Introduction
The child welfare system refers to a cluster of services tailored toward improving children’s well-being by protecting their rights, guaranteeing their safety, and empowering families to raise their children appropriately. Different states in the U.S. have their own unique child welfare systems and procedures. Child welfare organizations’ core services include family-centered counseling and support, adoption, child protection investigations, and foster care. The child welfare system is divided into three divisions that are responsible for providing different services. These divisions are the children and services, child and family, and social services. A breakdown of different duties social workers perform in each of the three child welfare units, and the interrelationship between them form the basis of discussion for this paper.
Role of Social Workers in Each Division
Division of Children and Services
The children and services department often addresses child neglect and abuse cases. Child abuse includes physical assault, sexual violence, and psychological harm or neglect. Whenever a complaint of child neglect or abuse is presented, the agency determines whether it is worth examination and then selects the next steps based on the findings (Lawrence-Webb, 2018). This department’s social employees receive and examine probable child neglect and abuse allegations.
When a report is made, it is either accepted or rejected. An accepted report contains adequate evidence to aid the inquiry, whereas the rejected version usually lacks substantial details. The nature of the suspected abuse determines the response to the occurrence. Based on the child’s age, social workers may speak to the child’s family, contact other parties such as teachers, or speak to the child privately.
During the inquiry and while court hearings are underway, children deemed in danger are relocated to a relative’s home or foster family. The trial’s findings are classified as’ unjustifiable’ if there is a paucity of information to determine that the child was neglected or abused (Miller et al., 2019). In addition to establishing whether or not child abuse or neglect occurred, the social workers in this department assess the risk of the reoccurrence of such an accident. The section below highlights the roles a social worker plays in the child and family services unit.
Division of Child and Family Services
The child and family services department support issues related to the family. This division serves families that require support in the safety and care of their children. Parents are counseled on how to best protect their children in all realms of life, including spiritual, mental, and physical care. They are educated on how to counteract child abuse and strengthen their family ties (Fauske et al., 2018). This department’s social workers are therapists that advise families on proper parenting suggestions for child care and protection. They further educate parents about their children’s constitutional rights. The division sometimes provides consensual assistance to people who are found guilty of mistreating or neglecting children.
These individuals are further required to engage in initiatives that ensure children’s safety.
Social Services Unit
The social services division is in charge of adoption and foster care services. This is where children, especially adolescents, who are deemed troublesome in their families are brought. Furthermore, this department is responsible for arranging for children to stay in adoptive families when they are not secure at home (Brown & Bailey-Etta, 2018).
They find permanent foster families or independent living services for children who are old enough to move out of foster care. Foster children attend school and receive health care services, among other necessary assistance. This agency’s social workers ensure that the children have access to basic requirements, social assistance, and the chance to change their code of conduct. Additionally, they ensure that persons seeking to foster one of the children fit all of the standards. They occasionally confirm that the adopted child is living in good conditions and receives proper care in their new residence. The section below highlights the interrelationship between the three child welfare units.
Relationship Between the Three Divisions
Gauging from their similarities, all three divisions of the child care system are interconnected and collaborate to fulfill the purpose of child welfare, which is to improve children’s and a family’s safety and overall well-being. The services provided by the divisions are interlinked, as demonstrated in the duties performed by each division. For example, if an incident occurs and the child is regarded as troublesome at home, he or she/they is sent to the foster care unit. If the child abuse or neglect incident is not severe, the parents are referred to the division of child and family care (Toros, DiNitto & Tiko, 2018). Here, they receive counseling on how to prevent the risk of mistreatment and assist them in practicing plausible and cautious parenting.
Conclusion
The child welfare system refers to services tailored toward improving children’s well-being by protecting their rights and guaranteeing their safety. The child welfare system is divided into three divisions (children and services, child and family, and social services) whose social workers are responsible for providing different services. The system not only focuses on empowering families to appropriately raise their children but also offers family-centered counseling and support, adoption, child protection investigations, and foster care services. Studying the different roles social workers play in each unit and the interrelationship between divisions can help readers appreciate the need for the child welfare system in modern American society.
References
Brown, A. W., & Bailey-Etta, B. (2018). An out-of-home care system in crisis: Implications for African American children in the child welfare system. Serving African American Children, 65-84.
Fauske, H., Kojan, B. H., & Skårstad Storhaug, A. (2018). Social class and child welfare: Intertwining issues of redistribution and recognition. Social Sciences, 7(9), 143. Web.
Lawrence-Webb, C. (2018). African American children in the modern child welfare system: A legacy of Fleming’s rule. Serving African American Children, 9-30. Web.
Miller, J. J., Donohue-Dioh, J., Niu, C., Grise-Owens, E., & Poklembova, Z. (2019). Examining the self-care practices of child welfare workers: A national perspective. Children and Youth Services Review, 99, 240-245. Web.
Toros, K., DiNitto, D. M., & Tiko, A. (2018). Family engagement in the child welfare system: A scoping review. Children and Youth Services Review, 88, 598-607. Web.