My favorite thing in the whole world is when I show up to a visit, have to wait half an hour while the social worker and mom talk in her office and then the social worker breezes into the waiting room, tells me she is letting them have a 4 hour visit instead of just 3 and then snaps at me when I say that I have other things to do today and that isn't going to work for me.
She did apologize when I came back but still, my day is not all about this visit. Is it too much to ask that I know what the plan is THE DAY BEFORE THE VISIT.
People are something else, everything is all about whatever they come up with that day.
Oh, and apparently, Lizzy's social worker that I just love so much apparently put in her two week notice. I would say that is a long over due move.
11 comments:
you need to inform her of your hourly wage...if it's anything like mine - that would be $1.60 an hour.
Do they have anyone who can help you with transportation for the visits? It's completely ridiculous for them to expect you to be able to be a chauffer service when you are trying to take care of three TODDLERS that THEY asked you to care for! Transportation has been one area where CPS HASN'T failed me or my kids. Being a single, working mom, they know immediately that they have to provide a transporter. You should push for it.
I know the feeling. That is one gripe I have with foster care. I often feel like I'm being treated like an employee and am expected to always change my schedule to suit whatever the caseworker wants. It can be very frustrating.
This is one of my biggest gripes with social workers / case managers. They (not all) often treat foster parents like babysitters or daycare providers. We are NOT. We are parents who care for these children 24/7, and we have other responsibilities beyond their whims. Just because she is overworked doesn't give her the right to NOT plan and screw up your day. Her lack of planning does not constitute your emergency!
Hope her replacement is much better and that two weeks will go fast!
the agency I go thru offers NO help with transportation, even if you need help. it is my problem.
Wow! We are licensed through the state of Texas and the State arranges and provides for the visits. Thankfully, we don't have to deal with birthfamilies directly.
P.s. I finally got you added to my blogroll!
Like Penelope said, I'm in Texas too, and the help that I get with transporting is through the State, rather than my agency. I have to request it in advance, because they generally do want the foster parents to transport if possible (unless it's a really touchy case). But the help is there if I need it.
I hate it when they do things like this. With Little Dude I would show up to visits and the Parent Aide would tell me the visit will be 2 hours. Umm. No. It's 1. "Well, she wants it to be 2." That's nice, but still no. As foster parents we have to stick up for ourselves. Once CPS moved the visits to 2 hours I stopped transporting. I have WAY too many little ones to be going back and forth all day long. I REALLY hope her replacement comes with common sense and a heart :)
That is crazy that you are required to drive her for visits! And that it is not a set thing, but the social worker can change it? So different than here. It seems that our workers here are much more focused on the child's needs, (thank goodness!) and make the parents jump through the hoops, rather than the foster parents. Which is how it should be! They are the ones who lost the kids in the first place! Ugh so frustrating for you!
My agency does not transport, but the State caseworker does. Same thing as an earlier commenter mentioned...they prefer for foster parents to transport, but being a single working mom, they know up front I will NOT take the placement unless they transport. (However, during the summers and school breaks, they do ask me to transport and I do when I can.) I would think that with as many young children as you have in the house, they would make some kind of accommodations for you :( Have you tried fighting them for a transporter since you got the other 2 new little ones? Wonder if that would change their outlook?
wow! I guess I am very fortunate. We don't have to provide any transportation.
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