Child Protection. Could you do it?

Loula, I agree. Having kids makes you see things differently. I am working in a related field and I see children who don't live at home having access with their parents. Whilst I understand why the kids can't live at home, as a parent I often think what it would be like to see my child only a couple of times a week under supervision. It's more emotional than it used to be. I certainly go home and give my little boy a big hug many a night. For me there's a difference between knowing something intellectually (prior to kids) and knowing something through the experience of having children.

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I've seen it.

It's changed me. Forever.

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Absolutely :( if only you could forget.

Kit I replied elsewhere to this question.

Yes, I think I could. I have worked for many years in a job where I see terrible things, both physical and social. The outcome is often poor. As a PP said, I have the attitude that I can only do what I can do. Knowing that I have done my job to the very best of my ability and that I have made a difference to someone's life provides me with great job satisfaction. I do think I would find the bureaucracy exceptionally frustrating.

I myself could never do it. and I really admire anyone who does it. Just from what I've seen as a midwife is enough to tear my heart, and I wasn't even seeing the tip of the iceburg...

I have a friend who use to work in that industry, and unfortuantly is now on disability payments because of the mental health effects it had on her and she can't work again (or atleast for an extremely long time).

It takes a very special and strong person to be able to do it, and thank god there are people out there who can and do.

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I've seen it.

It's changed me. Forever.

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Yep, that's the part that scares me.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

Lulu, I would have HAD to read that file once I had been told not to!

I was actually at a children's birthday party the other day and got talking to one of the mum's there and she is a CP worker. She said it is a very hard, disturbing job, especially since she has had children, but she is one of the ones that is like "I need to make any difference I can, even if sometimes it nearly kills me inside'. I really admired her because lots of people, me included, would never consider it as a job.

I found it really interesting because my parents are foster carers, and some of the children that have come through their doors have had the most horrific life you could ever imagine. It breaks my heart to look at some of them. And sometimes its a success story - one tiny little baby they had who was going through drug withdrawl (the most hideous thing I have witnessed) was eventually adopted out to an amazing family who has given her an amazing life. But other time, they are sent back to the parents and it is so so hard for my parents, but they know it's what happens. While the chidlren are with them, they give them all the love and care possible.

I think it is a job that would take a really, really strong person. I would be a blubbering mess.

i know i could never do it but take my hat off to those who do anything is that field. ive had people i know at both side of the cpo coin, one with my cousins expartner only having supervised visits with her daughter once a week and the child having a myriad of health problems from her drug use during the pg. she had her next baby taken away at birth. then a friend at playgroup who has 5 kids of her own, permanate foster care of boy and occasional care of several others inc the foster sons brother who is still with the parents. i know at times she has to take a step back and breath and process stuff after being involved in the area in some way for 10+ years.

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Lulu, I would have HAD to read that file once I had been told not to!

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Part of me really wanted to, but I knew my boss very well and if he'd said I shouldn't read it then he had a really good reason. Seeing him in tears was what sealed it for me. I'm lucky he was such a good man protecting me from what I didn't need to know IYKWIM. I was very young then - I think only about 25 - and wouldn't have been taking an active role in the case anyway so no good would have come from it. There had been a few things come along before then that he'd said "you really probably shouldn't see that" but still gave it to me anyway, and in 10 years of working for him there was never another occasion when he said not to read something so it must have been truly the worst

Never. Professor and I looked into permanent foster care, but I wouldn't be able to cope with letting them go, no way. I find it very difficult to drop my nephews at their mother's house, knowing how she neglects them. It puts me in tears for the rest of the day - there's no way in a million years, for any money at all, that I could do it.

I don't think I could do it, but I think you should if it is what you want, yes there are soooo many cases where legalities road block you but isn't it all worth it even if you save one child? I have a friend who is now 48 and worked as a northern territory police officer and then went into child protection, mainly aboriginal children and she has horrific stories but she also says she feels wonderful because she saved so many children, 3 of which are in foster care at the moment with 2 lovely people who couldnt have kids of their own and will most likley be with them until they are 18. their father sexually abused all three of them. So there is good with the bad.

For me - I started studying sw 11 years ago and left. I was heartbroken for my brother at the time, he was a ward of the state and I decided I couldn't do it.

Now I'm older I received 2 offers from uni - primary teaching and sw. I enrolled in primary teaching however transferred to sw in the first few weeks. I HAVE to do this and I do want to have experience in cp before I do a post grad in probably teaching.

For me it's about my life - I have been part of some horrible things and also been lucky to meet some wonderful people. I believe that while things are tough life is only what you make it. I was abused- I choose not to dwell on it and let it consume my life - I choose to use that strength I gained to help others.

I will find it hard to work with the rules (like the fact that we cannot foster - even emergency placements while ttc or that drug affected parents can keep their children until there is proof of abuse or neglect)

I also believe that every child is born a clean slate. Their environment is going to make up who they are. Every child deserves the good things, and love and someone to protect and look out for them, they deserve the opportunity to thrive. I will see some horrible things and i wont be superwoman - some kids will be severely affected beyond return but I can sincerely say I tried and for those successes there will be nothing more rewarding then seeing a child laugh, learn, love after adversity.

I intend to cry- let out what I need to each day, I intend to keep a psychologist under my belt - someone to help me manage my completely thin skin (as opposed to being thick skinned)

If you are having doubts read a few books - Dave pelzer, Cathy glass type books, if they make you sick or really disturb you it's not the job for you.

I'm drawn to these books, I have a bookcase full of them.


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If you are having doubts read a few books - Dave pelzer, Cathy glass type books, if they make you sick or really disturb you it's not the job for you.

I'm drawn to these books, I have a bookcase full of them.


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I actually have a bookshelf full of those types if books too.. I surprisingly love them... Another one if you havent read yet is by Anya Peters.


sent via my vortex manipulator!

I used to work in animal protection and I couldn't cope with that. I can deal with the abused animals, but I couldn't deal well with the people who inflict it. I don't think I could cope at all with child protection without striking out at the people who are to blame.