I had a question asked about the social workers or caseworkers being difficult or a pain in the keester. I do not believe they are any more difficult to deal with than school personnel, doctors, therapists, bio parents, and all the other people that will be involved with your foster children.

The funny thing about caseworkers for our family is that they seem to be everywhere. My oldest daughter’s friends mother is a caseworker and our Girl Scout troop leader is a caseworker. My friends asked, “Doesn’t it bother you to be surrounded by caseworkers with foster care and then in your family life? Doesn’t it feel like you are always being watched?” First, I am not doing anything to watch. Having caseworkers in my family life showed me that they have the same struggles in life and parenting as we do. I did learn that I needed to see the caseworker also as a person no different then the rest of us. I try to connect with the caseworker about their life. Meaning, if they have children, do they have pets, married, etc.. To me this seem to allow them to see my family not just as a case file, or that we are just babysitting. It allows us to connect and have a good worker relationship. I do understand that there will be some caseworkers that would not talk to you on a personal level for any reason. Asking about their children (if they are parents) reminds them that we have the same goals and can take the edge off the relationship. I have found that I can develop a relationship with the caseworker and the case aide when I am involved with the visits with the bio family. This is what works for me.

Continued..........


“Let us believe neither half of the good people tell us of ourselves, nor half of the evil they say of others.”
J. Petit Senn