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The entire foster care system including the caseworkers is struggling to deal with the problems that foster care is facing. I had my fair share of run-ins with caseworkers but I also realize they are also fighting the same system that I am just at a different level.
One caseworker has 60 children on her caseload to oversee. Caseworkers are stretched way too thin. Most of these children are not basic care. The monthly visits alone is too much for one person to deal with. The travel distance to see each foster child can be 1 to 2 hour drive for them. Just trying to keep up with the basic paperwork on these foster children must be overwhelming. Some spend two or more hours at home in the evenings when they are not on call trying to stay on top of their paperwork.
Requesting and gathering all the needed paperwork and information on the foster children is time consuming. Preparing for court hearings and some of these children in foster care have a number of notebooks full of files about their case. Then you add all the events and crisis that must happen monthly with 60 foster children under their care. Just these things are overwhelming and can make any caseworker run for the hills.
Then you add the biological parents to their already overflowing caseworker’s plate. They set up services for the biological parents. They try to work with the biological parents even through a large number of them fight the caseworkers every step of the way. Caseworkers have to try and find a family member willing to care for the foster child even without the help of the biological parents.
My last two caseworkers (state) that I have worked with I have developed a friendly working relationship with. I became very involved with my foster daughter’s TPR court hearing which gave me an insight into what they deal with on a daily basis. I was allowed on the inside, which gave me quite the knowledge of what they go through. I have learned a great respect for what they go through with the biological parents, judges, and lawyers and what they try to do for the foster children.
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