Clinical Caseworker Interview

I recently interviewed a clinical caseworker at the East St. Louis Department of Child and Family Services office. He received his Master's in Social Work from Washington University and is a licensed clinical social worker. We discussed the various responsibilities that his job requires. He told me that he has an average caseload of around thirty-five cases. This caseload was regarded as a very overwhelming and strenuous amount of cases for only one person to handle. I continued to ask him about him about the stress that his job places on him. He told me that the hardest part of his job was having families not wanting him around. They only believe that he is there to take their children away. In reality, he wants what is best for the child and does everything he can to keep families intact. Another challenging aspect of his job is when he must find foster placements …show more content…
He told me that if you were to look into an abuser's family history, it is often likely that you will see that their parent's had abused them in the past. Witnessing their parents abuse certain substances like drugs and alcohol also made them believe it was conventional to use them. Since children often mock the behaviors of their parents, the cycle of abuse continues into their families. Children who witness this type of abuse are also likely to succumb to a variety of effects. He told me that he has seen children have attachment disorder, conduct disorder, increased aggressive behavior, inability to adjust to new situations, and also having issues with authority figures. After speaking with him about the impacts of his job, it occurred to me that child welfare may be one of the most stressful jobs that any social worker could have the pleasure of doing. Even with it being incredibly stressful, clinical caseworkers are making a profound difference in the lives of abused