The Eye of the Beholder

In order for children to develop properly, a child must live in a safe, secure, and emotionally stable environment. This environment should routinely foster the child's physical, medical, emotional, and academic growth. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. Therefore, our government has developed a program called Child Protection Services (CPS), whose mission is to ensure that the youngest members of society are adequately taken care of. Of course, this process can be quite technical, which is why I decided to use my interview assignment to speak with a local CPS employee.

The Interview

For this interview, I originally chose Stacy of the Monroe County Jobs and Family Service agency. My goal was to ask Stacy a number of questions that were related to Child Development, her own life, and her position with the agency. When I first approached Stacy in April, she seemed more than happy to help, and told me to contact her when I was ready. I told her that I would be in contact when the time came. Unfortunately, Stacy backed out at the last minuet, leaving me stranded without a source.

On May 29, 2007, I was more becoming frantic, so I decided to try once again to contact the CPS agency. Maybe someone else would be willing to take Stacy's place. To my dismay, I was unable to speak to a live individual, so I left a message on Jennifer's voice mail. Thankfully, she called back. She said she was not sure why Stacy had backed out, but that she was willing to grant me a few minuets of her time. Obviously, anything is better than nothing, so I accepted, and began the interview process by explaining my position as a student, the over all expectations of my assignment, and how the information that she provides would be used. This portion of the interview went over quite well, so with her permission, we began the discussion process.

With a time limit, I decided to take a less formal approach. Instead of simply reading off a bunch of questions, I would allow Jennifer to begin describing her job, and ask questions along the way. What I found out was interesting. Jennifer's education includes an Associate Degree in Social Service Technology, a Bachelors Degree in Human Service Management, along with an additional training certificate that is supplied by the state, which allows her to work as a certified Social Worker Service Assistant in the State of Ohio. Of course, Jennifer also had to become licensed.

Once licensed, Jennifer became eligible for her current position of Intake/ Ongoing caseworker, where she engages in a multitude of services. She explained that her job typically includes investigating allegations of child abuse, and if the need exsists she provides aditional protective services. This may include home visits, working with foster care facilities, and assessing possible adoptions. She said that her primary job is to garentee the child's safty, but that this does not always mean that the child will immediately be removed from his or her home. The fact is, safty might be the primary goal, but removing a child from an abusive home may cause more emotional damage than allowing the child to stay. This is why Jennifer says she prefers to supply in-home services for as long as possible.

How the Level Of Abuse Is Deturmined

According to Jennifer, there are many reasons why a child could become involved with CPS. Therefore it is important to identify these reasons, and understand that despite popular belief , many referalls are not the parent's fault. For instance, I use to think that the term "neglect" refered to situations where the parent intentionaly failed to meet a child's needs. I never realized that a financual crisis could meet the definition. I was wrong, because a financual hardship can lead to a situation where the child is not being provided with adequate food, clothing, and housing. It also leads to medical, emotional, and supervisory neglect. For example, there are many children who come home from school, who do not have an adult to meet them. Now, I am not talking about a teen. I am refering to children under age 12 who are still legally in need of supervision, and do not have a babysitter because the parents are working long hard hours to provide but just don't quite make enough. These situations, while neglegent, are not usually something that a parent wants. Therefore, the action needed may only include referalls for service or help. Once the help is established the problem is solved, and everyone involved will again lead a functional and safe life.

The next level of abuse is emotional and psychological in nature. Again, I am not talking about the obvious meaning, for those cases are completely justified. What I mean is parents who have little to no parenting skills, because they themselves were never taught, or because they don't comprehend the signifigance of their actions. For instance, I've known divorced or seperated parents who use their children as pawns. These are all types of emotional and physical abuse because they cause the child to go through unnessacary emotional anguish. For these cases, a worker may stay involved long enough to assure that the family seeks, and retains mental health services. Then, if the family works together the worker can close the case.

The next level of abuse not only affects the child's mental well being but also physically harms them as well. In this case I am talking about physical and sexual abuse. This category discribes not just hard core beatings and rape, but also explains uncomfortable touch and inapproperate disipline. For instance, a parent who slaps a child's face, head, arm, etc is guilty of physically abusing that child even if it does not leave a bruise. If an adult touches a child (in most states) under the age of 16 sexually, they are guilty of sexual abuse; even if the child wants the experience to happen. This of course makes things even more complicated; which forces me to discuss the inconsistancy of these definitions and the way consequences may be carried out..
The Legal Definitions of Abuse

Jennifer says that each jurisdiction has it's own guidelines concerning abuse. The jurisdiction, can differ depending on city, county, or state. In other words, just because something is illegal in one area, does not mean that it is illegal in another. For instance, In Ohio, it is illegal to hit a child anywhere except the buttox with a bare hand. Ohioians (depending on the county) can also find themselves charged with emotionally neglecting their child if they curse, call the child names, or fail to report a child who runs away. These regulations stand true until the child reaches age 18, marries, or is emancipated. Yet in Washington, parents can do all the above, so long as they do not leave a "bruise". I know these differences seem strange, and I too am appauled. But in a way, these are minor. After all, the definition of abuse also varies depending on religion as well.

That is probably what shocks me the most. I would have never thought that religion could legalize "abuse". But it does. For instance, if a "normal" christian family lost their electricity, and were surviving by using alternitive means. Jennifer says, that family would be punished. If a family allowed the child to smell of body oder they would also be punished. If this family chose to end their child's education after 8^th grade, they would be punished. If this family forced the child to work from dawn til dusk, they would be charged. Yet an Amish family is not required to have any of the normal commodities. They are not held legally responsible if their children smell. They are not required to send their children through 13 years of accademic teaching. And, above all, they can use the child in ways that resemble slave labor. AND, GET AWAY WITH IT! Matter a fact, CPS seldom actually responds to any call against the Amish people; even though they know that if it were a normal average family, the family would be charged to the fullest extent of the law.

Conclusion

Interviewing Jennifer may have been a short experience, but it definitely forced me to look at her as a person, along with her position from a different angle. Most of what she told me, I knew and expected. Other things left me feeling numb. After all, I was an abused child. I know what it is like to have CPS waltz in and take control over your life. I know what it is like when an agency makes a huge mistake, and then leaves the wounds wide open. So while I am still unclear about why the laws vary so much or why some courts and systems receive so much power while others are allowed to turn a blank eye, I do feel I have a better understanding about the process as a whole. Unfortunately, I doubt I will ever truly be able to forgive.

What I did manage to learn is this... Some caseworkers have retained at least some of their humanity. Despite the hectic lives they lead, many of the workers are like Jennifer. They do not mind shedding light on an issue, or reaching out to truly allow a family to move past the problem or even rolling up their sleeves to make life a little easier. (I have seen Jennifer do client's laundry) This is the type of Human Service, Mental Health personnel I hope to be, when my academic work is complete. After all, if 62% of all referrals reach the second stage level, and 25% of those require action. I want to become a stable force in these children's lives, because that is what a child needs in order to develop into a productive adult.

ResourceM., J. (2009) Telephone Interview. May 20, 2009