Social Workers for Change

What runs through your mind when you think of a social worker? A baby-snatcher? A welfare worker? A bleeding heart? An agent of social control?

Social welfare students are aware of these stereotypes surrounding their profession and are striving to break the perpetuation of these stereotypes. Social workers want to be known for what they are: therapists, service providers, advocates, case managers, researchers, CEOs, directors, politicians, labor union presidents, community organizers and activists, all bound by a strong code of ethics. Social workers have a history of activism that can be traced back to Jane Addams in the late 1800’s. She based her work on the concept of nonviolence, out of which she created the Hull House movement in Chicago, was a labor rights activist and participant in many strikes including the municipal worker’s Pullman strike of 1894, and was a spokeswoman against the Spanish American War and World War I. For her commitment to social justice and nonviolence Jane Addams won the Nobel peace prize in 1931, four years before her death.

Social work students and professionals are redefining themselves in the spirit of Jane Addams, as advocates for peace and nonviolence, by taking action against the Bush Administration’s pending war against Iraq. Social Welfare graduate students at UCLA have taken an active part in organizing against U.S. involvement in war against Iraq by creating a coalition of social work students to march in solidarity with peace activists world wide to state that that this war will not be fought in our name.

On February 19th, a group of social welfare students organized across the county to bring together students from USC and Cal State LA, as well as members of Social Workers for Social and Economic Justice and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) to attend the anti-war march and rally in Hollywood. We marched to state that a war in Iraq is in direct opposition with the social work values and ethics that we are bound to as professionals.

The social work preamble directly states that “the primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.” Social work values state that as professionals we are to recognize and respect the inherent dignity and worth of the individual. We are to be persons of integrity who are sensitive to issues of cultural and ethnic diversity and we are to and strive to end all forms of discrimination and social injustice.

Keeping our values and ethics in mind, we recognize that people of color are unequally represented in the front lines of the military. We recognize the negative financial impact war has on poor populations both domestically and abroad. We recognize that war spending and money for prisons is on the rise, while spending for schools and social programs is on the decline. We recognize that a war that is being called against the will of the American people is unfair and unjust.

As social workers, we will fight to defend the human rights of Americans as well as people worldwide. We will work to educate, empower and mobilize others to take a stand against these injustices. We will carry on Jane Addams’ spirit of activism and nonviolence within social work, as this vision of positive systemic revolution is the foundation upon which social work is built. So when you view the coverage of the next anti-war rally on March 15th, look for the banner that states “Social Workers for Social and Economic Justice” and there we’ll stand with our heads held high stating that we are social workers and we say NO to war in Iraq.

My experience with social workers, especially those payed by the state, has been horendous.

Often they come off as trying to save money rather than help a sick person. They attack the disabled at every turn with burocratic red tape and evil condescention.

If the ultimate goals of these people and students are to bring respect to their proffession and really help out, they have to take a different role, and attack the very institutions for which they work.

Institutions that have turned social welfare into a business and eliminated the most necessary tool of caring from their trade.

Here we have pitted, family against family, money from the agency feeds so many, even the employees of the agency themselves.

Thus, those within the agency who have resources always come away with the notion that they need to keep the roles down, at the expense of the mentally ill we wish as a society to provide for.

These safeguards for the underdog are turned into feeding troughs for the greedy, and by this I don't mean welfare mothers.

The greedy are those care workers who relentlessly shove people out the door at the social services office without even taking the time to just make a simple list of places that can help. To save time they use short referral lists that barely dent the problem and often mislead clients. To save more time they rarely return phone calls to clients in need.

And to protect themselves and their 30,000 a year job, they do any number of horrible things to families in need because they say that is procedure. Just taking orders like Nazi's.

Not to be to much of a nerd but let's quote Michael Jackson and say, "If you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make a change."

I was falsely accused of child abuse by my ex husband who has filed 7 reports against me in a 3 yr span. All cases were closed UNFOUNDED. I received a call from a social worker we'll call JULI, and upon her initial introduction, she stated she was calling from HER cellular phone "on the road home", yet my CALLER ID clearly revealed she was calling from my ex husbands phone. Well of course, such a liar couldn't be trusted, so I was RUDE and UNCOOPERATIVE.

This angered feeble minded Juli, so, ACTING OUT OF SPITE, she intervened into my parental control and took my children without VERIFIED proof of any true necessity for the intervention. She chose to rip my world apart SIMPLY BECAUSE SHE COULD and not one single consideration of my children did she make.

She took my children and gave me ZERO information regarding my parental rights, the court procedure, etc. She wouldn't return my phone calls, and when she finally did, she said she'd called several times and I wasn't home. Funny, the spiteful moron had NO PROBLEM getting a hold of me when she wanted to take my children. I was denied any visitation for over 45 days.

So tell me, is a social worker who takes a child away from a parent based on biased information (but mainly out of REVENGE ) acting in the BEST INTEREST OF THE CHILD?

My daughter has undergone a medical examination and has been violated in a way I didn't have done to me until I was almost 21. My kids were moved from a nice neighborhood free of gunfire, to one in a gang ridden area.

And Juli, in her infinite wisdom and splendor, gave my children to their father, a man who lives with his parents at the age of 40, is violent, and was arrested last year for possession of narcotics...and also living under the same roof as my children is their uncle who was just released from San Quentin State Prison. Not only is this wrong, it's illegal.

And why is this??? WHY? Cuz lil' JULI didn't like the way I spoke to her.

And then....ha ha....reading the reports submitted to the court does serve as a poorly orchestrated bit of comic release as a supposed DEPENDENCY INVESTIGATOR, whose demonstrated level of intelligence is less than a cockroach, submits text filled with GRAMMAR and SPELLING errors...incorrect addresses, birthdates, distorted versions of the truth, and most frequently, outright lies.

Dependency investigator? The one in my case is like the information minister from Iraq... she reports what she wants to report and whatever suits her agenda, which is totally opposite of what is actually the truth.

Whatever negative reputation or image government employed child snatchers have, it is WELL deserved and while I personally cannot imagine God or anyone else has any use for social workers, I suppose the preparation and planning for your day of earthly departure gives Satan something to do.

You expressed it brilliantly.

These nazi's haven't a clue as to what's best for the child.

It's time to revolt!!

Thanks, Fed Up Mom...

I have thought about contacting KCBS Channel 2 news. They seem to be FOR THE PEOPLE and aren't too intimidated to conduct undercover investigations...

Good luck to you,,,and others in our situation.

Falls Lee Ekuzed