This is just one question being asked on our Child Welfare Video Wall. Several people have already responded, saying it is the lack of funding available as well as continual funding cuts:
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[F]unding…[O]ur national priorities…don’t seem to be supporting those families and children in our society who are the most vulnerable.” —Wendy“With funding being cut every day…you’re being called on to do more and more with less. You have a higher caseload, you have a more severe caseload, you have less time in supervision, less time in consultation. There’s less resources even for workers to make referrals.” —Kelly
“We don’t have enough funding, there’s too many people doing different things, and our resources and our services are not really connected where we can work really effectively.” —Gus
And with funding cuts comes the inevitable lack of resources:
“…the continual cuts in resources and personnel who serve in the public child welfare system.” —Nancy
“‘[D]eep-end families’ in our caseloads, a reflection of the resource question, which are dwindling as we speak.” —Esther
“Resources…have always been a challenge. We’re losing enormous resources when we don’t provide kids and families with the necessary resources to really thrive and grow.” —Joan Reibel
In asking this question, as well as the other four questions on the video wall, we hope to get a national (and international!) dialogue going on the child welfare system as a whole. As it pertains to this blog, the video wall can be incredibly useful for policymakers and others involved in child welfare policy, as respondents range from researchers & professors to foster parents & providers. What better way to understand the challenges faced by the child welfare workforce than from those directly involved and impacted by it?
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the child welfare workforce? Post your response here!
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