What Social Workers Should Know and Do

I recently came across an interesting blog post. Well, it is quite an old blog post—from 2007. But it is still just as relevant. It details what foster parents wished social workers knew or did. I won’t copy and paste his whole post—because it is quite lengthy—but I’ll give the main points. Foster parents wished that social workers told them if the teen used drugs or was sexually abused.

• Stop lying to foster parents; both foster parents and social workers should be on the same team. But sometimes, it seems that they’re not.

• Inform the foster parent about the teen’s religious beliefs so the foster family can be respectful and tolerant.

• Most foster parents aren’t in it for the money. But, are grateful for the money, nonetheless, because it helps.

• Don’t yell.

• Take the time to understand the foster parent.

• When a foster parent says he or she needs help, the social worker should listen and act.

• Mean what you say and say what you mean.

There are so many more great points throughout his blog post. You can read the full version here.

Is there anything else you wish social workers knew when it comes to interacting with foster parents? Please share!

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