My addiction started early in life. Around the age of 10.
I had a flashback the other night while making a mini-smore. I was placing chocolate chips on a wheat cracker when suddenly I was transported to my childhood kitchen. I saw my younger self hoisting my younger self onto the kitchen counter. I was in search of the bag of chocolate chips.
In the back of the top shelf of the cupboard I could see the bag. I knew it already had been opened, so taking a handful would not alert my mother. And that is just what I did. Stole chocolate chips.
Did it stop there? Oh no. I became expert at getting in and out of that cupboard without notice. They were so deliciously tiny, and it's not like my mom was counting them.... until she could actually count them. My greed had been my undoing.
Who ate the chocolate chips? My mom demanded to know the identity of the selfish, lowdown thief. I had to confess. Or was I outed by one of my brothers? That detail I don't recall. I swore I would never do it again (I did). I now craved the chocolaty goodness. Withdrawal was too painful.
The other night as I placed chocolate chips on my crackers and then mini-marshmallows on top of the chips, it occurred to me that these chips were my gateway drug. I have tried all kinds of sweets over the years, but continue to come back to my gateway sugar: that beautiful and perfectly sweet chocolate chip. Of course I no longer have to hoist myself onto the kitchen counter to reach my drug of choice. I also have discovered other ways to ingest them, such as on salty wheat crackers with mini-marshmallows, then ever so slightly melted in the microwave.
And it all began on nice streets of Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Child Protective Services: Big Mother is better than no mother
I got a phone call this morning from a person whose home and life I recently assessed for the State of Texas. This person and the person's home were being considered as a placement for children who were, and apparently still are, wards of the state.
I can't of course get into specifics of any kind. That would be unethical.
But the phone call and this person's deep and profound attachment to the children got my emotional engines going - again - regarding the issue of child welfare and, specifically, Child Protective Services.
As I was not allowed to get personal with this morning's caller, in this venue I can. I should qualify what I am about to write by disclosing that I was employed by CPS in 2005 as a caseworker in a Family Based Safety Services (FBSS) unit. This is the type of unit that works with families so their children won't be removed. I had just gotten my master's in social work and felt called to CPS. In my academy class I was voted the person most likely to still be working at CPS in 20 years. I was gone in less than a year.
Our child welfare system is not so much broken as it is permanently flawed. There really is no fix for it. What you see is what you get. While criticism of the system is often valid, real suggestions for improvements are few and far between.
Bottom line: It's the only system we have for this moment in time and we definitely need to have a child welfare system in this moment in time.
Historical context is critical to understanding how child welfare in the United States has evolved into our current system:
- Later in the century, private agencies began finding homes for orphans out of a belief that it was preferred to growing up in an orphanage.
- Social Security Act of 1935 authorized the first federal money for child welfare agencies in the states. This was the first real push for states to build their own welfare policy. This is also the action that began financial assistance to families with dependent children which was changed in 1996 to be temporary assistance for families with dependent children.
- Amendments to the Social Security Act are so numerous, you must be a wonk to keep up. Two key changes worth mentioning occurred in the 1960s. First, the courts got involved in child abuse cases and, in 1967, Congress mandated foster care in all states.
- CPS may have its deepest roots in the 1974 Congressional act that told states to come up with a child abuse/neglect reporting and investigation system or no dough, as in federal dollars.
When I was a child, there wasn't a CPS to say whether my aunt and uncles or grandparents were appropriate "placements" for me and my 5 brothers had we been removed from our home. CPS is a contemporary phenomena.
For some, the foster care boom that began in the late 70s and really took off in the 80s and 90s may seem like ancient history. For CPS it's been a nano second. And in that nano second, states, including Texas, went from handling a trickle down of reports of child abuse and neglect to a virtual tsunami of reports.
Get this: in 2011, the most recent year for stats, CPS in Texas got a whopping 255,514 reports of child abuse or neglect!! This according to a state report. (link below). I still am looking for a comparison number, but this is just a blog and likely no one is still reading at this point.
Mind you, reports of abuse are not the same as actual abuse. Non-the-less, they have to be processed. And by now, processed by a gigantic and policy-laden bureaucracy. Big Mother making decisions about our most vulnerable citizens. Who thinks that's a good idea?
I would love to hate CPS and at times I have been critical. I've made many reports to CPS over the years in my capacity as a social worker, and more than once I have been disappointed in the outcome of a case. But I can't completely despise Big Mother because I have witnessed good outcomes too. I've had the privilege of working with or meeting impressive, even heroic, individuals who work for CPS. They don't quit after less than a year. Without their dedication, our children would suffer.
So to the person who called me this morning I say this: CPS is an enormous and complicated machine. Imperfect and flawed. But it's the only system we've got to protect children. And I understand this means nothing to you because all you care about are the lives of the children in your small world.
You know what? If I were in your shoes, I'd feel the same damn way.
http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/documents/about/Data_Books_and_Annual_Reports/2011/DataBook11.pdf
I can't of course get into specifics of any kind. That would be unethical.
But the phone call and this person's deep and profound attachment to the children got my emotional engines going - again - regarding the issue of child welfare and, specifically, Child Protective Services.
As I was not allowed to get personal with this morning's caller, in this venue I can. I should qualify what I am about to write by disclosing that I was employed by CPS in 2005 as a caseworker in a Family Based Safety Services (FBSS) unit. This is the type of unit that works with families so their children won't be removed. I had just gotten my master's in social work and felt called to CPS. In my academy class I was voted the person most likely to still be working at CPS in 20 years. I was gone in less than a year.
Our child welfare system is not so much broken as it is permanently flawed. There really is no fix for it. What you see is what you get. While criticism of the system is often valid, real suggestions for improvements are few and far between.
Bottom line: It's the only system we have for this moment in time and we definitely need to have a child welfare system in this moment in time.
Historical context is critical to understanding how child welfare in the United States has evolved into our current system:
1800s:
- Early in the century, the first orphanages were organized by churches and charitable groups.- Later in the century, private agencies began finding homes for orphans out of a belief that it was preferred to growing up in an orphanage.
1900s:
- Early in this century, states began passing laws protecting children from abuse and neglect.- Social Security Act of 1935 authorized the first federal money for child welfare agencies in the states. This was the first real push for states to build their own welfare policy. This is also the action that began financial assistance to families with dependent children which was changed in 1996 to be temporary assistance for families with dependent children.
- Amendments to the Social Security Act are so numerous, you must be a wonk to keep up. Two key changes worth mentioning occurred in the 1960s. First, the courts got involved in child abuse cases and, in 1967, Congress mandated foster care in all states.
- CPS may have its deepest roots in the 1974 Congressional act that told states to come up with a child abuse/neglect reporting and investigation system or no dough, as in federal dollars.
When I was a child, there wasn't a CPS to say whether my aunt and uncles or grandparents were appropriate "placements" for me and my 5 brothers had we been removed from our home. CPS is a contemporary phenomena.
For some, the foster care boom that began in the late 70s and really took off in the 80s and 90s may seem like ancient history. For CPS it's been a nano second. And in that nano second, states, including Texas, went from handling a trickle down of reports of child abuse and neglect to a virtual tsunami of reports.
Get this: in 2011, the most recent year for stats, CPS in Texas got a whopping 255,514 reports of child abuse or neglect!! This according to a state report. (link below). I still am looking for a comparison number, but this is just a blog and likely no one is still reading at this point.
Mind you, reports of abuse are not the same as actual abuse. Non-the-less, they have to be processed. And by now, processed by a gigantic and policy-laden bureaucracy. Big Mother making decisions about our most vulnerable citizens. Who thinks that's a good idea?
I would love to hate CPS and at times I have been critical. I've made many reports to CPS over the years in my capacity as a social worker, and more than once I have been disappointed in the outcome of a case. But I can't completely despise Big Mother because I have witnessed good outcomes too. I've had the privilege of working with or meeting impressive, even heroic, individuals who work for CPS. They don't quit after less than a year. Without their dedication, our children would suffer.
So to the person who called me this morning I say this: CPS is an enormous and complicated machine. Imperfect and flawed. But it's the only system we've got to protect children. And I understand this means nothing to you because all you care about are the lives of the children in your small world.
You know what? If I were in your shoes, I'd feel the same damn way.
http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/documents/about/Data_Books_and_Annual_Reports/2011/DataBook11.pdf
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Homicidal Anger
Dr. Deidra Louis Blackmon, a local veterinarian 33 years young, was killed last month in Saginaw, a town near Fort Worth. A man presumably fueled by Anger shot her dead.
Dr. Blackmon was driving home from a night of celebration with friends at the Stockyards in Fort Worth. They stopped at a convenience store. Dr. Blackmon, the driver, went inside. This is all according to news reports.
When she came outside, she found one of her friends had gotten out of the car. Her friend had too much to drink and was feeling ill. While helping her friend, as friends do, the women were blocking the door to the car parked next to them. This angered the couple whose car they were blocking.
According to reports, Dr. Blackmon apologized to the couple. The passenger apparently wasn't having it and had some choice words for the women. She was controlled by Anger.
What could possibly make someone angry about having to wait a minute to get in or out of their car?
Unchecked Anger. Self-righteous Anger. Drug or alcohol fueled Anger.
The women got into the doctor's car, a Lexus that I assume she worked hard to earn. An impressive young woman, I am sure. I wish I had known her.
Back on the road, the women were hunted down by Anger. Dr. Blackmon was the one hit and killed. The shooter was identified and is in jail thanks to surveillance videos and the angry passenger has been charged with not reporting.
Here's from the WFAA report:
Blackmon grew up in Keller and graduated from Haltom City High School. She was employed as a veterinarian at the Animal Emergency Hospital of North Texas in Grapevine.
Bruce Nixon, the chief of staff at the clinic, called Blackmon a "shining star" and talented veterinarian. Nixon said she usually works at the clinic on Saturday evenings, but was off on Saturday night celebrating a friend's wedding.
Now, what to do with my Anger about this tragic loss of a promising life?
Dr. Blackmon was driving home from a night of celebration with friends at the Stockyards in Fort Worth. They stopped at a convenience store. Dr. Blackmon, the driver, went inside. This is all according to news reports.
When she came outside, she found one of her friends had gotten out of the car. Her friend had too much to drink and was feeling ill. While helping her friend, as friends do, the women were blocking the door to the car parked next to them. This angered the couple whose car they were blocking.
According to reports, Dr. Blackmon apologized to the couple. The passenger apparently wasn't having it and had some choice words for the women. She was controlled by Anger.
What could possibly make someone angry about having to wait a minute to get in or out of their car?
Unchecked Anger. Self-righteous Anger. Drug or alcohol fueled Anger.
The women got into the doctor's car, a Lexus that I assume she worked hard to earn. An impressive young woman, I am sure. I wish I had known her.
Back on the road, the women were hunted down by Anger. Dr. Blackmon was the one hit and killed. The shooter was identified and is in jail thanks to surveillance videos and the angry passenger has been charged with not reporting.
Here's from the WFAA report:
Blackmon grew up in Keller and graduated from Haltom City High School. She was employed as a veterinarian at the Animal Emergency Hospital of North Texas in Grapevine.
Bruce Nixon, the chief of staff at the clinic, called Blackmon a "shining star" and talented veterinarian. Nixon said she usually works at the clinic on Saturday evenings, but was off on Saturday night celebrating a friend's wedding.
Now, what to do with my Anger about this tragic loss of a promising life?
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