This Week and Every Week: Thank You!

Child welfare work often feels like a thankless job. We can get so caught up in the day-to-day deluge of work that we don’t always pause to recognize good work when it is happening. There’s just so much work, and so many challenges, that taking the time to reflect on how much good is actually done, every single day, can seem impossible. And so often, when others do see our work—when society shines a spotlight on child welfare—it is usually because a tragedy has happened, and with that witnessing of our work comes judgment, criticism and condemnation rather than acknowledgement, gratitude and celebration.

And so, during Child Welfare Worker Appreciation Week, I want to say: at UC Davis Human Services, we see you.

Whether you are a social worker, supervisor, manager, deputy or assistant director, director, or support staff working for child welfare, we see you and the incredible work you do every day.

We see the impact of your compassion in giving a parent a second chance to receive services with another child, recognizing that past practice may not have given them the support they needed to be successful.

We see you working three extra hours during your on-call shift to place a child with a relative instead of in the home of a stranger, knowing that 70% of children whose first placement is with a relative will never need another placement.

We see you spending extra time to connect with that “difficult” youth who, seemingly by magic, becomes not-so-difficult once you’ve created trust and they feel safe to tell you what’s actually going on.

We see you providing family time coaching to a parent who no one thought would be successful, but who blossomed with your loving support to have positive visits with their kids, building their confidence to complete their case plan and have their kids come home.

We see you as a supervisor, working countless hours but still making time every week to meet with each person on your team, so they feel heard and held in a safe, compassionate container to process the impact of the work.

We see you as a leader, seeking out the voices of your staff in decision-making, creating a climate of transparency and trust, addressing secondary trauma and striving to create a workplace culture that heals.

In the midst of so much stress and so much work, in the midst of some of the most difficult situations humanity faces, these little miracles happen every day, thanks to you.

You are brave, hardworking, kind.

You are creative, committed, compassionate.

Your work changes lives.

Your work changes the world.

You are a hero.

Yes, a hero.

As much as firefighters and health care providers and soldiers, you are a hero. Even though you may be exhausted and overwhelmed, every interaction you have is still the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. You make a difference every single day.

I hope you can take a moment to truly take that in and let it fill you up to help you keep going in the work, because the work needs you. Kids and families need you. Society needs you. And together, we can work to create a system that doesn’t deplete you, but fills you back up. You are the light this world needs, and we need you to keep shining.

We see you, we thank you and we celebrate you, during Child Welfare Worker Appreciation Week and every week.