I just saw a piece of a documentary, called Innocence Destroyed, about abused, neglected, tortured, murdered children in the care of CPS, Child Protective Services, or DHS, Department of Human Services. There are hundreds of cases where these children are wrongly taken from their parents, and placed into a "safe" environment, usually with family members, or foster parents. These children were found tortured and killed, in various, horrific ways at the hands of these predators. This video IS graphic, so you've been warned.
I am going to school to be a social worker. (I've actually just changed my major to Psych for a certain reason, but that's another story) I'm going to major in psychology, and minor in.......... Human Services. Videos like this, information like this, disturbs me in so many ways. I would like to believe that any person involved in this field, would be trying to only do what's best for the children. When I see things like this, it completely boggles my mind! Your job is to take children out of a dangerous environment, and place them in a healthy environment. I realize how difficult this job is, and will be, personally. I understand that it isn't easy to determine a biological parent unfit to raise their own children! I imagine a lot of investigation has to go on before this happens. (in cases that aren't so obviously horrible) But, as a CPS employee, I would say that as much investigation that goes into taking a child OUT of an environment, should go into putting a child INTO another environment. You cannot trust anyone, and have to take every precaution. I couldn't imagine not doing my absolute best job at trying to help these children, and going home to my own son, and sleeping well at night. I don't know how these people do it.
It scares me to think that I could possibly, someday, make the same sort of mistake. I imagine that not ALL caseworkers are going about their jobs half-assed, like those referred to in this video, yet sometimes, things still happen. I don't know what I would do if I made a mistake, and took a child out of a home, only to put them into an even worse home. As soon as those children leave the custody of their biological parents, they are CPS's responsibility. If a child is harmed, or god forbid killed, and I am responsible, I just don't think I could live with that. That's what so scary, and disheartening about this job.
However, I am going to continue on with my plans to become a social worker. When my brother and I were little, we had a social worker for a short time. She was a comfort to me. I don't have many memories from my childhood, but she is a memory, and a good one. I want to be some child's good memory. If I accomplish anything in my life, I'd want it to be that. So, while this is discouraging, and frustrating, it's almost just as much motivating. Maybe I can can bust my ass to make things better in this fucked up system.
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