I did my first mandatory report to DHS today. One of my clients has been absent for the last two days, allegedly home sick. But when he returned today, he had an obvious physical injury - that was NOT caused by what the guardian claimed.
The client told us this story about getting high and drunk with his cousins and guardians over the weekend, and blacked out. When he awoke he had the injury, not sure how it occurred. He spoke of being encouraged to use OTC's recreationally by his guardian, who also further enabled him by purchasing him booze.
DHS said they would look at it in the morning and see if it warranted a caseworker.
My supervisor then told me about 2 kids he reported on last year who directly said that their mother was physically abusing them, and they had visible signs of abuse. DHS did nothing.
What's the point of reporting if nothing happens? I know the system is broken, but can I really make a change on a micro level if the macro and mezzo levels of the system aren't doing their part??
No comments:
Post a Comment