The System is losing foster parents at a rate of 30-50% each year, and social workers are walking away at a similar rate (roughly 40%), according to the CDC. Let that sink in. Social workers aren’t allowed to put their rage and hurt on social media. They suffer in silence.
On the eve of Black History Month, I received an email that would change everything and nothing all at once.
Friend,
You’re tired. I can tell. I’m tired too. I’m tired from putting forth a monumental effort to achieve normalcy, only to have plans upended for the 23rd billionth time. I’m tired from not knowing what the future holds, from being in a constant state of limbo, from being separated from my friends and family, and from not having one ounce of control over my own fate.
We wanted to take a moment to introduce one of our fellow nonprofit partners. Primarily serving the Seattle metro
The following is a parallel narrative based on a true story detailing two perspectives of the same circumstance: how a single photograph – a single bold decision – impacted a little boy and the people who loved him. The voices you hear are that of a Social Worker (SW) and a Foster Mother (FM).
My earliest memories are from when I was five. I loved my parents very much. I always wanted to make them proud and tried to be a good kid. I did not complain much and would do anything that was asked of me.
So, I fell down the stairs the other day.
I was up next for an intake, it was “law enforcement waiting,” so I grabbed my bag and went! I was greeted by a sibling set whose mother had been taken to jail. I looked down at the kids and said “Mommy has to get better, so you guys are coming with me.”
This week, like many other weeks, one volunteer found herself holding a days-old baby for a few hours at the child welfare office. Feeling all the feels that come with that experience – joy, fullness, sadness, helplessness, wonderment and despair – all very much at once, she did what came naturally to her…but what affect could that eventually have?
During our November board meeting, the question was posed: what are you most proud of in the last decade? My mind swirled. How can I pick one thing? The word fullness came to mind.
