The New Social Worker Vol. 20, No. 1, Winter 2013 | Page 26
What Every New Social Worker Needs
To Know...
10 Things Every New Social Worker Needs To Know About People
by Linda Conroy, M.Ed.
I
f you are reading this article, you
are probably a new social worker
or someone working as a support to
families in some way. This work can be
scary, as it is about people’s lives. I am
happy to have this opportunity to tell
you some things I wish someone had
explained to me when I started working as a child protective services worker.
I hope these words may help you and
your families thrive together. Thank you
for carrying on the work of supporting
families in being safe and healthy.
1. No one plans to abuse or
neglect their children. Remember a
time when you visited a new baby and
everyone played pass the baby, who
was the most adorable thing you had
ever seen. All families do it. All parents
have big dreams, ideals, and plans, even
if they are young, uneducated, or poor.
Their plans don’t include being homeless, being a victim of other adults, or
being addicted to substances. They never
imagine that they will neglect their parental duties. This happens when things
go wrong, and things can go wrong for
lots of reasons. Although most parents
genuinely want to change and do better
for their children, they may have had too
much to overcome and not enough skills
to manage their own lives adequately.
Perhaps no one has ever done for them
what you are going to do—offer them a
sense of hope for safety, security and a
good tomorrow, with no shame or blame
attached.
the same but NOT THE SAME. Everyone is unique, and everyone has a right
to be heard for who they are. Everyone
has unique skills, strengths, and idiosyncrasies. Keep looking and listening until
you see each person.
3. Remember you have most of
the power. If you are a child protective
services worker, a counselor, a teacher, a
child care provider, or anyone who has a
responsibility to report concerns of child
abuse, it isn’t easy for parents to talk to
you if they are afraid they have done
wrong. They don't have an equal or mutual relationship with you. Parents think
you must be way better than them, way
smarter, way more capable, and they
know you are way more powerful. You
are the “they” that they worry about. Parents who might be abusive or neglectful
are ashamed and embarrassed to talk to
you. They might lie to you, not because
they are hapless, manipulative liars, but
because they are scared and because
they have learned all their lives that authorities are not to be trusted. They may
be so scared that they are not thinking as
they speak. They may tell you only what
they think you want to hear. It’s easy to
abuse your power if you are also scared
and afraid you won’t do a good job, but
remember the more fair you can make it,
the more reassurance you can give, the
more caring you are, and the more honest you are, the more they will tell you.
2. Every situation is unique.
Every person is unique. Every family is
unique. When you receive a new assignment and find yourself thinking, “This is
easy. This is like last month’s family who
lived next door,” or, “I worked with her
sister before, and she’s probably just like
her,” remember this—not the same, not
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