My Interest to Work in Child Welfare System

I have always had an interest in working in a child welfare system. This semester during my Social Work 340 for my field placement I knew right away I wanted to work in an elementary school setting. For my field placement I spend my day in a school Social Worker and the school counselor’s office. I enjoy interacting with the students and forming positive relationships with them. The counselor’s office effectively constructs empowering relationship with their clientele by arranging specific meeting times. During these times the student is allowed to freely express themselves and any concerns they may have. The counselor keeps in frequent weekly and in certain cases daily contact with her students’ guardians. I really admire how the agency has strong relationships with the clients.

Throughout my field placement I have also observed that the confidentiality of clients is extremely important in the agency. Each client has a specific folder which includes vital documents which is stored in a locked and fire-proof file cabinet. The client is aware that at any time during their visit they are able to view their records. The folder pertaining to each individual client is only accessible to the school counselor Social Worker and the legal guardians of the client. In certain severe cases involving a custody or child protection case it may be necessary to notify teachers and administrators if a particular client has certain accommodations which must be met such as psychiatric medications or restricting a certain individual from interacting at the school environment to ensure the students are protected from harm.

I enjoy how the confidentiality and safety of each individual student is a major priority. If it is suspected a breach in confidentially has occurred, the accused person is placed on academic leave and possible suspension or termination of employment including the revocation of state issued licenses. The school board and state of Minnesota investigate the accusations to see if the case needs more attention.

I realize that when I work in a public social service agency engagement will be extremely important when working with clients. In order to effectively work with people in a social service setting, a social worker must be my warm, empathic, and genuine and offer unconditional positive regard to clients. Seeking out assistance can be extremely nerve-wracking for some individuals and may even go against the cultural beliefs they were socialized to believe. The way staff at an agency setting treat clients can impact the entire worker-client relationship. If someone feels disengaged or rejected they may leave a social service agency and never seek valuable services again. This is why social workers must continually be engaged and attentive to the needs of clients and also aware of their various family dynamics.

As a social worker I will also be expected to use perception to look at clients with planned emptiness, which is, an open and unbiased view of a client’s situation. During the initial consultation a social worker also must attend to their client by listening not only to verbal, but also nonverbal cues. Being continually engaged also involves being self-aware and willing to examine hoe cultural elements can impact the working relationship between the client and the social worker. Also support and guidance are needed to engage the client to realize they have valuable strengths which can enable them to set and reach obtainable goals. Another important aspect of engagement is for the social worker to use discovery-orientated questions for clients to express their goals and helps the social worker put aside biases, prejudice and discrimination. It is important to remember that whatever method used to effectively communicate with clients, it is the social worker’s responsibility to ensure their clients are actively engaged and are not being harmed unintentionally through the counseling process.

I am committed to furthering my education in Social Work and discovering how to be more culturally competent. Although I have numerous years watching my niece and nephew I hope to continue to branch out and work in a social service setting so I gain valuable knowledge by working with a diverse population. I am interested to see how the social service agency works and how not only individuals, but also families can be helped through social services.