Philosophy - ideas, concepts Boston Globe letter re DCF January 19, 2014 Phranque LETTERS | CHILD SERVICES BESET BY CHALLENGES Give DCF workers, families a voice to help right systemic wrongs JANUARY 19, 2014 I AM a social worker and a clinical supervisor in private practice. I see children and parents, some of whom are involved with the state Department of Children and Families. I also see social service workers, including people from DCF.The agency is staffed, for the most part, by caring, hard-working, and underappreciated people. The underfunded agency has an almost impossible mission. Problems, always present, become public when children die. But the problems persist, even when children don’t die.The press, politicians, and the public become interested when babies die. But thousands of families and those tasked with serving them struggle daily. Solutions usually seem like shuffling deck chairs, but not righting the ship. What might it take to really make a difference? Current bureaucratic responses, such as those that result in larger caseloads, or that set up yet another bureaucracy, fail to address the underlying problems or could create new problems. An alternative approach would be to actually talk to DCF workers and families. They see firsthand what works and what does not at a family-by-family level. Give them a voice. Set up a forum online for families and workers. Allow people to be anonymous. Organize the discussion. Make the forum public. Encourage participation. And address the underlying issues of poverty, lack of resources, and lack of education and skills. Otherwise, we can reshuffle the chairs and await the next dead child. Frank Kashner Salem