Child Protection. Could you do it?

[KitFaerie]

Divvy: I expect things like that. I'm not at all surprised, the thing would be could I live day-to-day with those things in my head. I know it would change me, I just don't know by how much. I've volunteered in homeless shelters, I've worked as a counsellor but I've never seen or dealt with the ''in action'' stuff. There is a big difference between supsecting horrific things and knowing about them.

I used to say that I would never do it, but then I really started thinking about it. I am still thinking about it, lol.

I don't want to save anyone, I don't want that responsibility and if I felt like I had to save everyone then I'd most likely end up wearing a cape and gibbering next to the couch, but I do want to do something.

[Amity]

I've seen it.

It's changed me. Forever.

[nothing2lose]

Nope. No way. No how.

For all the reasons stated but also because of the bureaucratic, regulatory nightmare that stops things getting done when they need to be done.

[Arcadia]

to all those in the loop of child protection and care industries. You're all amazing. I'm a librarian because books stay on shelves and don't induce nightmares.

[Lisa B]

I've done if for a short period of time. It's a tough gig with really long hours and you don't always feel like you make a difference. The system is really hard to work with, court makes decision that you don't always like, you can spend a lot of time doing administration and directing families as opposed to helping them work through problems, other professionals can treat you like crap. You have to put up with a lot of abuse from families.

On the upside it is really invaluable experience if you want to work in that kind of sector. You get to see how the system works, learn to deal with difficult clients, really hone assessment and crisis skills and learn a lot about case planning. These skills are very desirable in related fields.

If you want to work with families and children who have experienced abuse but don't want to do Child Protection there are a lot of related field where you can do some good work like foster care, kinship care, family support, intensive family preservation programs. You learn about the child protection system from the outside and you get to have more of a supportive role but it does also involve being directive or assertive at times. You also have to deal with some unhappy clients as well but it's a bit different than working in child protection.

[MrsFabuloso]

Nope. As I childcare worker, I have had to study child protection, as well as being involved in the reporting of families for suspicion of abuse and neglect. Dh is also a police officer and hasn't seen the truely horrific things many of them have seen (thankfully!), but he's also seen enough and had the bureaucratic nightmares others have mentioned of not legally being able to do something for some kids/families, to be able to tell me I wouldn't be able to do it. I have heard and seen enough just doing that without actually being a CPO. I thought about it briefly but I know I couldn't cope with it.
But none of these responses will be able to tell you if YOU can do it hun. If you think you could manage the psycological/emotional side of it all, I know you would be awesome!

[KitFaerie]

I've seen it.

It's changed me. Forever.

Yep, that's the part that scares me.

Thank you for all the responses, it's given me a lot to think about.

[fionas]

I couldn't do it. I'm too fiery when it comes to parents treating kids badly. I don't think I could find a balance between telling myself that I'd done as much as I could within the parameters of my job and wanting to absolutely 100% make sure that kids weren't being returned to abusive situations.

I'd end up kidnapping kids to keep them safe and telling the justice system to go to hell. I'd love to do fostering too when the girls are older but again, I think having to return kids to less than ideal situations would absolutely tear me apart.

So my choice is to work instead on the policy side and examine/recommend alternative child protection policies/practices.

[meow]

Hell no. There is a thread on here called "To smack or not to smack" (or something)... it makes my heart race just seeing the title and I can't bring myself to open it and read it. I find parents talking about smacking their children really distressing. So I don't think I'm cut out for more. But then, that irks me because those children are living in that situation whether I have my blinkers on or not so I wish I had more balls to help them. Huge kudos to you for considering it!

[Miss_Dee]

Personally I couldn't. I wish I could but I know my limitations. All through high school I wanted to be a youth worker and looked into uni but then realised it would result in me having a breakdown. I know that I would have trouble leaving work at work and I know that I would blame myself if I couldn't help or 'save' someone. It's still something I'm really interested in and wish I had the strength for it, but I don't. I guess that's why my favourite job was when I worked for community housing organising repairs and maintenance on properties. Distanced enough that I could walk out the door without feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders, but still involved in helping people who were disadvantaged.

[LuluHB]

Like Divvy, I've seen far more than I ever wanted to know from working in both criminal and family law. I still remember one day when my boss came to me in tears with a file in his hand. He told me that I was to never, ever read the file, or have anything to do with that particular case. Given I had read some of what I thought were some of the most horrendous, evil acts possible already I can't begin to imagine what was in there.

The bureaucratic nonsense that you have to go through would I think be an enormous hurdles to overcome because I think the never ending feeling that child welfare workers have of beating their heads against the wall would be soul destroying, let alone the poor little buggers they see. I got to be very good friends with a cw worker and she was a seriously damaged, crushed person. Very good at her job, and I think that was part of the 'problem' IYKWIM.

Now that I'm a parent I know there is no way I could do it. I'd be kidnapping babies and children left right and centre to protect them when the system couldn't/wouldn't.