elephants and pickles

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:27:10 GMT

background:

In Illinois, social workers have several levels of certifications that follow this list
BSW (bacelor's in Social Work)
MSW (Masters in social work)
LSW (licensed social worker)
and at the top:
LCSW (Licensed clinical social worker)

I completed the required 3000 hours in August,
passed the test with 129 questions right, while needing only 100,
and submitted my application to the appropriate licensing authority

I am now an LCSW! yay!

annual christmas party

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:59:40 GMT

For Chicago Folks:

Kristen and Nick have expressed an interest in having the Christmas party on the weekend of the 5th due to them being out of town on later weekends. Who won't be available then?

State funding

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:19:39 GMT

This is a sample of a phone call that one might make to representative's in Illinois. Check and see what your state budget is doing around human services. I know that not everyone wants to pay for preventive services, or they do not think it is their responsibility. The fact is that when these people aren't cared for, it does effect all of us. A child not taught what it means to be emotionally connected to others will not be emotionally connected. They will lack the empathy that tells most of the rest of us not to steal, not to threaten other's lives, or not to engage in other "blue collar" crimes. Then we end up paying for a trial, and years (at $22,000+ per year per inmate) of jail. When the same amount for three to no more than 18 years (rarely that much) could translate into a self-reliant citizen who works and pays back society for the support, love, care, and yes, money they received. The criminal justice system has a much lower rate of Correcting illegal/inappropriate behaviors. Despite the fact the it is usually the "department of corrections." These kids did not choose their circumstances, we are committed to them. Please at least request a gradual step-down in services or involvement as opposed to the wholesale chopping in half the services and support for these kids. Please see http://www.campaignforillinoisfuture.org/crisis/ or http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Illinois_state_budget or (all states:) http://www.ncsconline.org/WC/CourTopics/StateLinks.asp?id=134&topic=BudPro for more information.

Hi, My name is ______________. I work with several families in ___________________ I am calling to request that s/he work to change the level of funding to DHS, specifically to DCFS. For selfish reasons, I do not want to lose my job, as I am sure that you can understand. For less-selfish reasons, I am very concerned about the children currently in care. The legislative body of this state has seen fit to create laws pertaining to caseloads, services, and other things to ensure the safety and well-being of children in this state. This indicates that they care about these citizens. However, at the level of funding scheduled to begin on July 1st, our children will not even be able to receive the minimum legally required protection they deserve. While children may die due to these budget cuts, I would also like to point out that the children who do not die, but who are abused and neglected may fail to assimilate into society and will have an increased chance of becoming homeless, entering into the juvenile justice program, and having children that they cannot take care of. This will lead to a greater need and dependence on society in this generation as they age. Do you guys really want to send the message “let’s save money now, and pay for the consequences later?” I wonder if that really is the better choice. I wonder if it might not it be more fiscally responsible to ensure that this generation is capable of becoming self-reliant, so that they can contribute to society later instead of staying dependent on all of us? I have some ideas about how this might work, if you would like to call me to discuss this, please feel free to call/email me at __________. Thank you, have a nice day, etc.

Thank all of you for your time. For those living in Illinois, this is the proposed income ax increase system that is supposed to cover the deficit without the cuts: http://www.state.il.us/budget/FY2010/FY2010_Budget_Briefing.pdf

Illinois people!

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:05:51 GMT

Our state representatives passed a budget that calls for a 70% budget cut for DCFS. I request that you email/call your representatives and congress people and ask them to change this before it is too late. The following is my letter, please consider using it or something else. Please do not write them if you disagree that DCFS should continue to be funded ;)

I am writing to let you guys know that I find the DCFS budget unreasonable. You may feel like you don't have many options; however, your decision to cut the budget as opposed to raising taxes means that many people will lose their jobs completely. At this time, we need to stand together to support all of the citizens of our state. We all need to be willing to pay a bit more in taxes, to take a pay cut, in order to continue to support those who serve our state through providing for the needs of the weakest members. We also need to ensure that we support those weaker members to ensure that they gain the strength they need to continue to or to begin to contribute to our society in meaningful ways. I implore you and your fellow elected officials to think about the long-term ramifications of this bill. You may only think it is for one year, yet, think about how long a year is in the life of a child. A teen, caught at the right moment, has every chance for change, yet wait a year, and they have entered the juvenile justice system. Multiply this by the thousands of children in state care, and recognize that we can't kick them out, but we can, through neglect, compound their problems. Every time we remove them from a home, lay-off a caseworker, cause other losses, we are compounding their problems. The budget that was just passed will have these effects. I see them daily. Please consider these individuals in your decision making process.

Thank you very much,

YOUR NAME HERE

The system has problems, yes, and I hope that they are fixed in the future. Please consider what happens to kids in the system when they do not get the support that they need. If you do not know, the answer is that they go to jail. Go to www.idoc.state.il.gov to see how much that costs you a year. The other thing that happens is that these kids have babies that end up in the system, again, if they do not receive the support they need to heal or to succeed. That also costs much more than taking care of it the first time around. If anything, this is a problem that needs more funding and not less.

Thanks for reading and considering this!

pictures of torture

Thu, 14 May 2009 13:35:51 GMT

I have a problem with the fact that no one in the media seems to be talking about the effect of releasing pictures of on the tortured. I really wonder what is wrong with the world when we try to seek out Justice for victims, which is what I assume the ACLU wants, since they are trying to ensure that everyone knows how widespread torture was, and in doing so, insist on the release of photos of them in their most vulnerable place. We re-traumatize the survivors of torture, and their families, when we release these photos for general consumption. I was just as horrified as the next person when the photos of the Abu Ghraib photos came out; however, I feel that I was just as bothered by what the media did to these people, in showing the world pictures of nude prisoners. No one seems to be asking if the prisoner's want this. No one seems to be asking if the prisoner's are giving permission for photos of them being tortured to be released to the whole world. Without those consents, how can we freely distribute these photos? How can we not think that we are forcing every victim of torture to relive that trauma by this? In general, the media acts like it has rights to photograph anything and publish these pictures widely. I do not believe this. I believe that victims of crimes have the right to remain anonymous. fuzzing just someone's head and genital area does not turn the phot anonymous. For those that know that body well, for mothers, fathers, spouses, maybe even siblings, they will recognize their kin. For those who we have already victimized, we threaten to do it again, and expect no consequences. If someone one had kidnapped me, stripped me, and tortured me, then threatened to publish photos of that happening, so that I could never escape the trauma, I would seriously consider going after that person and destroying those photos. If the person who had done this was a government, if the people considering disseminating the photos were a government, I would go after whichever citizenry I could find, whether they be innocent or guilty.

I cannot support the release of these photos to the public at large. I think that any person that views these photos for entertainment (that is what it is) is just as guilty of standing in that room, or maybe more so, because they were not doing it because ordered to. Get justice without causing further injustice. If you care so much about the torture these people suffered, go and ensure they are receiving support in returning to their former lives, don't retraumatize them in their name.

I also must say that I would feel differently if action wasn't already being taken to say, yeah there was torture, and it was awful. It never should have happened, and let us make it harder for it to happen again. Things are changing. Punishing someone socially isolated for following the orders of their superiors is not going to help. Re-educating those on the lower rungs, and ensuring that they get the treatment they need to come to terms with what they did without accepting the normalcy of their actions, that is important. Putting them in jail...not helpful. And bloody expensive.

dear people who have social skills,

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:30:58 GMT

What does it mean when someone you don't know initiates the following conversation (in karate class):
her: How much do you weigh?
(me thinking: uh...where did that come from?)
Me: 130
her: oh. You're perfect. I just want you to know you are perfect.
me: uh...thank you?

What was she trying to say?

Is this only upsetting because of flashback trauma of when I really was thin, and people (family) said things to me regarding my lack of weight in such ways that made me feel incredibly ashamed of the fact that I didn't look like them?* How was I supposed to react to that? Was I supposed to apologize? I felt like apologizing. Would you feel offended if someone asked you your weight without context?

*I realize that some people, like those in my family, would take offense that I even suggest that I wasn't happy weighing 100 lbs, but I would have been happy being whatever, or at least, not cared, if I hadn't been taught that being thin is something mean that you intentionally do to other people to hurt them. And that if you really loved them, you would be really heavy and weigh more than they did. Therefore, thin people are bad, evil people who only care about themselves. How can you be happy when you are evil?

Asberger Quotient

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:08:51 GMT

A lot of conversations about this have cropped up lately, so I am linking to this...

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aqtest.html take this test...and see where you fall...(I fall at 38)
More information at:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/k872618310261272/
the complete article at:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/334226/The-AutismSpectrum-Quotient-AQ-evidence-from-Asperger-Syndromehighfunctioning-autism-males-and-females-scientists-and-mathematicians

It isn't perfect, as it is self-administered; however, it might provide you with a better idea about the diverse characteristics at this end of the spectrum. It also supports Chris' statement that Asberger's is an extreme form of the "Male Brain."

If you score higher than a 32, don't worry, the only reason you need to rush out and get the diagnosis confirmed is if you feel that these characteristics are interferring in your life in some negative, detrimental, or damaging way and want your insurance company to cover treatment.

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:34:32 GMT

The Senate finally transmitted the bills that restore human service cuts to the Governor. Please contact the Governor's office as soon as possible and provide this message:

Please sign SB 790 and SB 1103 as soon as possible. It is imperative that you act quickly to restore vital human services to DCFS and DHS. (state parks and CTA)

Be prepared to provide your name, phone number, and agency.

If the Governor's staff have any questions about the bills, you can provide them with the CCAI phone number: 217-528-4409 or 312-819-1950.

Contact the Governor's office at either number:

Chicago: 312-814-2121

Springfield: 217-782-6830

Act today!! (it is urgent)

IL State Budget

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 03:55:20 GMT

Hi Everyone!

Just an update:

The House had already passed the funds sweeps that would save many jobs.
The Senate has now passed it, but has refused to pass it to the governor.
The Governor may not sign it and has already indicated that he thinks there are many problems with the new, balanced, budget.

Because a budget is effective as of July 1 of each new year, not having a budget until after October means that money spent for the last few months by agencies, DCFS, etc is 'lost.'

SOC, the supportive services that prevent multiple placements that tend to lead to 'broken' adults, were affected a great deal. about 8 people had to leave the agency. 4 resigned, and 7 were laid off. 3 of the seven who were laid off were offered other positions within the agency.

I was one of those who were laid off and offered another position. I am now a case manager in specialized foster care working with kids with severe behavioral or emotional disorders. This is one of my favorite populations to work with. So I am okay with that part. However, now I have to drive 20 miles more each way to get to work than I did previously. That isn't so fun. We have windows in my new office. That is nice. I have two clients currently in Oak Park. That is nice. uh, I only have 10 clients, as opposed to 50. I have to do more for each client, but I have less stories to keep track of. I will also only be given new clients approx once a year, so much much less trauma in general. In other words, my vicarious trauma will shrink drastically. I am looking forward to that, as I was having difficulty being okay with it all.

So, there are good things, for me, about this situation. However, there are still kids out there who have gotten a rotten deal. It costs more to specialize a child than it does to provide short-term SOC services. Therefore, it is still important to let Mr. Blagojevich know that this is an important issue. If you can, please continue to petition him.

Thank you, as always!

another sample letter

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:10:46 GMT

Dear Senator,

My name is . It has recently come to my attention that the DCFS budget has been cut by 70 million dollars and that these cuts will affect the services that are being provided to at risk youth residing in foster care. Specifically, the System of Care contract has been reduced dramatically.

The System of Care program is a vital program which helps break the cycle of failed foster care placements. A large body of evidence links foster placement disruption to problems with delinquency, substance abuse, emotional and behavioral problems as well as poor academic performance. The System of Care approach has demonstrated its effectiveness in addressing the needs of children with serious emotional and behavioral problems, in reducing juvenile justice involvement and placement disruptions.

I have been looking for more information on these budget cuts and I am concerned by what I have found. Evidence supports that these services are beneficial in assisting children who have experienced trauma reach competency. Instead, I hear that funding is being cut and that this cut will negatively impact the services available to these children. I am concerned about politicians who are able to say that they recognize the impact of trauma on children and that they are aware that a solution lies in a community effort to support these children, but who are not able to back those words up with funding. I appreciate that there are many programs out there that need funding. However, making smaller cuts in more areas will make the impact on our most vulnerable populations less than to take 70 million dollars away from children who are not able to protest.

Recently the House of Representatives vetoed Governor Blagojevich’s budget cuts. It is scheduled to appear before the Senate in November. However, I feel that this is an important issue. The children and families cannot wait. I urge you to veto the budget cuts when it comes before the Senate. More than that, I petition you to do all in your power to attend to this issue with the urgency it deserves and request that Senator Jones calls the matter forward as soon as possible.

I appreciate the need for a balanced budget, and I appreciate the need for cuts in these difficult economic times. However, I am concerned about a system that cuts funding to our future. We know that children who have experienced trauma and who are now involved with DCFS are significantly more likely to drop out of school, engage in criminal acts, have children at an early age, and re-abuse their children in the future. By cutting funding to an agency that has a record of reducing these likelihoods, we are increasing the amount that we will have to pay in the future. This, I cannot appreciate. It may seem smart now, but let us not be penny wise and pound-foolish. Let us be penny wise and pound smart.

Thank you for your time,

NAME
ADDRESS

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:08:36 GMT

Hi all - below you will find a link to the contact information for each of the Il Senators. Also attached is a forwarded email, action alert, from the Child Care Association of Il. It's a little thick - but if you scroll down to the section that talks about "Act today - shift focus to the Senate, and Here is the Message for the Senate" about mid way through the text, you'll get a fair idea of what to say when you leave messages or talk to staffers when you call senator's offices. The key things to keep in mind: Let them know that constituents in their district will be directly and immediately impacted by these DCFS budget cuts. Families, children, and staff will greatly suffer, across the board, in the immediate future if funding is not restored. Now that the IL House has vetoed the Governor's budget cuts, you are urging the Senators to vote in favor of restoring DCFS funding. When you open the below link - you want to do a search within the legislative district for your state senator. Once you open that link - you can search via your address (or your placement site's address) by hitting the "by address" tab. You'll then see all the elected officials within your district. The IL senator link will then connect you to their contact info: You should call their in-disrtict number, as well as their Springfield number. http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/SelectSearchType.aspx?NavLink=1 Subject: HUMAN SERVICE CUTS RESTORED BY HOUSE---CONTACT SENATORS NOW!! CHILD CARE ASSOCIATION OF ILLINOISSTATE BUDGET ALERTTO: CCAI CEOs/Executive Directors, Policy CommitteeFROM: Marge Berglind DATE: September 11, 2008 RE: Victory Over Human Service Cuts in HouseMore Work To DoFocus Shifts to Senate Act Today!! Victory Over Human Service Cuts in HouseThe Illinois House last evening approved a Fund Sweeps package that will serve to restore many of the DCFS, DHS State Parks and Constitutional Officer cuts made recently by the Governor. The House Approved Three Measures: Approval of a Spending Plan based on the Fund Sweeps to restore cuts and reductions made by the Governor, valued at $218,137,864 Approval of a Fund Sweep totaling $221,500,000 Approval of a 3rd General Revenue bill that restores many of the state agency cutbacks, valued at more than $655,000,000 The VICTORY is the good news that the House approved restoration of many human service cuts. CCAI members worked hard with staff and our contract lobbyist to make the impact of the cuts on our clients and agencies well known to House leadership and representatives. During the House hearing on the fund sweeps concept and spending plan, the committee chair specifically requested that CCAI CEO Marge Berglind provide testimony on behalf of the human service sector on the necessity of the fund sweeps for all human services (and we were honored to do it!) For DCFS , the bills restore $14,871,200 targeted for private agency foster care cuts (this would include recent SOC cuts that are funded from Foster Care), $5,446,800 targeted for SASS cuts and $8,100,000 to prevent DCFS staff layoffs. For DHS, the bills restore Drug and Alcohol treatment cuts and restores youth service and ICG lines to ’08 levels. (See specific DHS information below.) The unfortunate news is that any new spending originally appropriated in the ’09 budget was not included in the fund sweeps. Any cuts made to lines that were actually increased in ’09 also were not restored. The intent of the fund sweeps was to restore human service budgets to ’08 levels (remember that DHS and DCFS basic budget were maintenance and had few increases for ’09). Additionally, the General Assembly has no authority over the Governor in his exercise of withholding allocated funds in reserve as a management tool. Although the House is well aware of the impact on agencies of the reserves already levied by DHS and on the table for DCFS, they are not legislatively able to confront that problem. Unfortunately, the $5 million in additional funds targeted for foster parent increases was not included. Several new DHS-funded initiatives were also not included. Reserves to programs are still on the table. The Fund Sweeps concept involves review of more than 300 funds specifically held in the State Treasury for special use. These involve funds as diverse in scope and size as the Whistleblower Reward and Protection Fund with $8,250,000 extracted for sweeps to the State Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Fund, with $500,000 extracted for sweeps. They are primarily funded from specifically earmarked revenue or fee sources. Sweeps are not intended to reduce the value of each fund to zero. The value extracted from each fund depends on excess funding as well as projections for use. The third bill passed restores an additional $10,380,500 to DCFS to prevent staff reductions, and an additional $6,621,100 to DHS to prevent staff reductions and $20 million for intermediate care and alternative community placements. This bill also contains huge amounts to fund various health programs, much of which can be matched with federal funds. This is a general revenue bill that the House characterizes as giving the Controller additional spending authority and giving the Governor a message that no further cuts can be squeezed in service budgets. More Work To DoYesterday’s victory in the House via the funds sweeps and cuts restoration is STEP ONE of a multi-step process to getting cuts restored. The Senate must approve the three measures. The Governor will then determine how to respond to what the General Assembly has done. Until all those steps are finalized, the cuts and reductions continue. DCFS cuts-to-date total $21,219,715 in private agency and university programs and $17,145,170 in DCFS staff cuts. There is also loss of some Medicaid funds due to these cuts in the amount of $2,320,100. There is a cut of $5 million in foster parent increases. This totals more than $45 million targeted for cuts in DCFS. All CCAI members are strongly encouraged to advocate for restoration of the cuts, whether or not you have a program that has currently been eliminated or reduced. Cuts to the SOC program are going to have direct impact on all foster care programs’ abilities to stabilize children and on the available services for children transitioning out of residential into foster care. Cuts to support services to kids such as mentoring will have detrimental impacts. Cuts to the University research and support grants will slow our sector’s progress in pursuing change that truly helps kids and families. Cuts to the DCFS system will affect the children served in residential, independent living, foster care, counseling, Intact Families and adoption support in one way or another. Negative impacts on those children will impact your agency’s program outcomes. We all need to act now. CCAI members have not yet received the BRUNT of DCFS RESERVES that could be made according to the Governor’s directives. DCFS is directed to hold back spending in the amount of $25,947,970 in addition to the $45 million in cuts and reductions. DHS providers, including many CCAI members have already received contract amendments holding back more than 3% of your contracts. A reserve is the equivalent of another cut since there is no guarantee you will get that money. DHS substance abuse and mental health cuts are massive Cuts and reductions in those programs will have a direct impact on all the families and children you serve in any program. Focus Shifts Now to SenateAct TodayWe must work to convince the Senate to approve the funds sweep packages. We urge all CCAI members to activate your board, your staff, your donors, your volunteers, your foster parents and your young adults to contact all members of the Senate who serve districts in which you have programs. Here is the message for the Senate: Inform the Senate that the House approved a Funds Sweep package that restores more than $218 million in cuts to vital human services made by the Governor Ask the Senate to address this same Funds Sweeps package as soon as possible Urge them to ask Senate Leadership to accept the House actions to restore human services funding as soon as possible Talk specifically about the cuts to your programs, and the cuts to the overall DCFS and DHS budgets and how these will cause harm to children and families Follow-up with our House members to thank them for voting to restore human service cuts (this one vote received unanimous approval from all House members.) The longer it takes for the Senate to act on the sweeps package, the longer the cuts linger in our state agencies.ACT TODAY!!! Please keep CCAI staff advised of your progress and alert us to any areas of concern as you talk with Senators. Use the materials on our web site to help you plan your discussions with Senators. (www.cca-il.org BUDGET IMPASSE) DHS RestorationsSome prevention and youth programs not included in the restoration bill were Healthy Families, Redeploy and Parents Too Soon. With the Governor's reduction vetoes they still remained above the FY'08 funding level for those programs and would see an increase above the FY'08 funding level. The following lines were restored to the FY'08 levels. Mental HealthIndividual Care Grants for Mental Health – Restore $562,300 to $28,112,800 Children’s Mental Health Partnership – Restore $60,000 to $3,000,000 MH Community Grants Line – Restore $2,660,700 to $231,036,600 Mental Health Children & Adolescent - Restore $739,500 to $36,975,400 Addiction TreatmentCommunity Based Addiction Treatment Services – Restore $43,399,900 to $86,599,750 Addiction Treatment for Special Populations – Restore $9,057,400 to $9,057,400 Youth Services After School Programs (Teen REACH) – Restore $382,300 to $19,114,800 Teen Parent Services – Restore $143,300 to $7,163,900 Community Services – Restore $139,900 to $6,993,600 Juvenile Justice Reform – Restore $75,400 $3,771,500 CCBYS – Restore $260,300 to $13,017,200 UDIS – Restore $61,600 to $3,080,800 Delinquency Prevention – Restore $31,600 to $1,579,300 Homeless Youth Services – Restore $95,000 to $4,747,700

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:08:15 GMT

Hi All,

If you are interested in calling the President of the Senate to encourage him to call the Senate to the floor before November 12th, here is the contact information. Just inform the person answering the phone that you are calling from Chicago and calling regarding the DCFS budget and would like for it to be called before November 12th. They will mark you down as another person requesting this to occur.

Senator Emil Jones Jr. (D)
14th District
President of the Senate

Springfield Office:

Senator 14th District

327 Capitol Building

Springfield, IL 62706

(217) 782-2728

letter to congress

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:06:24 GMT

If you go to http://www.naswil.org/advocacy.htm you will see two links on the lower right-hand side of the screen (after you scroll down) the top will take you to USPS so that you can find your zipcode plus 4 to supply at the second link, or go to www.vote-smart.org and enter your zip+4 to find your state senator. The state House has already vetoed the bill. Read the following letter, please, it contains some more information:

Dear Congressperson,

My name is ________________. I am a _______. I have chosen to write this letter because _______. It is my understanding that the DCFS budget has been cut by 70 million dollars this year and that these cuts will affect the services that social workers will be able to provide and the jobs that will be available to assist children and adults in need.

I have been looking for more information on these budget cuts and I am concerned by what I have found. I have been aware for some time that comprehensive services are needed in order to assist children who have experienced trauma reach competency. Instead, I hear that funding is being cut and that this cut will negatively impact the services available to clients. I am concerned about politicians who are able to say that they recognize the impact of trauma on children and that they are aware that a solution lies in a community effort to support these children, but who are not able to back those words up with funding. I appreciate that there are many programs out there that need funding. However, making smaller cuts in more areas will make the impact on our most vulnerable populations less than taking 70 million dollars away from children who are not able to protest.

Recently the House of Representatives vetoed Governor Blagojevich’s budget cuts. It is scheduled to appear before the Senate in November. However, I feel that this is an important issue. The children and families I serve cannot wait. I urge you to veto the budget cuts when it comes before the senate. More than that, I petition you to do all in your power to attend to this issue with the urgency it deserves and request that Senator Jones calls the matter forward as soon as possible.

I appreciate the need for a balanced budget, and I appreciate the need for cuts in these difficult economic times. However, I am concerned about a system that cuts funding to our future. We know that children who have experienced trauma and who are now in DCFS are significantly more likely to drop out of school, engage in criminal acts, have children at an early age, and re-abuse their children in the future. By cutting funding to an agency that has a record of reducing these liklihoods, we are increasing the amount that we will have to pay in the future. This, I cannot appreciate. It may seem smart now, but let us not be penny wise and pound-foolish. Let us be penny wise and pound smart.

Thank you for your time,
name
address

Please also write Mr. Jones requesting that he move the timeline for hearing this issue up. Disrupting services for two months before reinstating them is ridiculous.

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:22:26 GMT

Recently, our state senate/house of representatives attempted to pass a balanced budget. They failed. Blagojevich, our Governor, decided to cut certain areas in the budget, with no explanation, and with little regard to the consequences. Lately, he has done some ridiculous things that most Illini should be distressed over. If you use CTA, you will face increased fares so that one of America's richest sections of the population can receive free rides, not subsidized, but free. When managers at CTA explained that their already large deficit due to increased gas prices couldn't handle his program, he responded with a "stop whining, and manage things better." Okay, I think that elderly people deserve some care by the rest of society. I do not think that they deserve benefits above and beyond what we are able to provide ourselves or our children. Most people who use the CTA system are not well-off, and are the ones least able to support this area of the population. And unless we can find a way to blame the CTA for the current economic and oil 'crisis' we cannot say that it is all CTA's fault and that adding this program will have no great affect.

The first sign of trouble came a while ago when I read an op-ed piece that our state congress people had voted themselves a 10% raise for the second year in a row. The writer was upset, but I defended the congress people. Next came the announcement at work that until our congress passed a balanced budget, there would be a hiring freeze on an already strapped staff. In other words, we were getting an influx of clients, but did not have the staff to support the clients. Then this article was forwarded by the NASWIL (national association of social workers, IL): http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2008/08/dcfs-takes-hit.html In case you didn't take the time to read it, it states that there has been a massive budget cut in DCFS due to congress not passing a balanced budget and Blagojevich taking a whack at some random cuts.

I have been thinking for a long time that we need more educated workers who have better qualifications and are better compensated in order to provide the level of services that foster kids need in order to grow up and have kids that don't end up in foster care. (I feel that this is important, as it is the main way to decrease the amount of kids that need foster care in the future). The fact is that we started this. In the past, churches, rich debutantes with nothing better to do, and other 'volunteers' took charge of these children and assured them a future. Accidents happened, and laws that protected the rights of animals were stretched to cover the rights of children. In other words, untrained debutantes dabbling in social work made mistakes and didn't/couldn't save all the kids. They missed some. PETA took up the mantle and sued parents for maltreatment of their kids under laws that protected animals from cruelty. (Sad that we created laws for animals before children.) anyway, regulations ensued, and private church and community based agencies gradually became funded and regulated by the state. To where we are now, yeah, they aren't the state's kids, and some shouldn't have been taken anyway, but they were. And now we have them, and we have traumatized them (hopefully less than their parents did), and we have an obligation to ensure their health and well being.

I ask you to do this because we have an obligation to these children, because they are smart, and resilient, and incredible, and wounded, and because if we don't, we will have to face the consequence of growing numbers of kids in the system and in jail because there wasn't anyone there to look after them. Please, please write your local representatives and Blagojevich and tell them that this is not the way. Tell them that if they want to make this agency smaller, that is fine, but they need to do it in a way that provides for these kids, in a way that ensures that these kids' needs are met. You have until November. I'll provide, in a few days, a link to a site that will help you determine your local representatives if you don't already know them. I'll also write a letter to the representatives, you can use it is a form if it will make it easier for you, or you can write your own. I'll even write one that fits your beliefs if you outline them for me (as long as it requests that funding is re-evaluated so that the most vulnerable populations are not taken advantage of and left in the cold in exchange for funding for pet projects). Please consider this.

I can't help them without funding, and I can't get funding without you. I realize I am asking you to save my job, but please know that my job is to ensure that we don't have to support these kids for the rest of their lives while they languish in jail, have their kids enter the system, become indigent, or spend their adult lives voluntarily committed to a psychiatric residential center. These results, these consequences of child abuse, can only be avoided through appropriate care and treatment of trauma in children and the adults who should be caring for them.

And, while I am asking, don't you want to be a foster parent? You would make a great one!

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks!

Mon, 12 May 2008 01:00:32 GMT

I was recently asked what I do, or what a typical work day for me looks like. the technical stuff is at the top and the not so technical stuff is closer to the bottom...so skip ahead if you are bored...or not interested.

My job title is Social Service Worker...which means very little actually. I work in Systems of Care at a Purchase of Service agency. Which probably also means very little. It didn't really mean a lot to me until I started working there either. The Illinois state agency that is primarily responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse and caring for children who are removed from their care. In chicago much of the work after the investigation is contracted to POS agencies, or purchase of service agencies. These agencies provide services that include foster care, residential, group homes, SOC, therapy, tutoring, transitional/independent living programs and assistance for dependent adults. Kaleidoscope, the agency that I work for provides services to transitioning teens (17+ year olds who are learning to live on their own before they turn 21), to specialized foster children (children of all ages who have more needs than can be met through traditional foster care), System of care ("emergency" services designed to prevent foster placements from disrupting).

System of care is set up in teams. On each team, there are three family workers (BA or BS), one Social Service Worker (MA, MS, or MSW), and a supervisor. as mentioned above, I am the SSW. My job is to meet the client for an initial assessment (usually 30 -60 minutes), get a comprehensive/graphic history of the client (a written document) from the caseworker and use that information to write an individual plan of care.

So, know that you have a basic understanding of the set up of the system...what I actually do. I read the history of abuse and neglect. I hit these mental walls "really? I just thought they made that kind of thing up for training" or "how could someone..." or "wow, this parent experienced a lot of trauma." I sit in this nicely furnished room and read real stories about people who have experienced everything from rape to their parent forcing them to rape their siblings. They witness people getting beaten to death, they walk to the store and the adult that they are with and watch that adult instigate fights with other people in the community. They are locked in rooms, closets, or apartments for days, months at a time. Sometimes 10 year olds are left in charge of four or five or more younger siblings and are brought into the system after the police come to their house to arrest them for theft. Most of the time the parents are on drugs or are clinically mentally ill. Most of the parents experienced stuff worse than their kids...by some standards you would say that they are giving their children better lives. The fact is that most of these things are common enough that none of it is identifying.

So the goal, of course is to make sure that they are stable in their current foster placement. We are supposed to be a short term service. 3-6 months. some cases are that short. We don't always meet our goal though. Sometimes we even petition the agencies to ask for different placements because the ones that the kid is in is not good. I write reports and attend meetings. I occasionally see kids...at least 20 hours a month. My goal, though, is to try to prevent any one kid from having to be in more than one foster placement before they are returned home/adopted. It really doesn't happen all that often.

So that is what I do...kinda. I can't really give too many details. Sometimes things that happen do bother me a great deal, and I post about those things. Mostly though they just make me think about me or some journal article that I read or some news report and that makes me want to post.

memorial Day weekend

Sun, 04 May 2008 17:58:29 GMT

I have made a reservation for 6 people at http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/6680.htm .
we must rent canoes for this. canoes are $35-$45 per day, I think. for the whole weekend, the site cost $30.00.
We can add on another site if someone lets us know soon. You don't have to stay the whole weekend if you don't want to. We will be there from Friday night to Monday afternoon maybe. If someone wants to be the extra people Friday and Saturday, and someone else wants to be extra on Saturday/Sunday, that should be possible. As long as we (Ed and I) stay the same it should be ok. It claims to be 2 hours away...and have river canoe-ing fun!

Fri, 02 May 2008 18:54:27 GMT

From a coworker, who happens to have the same client that I do.

"I was wondering if any of you could help me out. I have a client that is in need of a prom dress. We are fearful that it is too late for the Glass Slipper, so I wanted to see if any of you have any old prom or bridesmaid dresses that might work for her to borrow—or keep if you are trying to get rid of it anyway! The difficult thing is that this client is very short—probably somewhere between 4’10-5’0” tall—but she is busty on top, so it might be difficult to fit her. If you have anything that you think might work, or you would not care if it was altered please let me know. Then if you could have it to me by next Thursday, May 8th, I would appreciate it. The more she has to choose from, the better!"

Let me know if you have anything...please?

Fri, 02 May 2008 16:35:51 GMT

anyone interested in camping Memorial day? Does anyone believe that we can still reserve a site?

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:46:50 GMT

I am an orange belt. Which is only one above white...but still cool.

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:58:44 GMT

What is a split infinitive and why is it bad? "to physically harm" is an example. Why shouldn't I do this? How else might I say things like this?

LGBTQ

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:37:10 GMT

outline:
1. labels and words
2. "choices"
3. development (mine)
b. development continued
4. help. My appeal to you.

1. so, I've never really understood the sex thing...I mean, what is the big deal? and part of me for a great deal of my life rejected knowing about it, like it was Wrong or something. So the only class at my college in my major that I did not take was human sexuality. I learned a little in other classes, and managed it ok, but I didn't like it. I learned about general 'normal' sexual development and I learned about the research about 'causes' of homosexuality...specifically in men. this kinda says that our society is more concerned about why men are homosexual than why woman are. which brings up another confusion. as much as I can play that "Dirty Minds" game and only imagine the real answer and can't fathom what other possible meaning the other things have, I have no idea how to talk about this. I don't know what words are offensive, or acceptable, or desired. I am pretty sure that there are probably different factions within the same group, but I don't even know where to start to say, "what terms do you like to use when talking about this?" cause I wouldn't be able to describe 'this' with another word. I am not comfortable talking with male clients about relations with female peers. I am not comfortable talking with female clients about relations with male peers. So why do I feel so awful and like I am being discriminatory because I don't know how to talk to females about their relationships with females or males about their relationships with males? I don't really understand why people would be attracted to members of the same sex. But I am not sure I understand why people are attracted to members of the opposite sex either. That whole stars and bells thing seems completely ridiculous to me (more like someone made it up...kinda like childbirth). But I can see how it could happen. so this isn't about whether it is a real construct or a made up construct. Because in the end, it doesn't matter what I believe about whether it is right or wrong, or real or fake. All that matters is what any given person's subjective experience is. and me being able to have a conversation about it that is respectful of their feelings and thoughts while encouraging them to explore those thoughts and ideas and come to a conclusion that they can live with.

2. I am pretty sure that I do not think that it is a choice someone makes. I am pretty sure that, if given a choice, most people would choose to be happy and normal. Most people do not make 'choices' that lead to ostracizing their family. especially not when they care about that family. Most people do not choose to die cause of a choice, not unless they don't believe that there is a choice. Most people do not choose to be hated when they could be well-liked. Most people don't have nightmares that one day all their friends will wake up and realize who/what they are and abandon them because of a 'choice' they made. So, no, I don't think it is a choice. I don't think it is about people seeking attention, or trying to fit in, or wanting a hard life. Because being LGBTQ ain't easy, doesn't get you the right attention, doesn't help you fit in (has the opposite effect really), and who in their right mind wants to make their life harder? and if the 'cause' is genetic/biological...then why don't you ask why someone with cancer doesn't just get over it, ask why someone with Down Syndrome just be normal, ask why someone with blue eyes doesn't just decide to have black eyes, or ask why someone born with a birthmark that covers 90% of their face choose to do that to themselves. All things considered, I'll choose to believe that people are reasonable.

3. So I totally get that I am in the "ew, gross" stage of sexual development, the pre-teen stage where "sexual" acts (pre-teens hug and 'kiss' but don't understand that these things lead to sex unless they have been shown this by older/more developed peers/perps) are engaged in without a real understanding of the meaning behind them. I am stuck there...and am terrified of moving forward. I am fine with that. there is a great sex-therapy clinic less than 15 minutes away. I could go there any time and insurance would cover it. and I would learn to be comfortable with sex and my body and other people's bodies. and other people having bodies and genders and biological sexes.

3B. I don't think that I will ever be in the "oh, let's make crude jokes and show how 'grown-up' we are" stage of sexual development (teens). I'll skip over that one and slide right into the "I am grown-up, it is natural, and so get over it" stage. I hope. if only skipping developmental stages were that easy.

4. So, those of you who are, you know, LGBTQ, or know anything about this, or hey, those normal ones, without being jejune, please educate me. you don't have to be graphic, just tell me the words that you would've liked someone to say to you when you were solidly Q, or when you were like, you know, developing, or after so-and-so raped you, or whatever. you can post anonymously, or you can ask me not to make the comment public if you want me to not. right now all comments will be screened. really, I'll only unscreen them if you think what you have to say might be helpful to others. so let me know if you want them unscreened. thanks in advance for your help. From me and the people your words will help.

transitions parents forget to make

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:43:29 GMT

When children are young it is often important to stop them immediately from doing whatever it is that they are doing. This means that saying things like 'No! Stop! Don't!' are as much as a kid may get as to why they can't open the oven or pick up the scissors. Eventually this needs to change to 'No, you cannot go to the movies tonight because you skipped 5th period today'. Then this needs to transition to something like, 'tell me what you think I should say and why'. This part should continue with a conversation on why you do or do not agree with the kid. These shouldn't really be sudden transitions, and the more kids a person has the harder it is to make all of these transitions. Keeping track of where everyone is developmentally is hard and switching gears between kids/questions, and all within a few minutes is hard. But why is this transition so important? This is important because as a child grows, they spend more time outside of the direct purview of a caregiver. As they have more freedom to make decisions, they need to know how to make those decisions. How does an 8-year-old decide which candy-bar to spend their allowance on? How does a 16-year-old decide which peers make good friends? How does a 17-year-old decide which college is best? You teach them of course. And how you teach them to make decisions is how they will make them. If all they get is "no, and you know why' how can they know how to think and how to make a decision when someone asks them to sample a drug, or engage in a sexual act? So, if a kid sees/hears that you make decisions a certain way, like "I think that I will buy this brand of jeans cause they pay their workers a fair wage, and not that brand, because they use sweatshops." or whatever, they can learn how to be a 'responsible consumer'. Or they can just think you are silly. But either way, they learn that people do things for reasons, and that they might not be the reasons that initially occur to them.
The hardest part about parents transitioning at the right moment is recognizing the moment. And being willing to recognize that their kids are separate entities and that at some point you have to let go. This is hard because it goes against everything that we are as people. We want to be needed, and to do this letting go is to go against that need to be needed. For other parents, it really is part of that “I don’t have to explain myself to my kids.” Which, yeah, you don’t have to, but why wouldn’t you want your kids to learn to think (like you do)? I don't think that all parents ‘forget’, but this seems to be something that many parents forget that they need to do.

abuse

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 03:12:18 GMT

why do we hurt others in the way that we have been hurt? While some people are able to move past this and not inflict their hurt on others, the majority of people who suffer abuse/violence will re-enact the incident in different ways. Some people want someone else to inflict the violence on them, as if they feel as if they deserve to be treated that way. As if they can somehow feel better about what happened if they can repeat it over and over again in different ways. Others become perpetrators and act in the role of the dominant abuser. Both of these reactions are symptoms of PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Children will often use play as a method of acting out trauma. If a child is hit or sees someone get hit (both are equally traumatic) they will often take two dolls/stuffed animals and make them act out the scenario. With therapy kids can overcome this trauma and go on to have self-confidence, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. This means they are much less likely to perpetrate other offenses and that they are less likely to stay a victim for the rest of their lives. But what happens when they don't get to resolve the feelings associated with the trauma?

Adults who go off to war come back with PTSD and don't get treatment have difficulty staying focused, finding work, fitting back in to family life, and generally suffer understandably. However, adults can seek help. as long as other adults don't simply say 'suck it up.' like that helps... No matter what though, Kids can't get help by themselves. And there are worse things than death. When a child is beaten to death, they are at the end of their road. It is all over. But when they are beaten daily, weekly, re-traumatized over and over again, they live. What kind of life is that? With no resolution, children are abusing other children. Sexually abused males turn on their younger brothers and sisters and perpetrate the same crime that was committed on them.* Females who are emotionally and physically abused grow up and abuse their children.* Are they terrible people who want to cause pain in others? Or are they children still trying to process the original trauma and work through it? Are they people who have not yet begun to understand that they are a whole separate entity?** I don't believe the first, and I only empathize with the latter.

So what can be done to stop the cycle before it starts? because that costs less than playing catch-up. It costs more money, more time, more victims, more rights, and more energy. So when will we, as a society, move more towards prevention and away from clean-up?

*not specific cases/people/clients
** people are not born with this. a consistent, attuned caregiver is needed before people develop this knowledge and understanding.

posts with content.

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:16:33 GMT

I am planning on making some. the topics will include

abuse and it's cyclical nature
LGBTQ
development (whatever aspect strikes my fancy)
Emotional connections to abuse
sensory issues
rhetoric
transitions parents forget to make
psychosomatic illnesses and confusion on telling the difference between these and others
violence in chicago's schools
Gun control

I figured I'd let you know. so you won't be surprised. If you ever want to read my opinion/thoughts on a specific issue, let me know. though I figure that that might come after you read a few.

Why am I doing this, you might ask...well there are two big reasons. These are issues which confuse me and I figure talking about them will help me understand more through my thought processes and comments that others make. The other reason is that I can. I know I will sometimes sound clueless, cause I am. I hope those of you who know more than I will be willing to assist me in figuring those things out. If you want to...

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 15:17:44 GMT

catalogchoice.org seems like a great way to cut down on the clutter, the trips to the recycling bin, and help the environment...theoretically. It is like this one place that you can go to that lets you stop many of your catalogs. It sounds neat. I just started today, so we'll see if it works and how long it takes.