Major Progress on Chapter 2

The literature review fought me tooth and nail. It did not go down easy but in the end... it is shorter, more focused, not redundant, and even updated with some newer stuff.

Here is a link to a recent Washington Post article that highlights some of the dilemmas in child welfare work. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/08/AR2008070802772.html

Caseloads in DC jumped dramatically following the January 2008 deaths of 4 young sisters, in a family that was known to the child welfare office. Horrifying to think about and of course especially terrible for those who knew the family. Six employees of CFSA were fired. In reaction to that case, there are more referrals to CFSA and casworkers are more likely to remove chldren. Caseloads have swelled to a level far exceeding the national average, and way above standards for best practice.

What happens when you are overworked? You do your best but can't keep up with it all. Very sadly, in June another baby died; the caseworker, whose case load had jumped from 4 to 50, tried but could not make contact with the family. The family and the baby needed help. So did the caseworker. My heart goes out to all.


It doesn't seem to make sense to fire an overwhelmed caseworker. It seems she tried, unsuccessfully to locate and contact the family. She had 49 other cases to try to keep up with. Stories like this make thoughts of improving professional development for child welfare workers kind of beside the point. What's the use if they are working in impossible circumstances?