We see you.
To the ones who are still doing investigations, on the front lines, going into homes, we see you and thank you for risking your health.
To the ones who are making hard decisions to remove a child for safety, knowing now that visitation is going to be extra difficult for the family, we see you.
For the ones who lie awake at night worried about the kids on their caseload and the health of the families they oversee, we see you.
To the ones who are driving to remote and rural areas to allow a mother to see her child over your computer screen for a visit, thank you for going the extra mile.
To the ones who are calling and calling trying to find a home to keep that sibling group together, we get it. Keep at it. We’ll keep helping you get more families certified.
To the ones who were cheering on that teenager on your caseload who finally got their first job a few months back and has now lost it, our hearts break too.
To the ones who are trying to speak life and hope into children who are scared, triggered, and traumatized right now, thank you. We know you must be giving yourselves the same pep talk as well.
To the ones who are heartbroken as they watch families who were doing so well, on the verge of reunification, fall apart from the stress and turn back to using substances, we acknowledge that pain and disappointment.
To the ones who run the child abuse hotline, who know that calls are down and worry about the abuse that is going unseen, we worry too.
To the ones who will wake up tomorrow and do whatever they can to help whichever children and families they can, thank you.
The children need you. The families need you. Thank you for everything you sacrifice to ensure their safety and success.
