Today, for a few brief moments while at work, I was overcome with joy. This happens very rarely in my job, but it is the exact reason I and most of my fellow social workers chose our profession. It was the sense that my actions and hard work had contributed to the bettering of a child's life.
This afternoon I participated in a Current Caretaker Adoption Committee for one of the children on my caseload. A current caretaker adoption is exactly that, the foster family currently caring for a child is chosen to adopt that child. In Oregon, if a foster parent has cared for a child for more than six months, they are elevated to that status of current caretaker and receive first consideration, along with relatives, for the permanent placement of a child. The state recognizes that attachment is one of the most important things in a child's life.
At this particular committee a foster family was chosen to adopt a little girl who has been in their home for a little over a year. When I walked out to the lobby to share the good news with them, the foster mother started to cry. She hugged me and said "thank you" several times. She told me how good it has been to work with me and shared that she felt I was one of the best caseworkers with whom they have ever worked. She also handed me a thank you card, which I decided to open by myself in an effort to prevent public crying.
Once out in the parking lot, the foster parents drove past me and their little SUV. The foster mom waved at me as they drove by and mouthed thank you. In my car, I opened the card. It thanked me for all the hard work I had done. It explained that they had fallen in love with the little girl in their home and that they would never forget the role I played in making sure she was their child forever.
That's when I lost it. I and my fellow social workers have a relatively thankless, yet incredibly demanding job. We make hard choices everyday and must ensure the safety of many children. It takes months and years to reach adoption committee and all that time there is a social worker diligently plodding along working toward the best interest of the child whom they are responsible. Moments like the one described above are very rare and very precious. This moment and others like it remind me of why I go into work everyday. They remind me why I put up with being cursed at by clients, lectured by judges and attorneys, undermined by upper management and at times scorned by the media and the public.
Like all things, the moment came to an end. When I got back to the office there was another unpleasant urgent issue that had to be dealt with. However, before I moved onto anything else, I placed the card on my desk in an effort to remind myself that I am made a difference in the life of a little girl, her family and in my community.
