of evolving standards concerns social workers’ response to parents’ request to examine their children’s counseling records. At the beginning of the social worker-client relationship, social workers routinely discuss with minor clients and their parents the minors’ right to confidentiality and possible exceptions. Nonetheless, in many cases social workers encounter ethical challenges when parents ask to examine their child’s records because of their curiosity or because of their relevance to legal disputes.