Caseworkers for Ohio’s public children services agencies strive every day to protect children from abuse and neglect, stabilize families in crisis and improve the well-being of youth in foster care by seeking permanent homes. That’s why I was shocked to learn that staff at Allen County Children Services had their homes vandalized and their families threatened as a result of a campaign against the agency’s decision to place a child with relatives.
Emotions understandably run high over child protection cases, but threats against the safety of agency staff who are simply doing their job are unacceptable.
According to a 10-year analysis by Public Children Services Association of Ohio, such threats have been all too common since a Franklin County caseworker was murdered during a home visit in 2001. Most safety threats against caseworkers occur during custody discussions and initial assessments, and take the form of verbal/written threats and verbal aggression.
While pushback against agency decisions is common, the public often does not understand that caseworker actions are carefully dictated by state and federal law – such as the requirement that we make reasonable efforts to reunite a child with parents or place with kin before making the child available for adoption. Moreover, custody decisions are overseen, ordered and enforced by the county juvenile court with jurisdiction over the child.
Each May, we recognize foster parents for their selfless service to children who, through no fault of their own, must enter foster care. During this National Foster Care Month, we extend our sincerest gratitude to the countless foster caregivers who must complete rigorous training and background checks, welcome children into their homes in the middle of the night and work with biological parents toward reunification. They do all of this for very little compensation or public recognition. Even when foster caregivers disagree with agency decisions, we must work to resolve conflicts in a civil and peaceful manner. Vandalism, threats and violence are never acceptable.
— Angela Sausser, executive director, Public Children Services Association of Ohio
