The New Social Worker Vol. 19, No. 3, Summer 2012 | Page 18

A Foster Child Removal Experience:
A Narrative Concerning Entry Into the Foster Care System
by Joseph P. Berry, BSW

I

work as a behavior specialist in
Kansas City, Missouri. Spofford
Home is a residential treatment
center for children with emotional and
behavioral disturbances. My duties include being accountable for daily structure and reinforcement of treatment
plans. In addition to my experiences
at Spofford Home, I have also volun-

teered at Crittenton Children’s Center,
another residential treatment center in
the Kansas City area. While at Crittenton, I interacted with male adolescent
and pre-adolescent units and assisted
with therapy sessions in chemical
dependency groups. The combination
of my experiences in these organizations, combined with my increasing

knowledge of the child welfare system
through my practicum placement at the
Johnson County Children’s Division in
Warrensburg, MO, provided frequent
opportunities to share what I had
learned thus far in my career.

During my practicum, we had to
lead group sessions, and I wanted to
lead groups on something that was

Foster Child Removal Experience

Close your eyes and imagine.... It is 2 a.m., and you have been asleep for quite a while now. Startled, you wake up at the
sound of a knock on the front door of your house. You see the hall light turn on and see the shadow of your mom and dad’s
footsteps walk past your bedroom door. The stairs creak in the familiar way they often do on the fifth and seventh stairs, as you
hear your parents walking down them.

You sit up in bed as you hear the front door being unlocked and the doorknob turn. Then you begin to hear voices talking
softly. You can clearly make out the voices of your parents, but you are unable to identify the other two voices. The only word
you can make out is the word “remove,” which is then followed by a bunch of other words you don’t quite understand.

All of a sudden, you start hearing your dad talking louder and saying something about not having the right and having no
proof. You can hear your mom crying between your father’s raised voice. Suddenly, you hear footsteps coming up the stairs
and can hear people walking outside your bedroom door. You hear the familiar creak of the floor and you know that there is
someone outside your bedroom door. You pull the covers up to your chin, hoping that whatever is going on will just stop and
this is all just a dream. You hear your dad outside your door talking to the other people, this time saying, “They need their mom
and dad. You have no right to do this.”

You hear one of the other voices saying a lot of words you don’t understand, and then you pull the covers tightly around
you as you see the doorknob slowly start to turn. You see your mom walk into the room. You can tell she has been crying. She
asks you to get out of bed and get dressed. You slowly get out of bed and look at her for a second before walking to your dresser
to put on your clothes. As you finish putting on your shirt, your mom asks you to take all your clothes out of your dresser. You
watch as she picks up your half-open backpack on the floor and starts to put your clothes in it. You walk over to her and hand
her the clothes in your hand and watch as she puts more of your clothes in the backpack.

You don’t know what to think. Are we moving? Maybe this is a surprise vacation. Yeah, that must be it, you think to yourself.
Your mom helps you grab the rest of your clothes and tells you to follow her downstairs. As you walk downstair