One Year of CPS

I realized today that I have been working for CPS for just over a year.  Being a CPS caseworker is a really hard job.  It can be very rewarding at times, but for the most part it's just hard.  The last four months have been especially difficult.  My case load is up to 24 with 6 of those cases being assigned to me within the last month.  Texas caseworkers have extra heavy case loads.  A typical case load in Utah and other states is about 15-20, a typical caseload in Texas is between 25-30 but can be higher.  Each child that comes into the state's custody is considered a case.  So with 24 cases (children) I am working with 13 families.  That means I have to do face to face visits with a mom, 1-3 dad's, 1-4 children, and a caregiver, times 13 each month. On top of that I have to fit in time to document all of those visits, plus all of the phone calls I get, plus I have several cases that I supervise parent-child visits each week.  And then there are the court reports, family plans, and child plans that I have to write and update regularly.  Among several other things.  I have worked out a system to keep myself organized which includes a graph with everyone I visit, plus when certain things are due.  I also have to color code my calendar to make it easier to keep track of the many things I do on any given day.  It can get exhausting.  And that is just a brief overview of the tasks I do in my job.

When I'm assigned a case I will read criminal history, the removal affidavit, and talk to the investigator that did the removal before I get the chance to meet my clients so a picture will begin to form in my head of who these people are.  However, so many times the picture that I form or that is painted for me by others is not accurate.  The investigator will tell me how difficult the client is to work with but when I meet them I have a completely different experience.  It never ceases to amaze me how people are not who they seem to be, for better or for worse.  I've had so many experiences with parents who I believe at their core are very good people, they just got caught up with the wrong things, or maybe they just didn't know any better but one way or another they ended up making some pretty bad choices.  Those are the clients who see CPS intervention as a wake up call and realize that they need some help.  I love working with those clients because usually they are the ones who will commit wholly to their services and will work so hard to do everything they can to change their lives and make a better situation for their children.  Sadly, those clients are not the norm though. So for my other clients I just have to do my best working with the parents and make sure that the children are in a safe, stable home with appropriate caregivers.  Even if that means the children are with a grandma or a good family friend.

A lot of times people will say something like, "I don't know how you do that job," or something like that.  And to be completely honest I don't know how I do it either, except by the grace of God.  I have felt so much strength through my Savior and when I have especially bad days or a particularly hard situation I know I can pray and ask for help or just put it in God's hands to work out how He will.  I also know that having a loving and supportive husband really helps and having good friends who don't mind listening to me vent every now and then also helps. I hear that after your first year and a half you start to get the hang of things and feel more confident in the job.  So here's to hoping the next year only gets better!