Child Welfare Systems the Mission

Child Welfare Systems

The mission and purpose of the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services is to assure that children at risk of abuse or neglect are protected and nurtured within a family and with the support of the community. Please explain what this statement means to you and how you will uphold it in the position of a Social Worker III.

The Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services Mission Statement encapsulates the most fundamental responsibilities of social work in general and of social work in the realm of child abuse prevention and rescue in particular. As a Social Worker III, I recognize that my primary obligation is to contribute to the best of my ability to the welfare and safety of all program beneficiaries, especially children living in problematic environments. In that regard, one of the most important concepts is limiting any unintended negative consequences from any decisions implemented by the department on behalf of beneficiaries. Above all else, I intend to honor the same oath traditionally applied to medical professionals: do no harm.

2. Pleas explain what you believe the role of a Social Worker III is and describe the job responsibilities and task that that you will be performing in this position.

The primary role of a Social Worker III employed in the field of child welfare services is to minimize the detrimental impact of less-than-optimal family and other social environments on children in those environments. More generally, social workers in this field must also be committed to benefiting families as well as to the communities outside the family. In my capacity in social work of this nature, I recognize the fundamental importance of my various roles. They include identifying at-risk children and families and initiating the most beneficial appropriate interventions at the earliest possible stage to minimize both the long and short-term negative consequences of problematic circumstances in families and communities.

The principal tasks that I will be performing in that regard will be: conducting initial interviews in conjunction with assessments of need for services, participating in the team decision-making process to identify the most beneficial interventions, and helping to implement those decisions and facilitate those interventions. In general, my contribution will always be within the conceptual framework of making the most beneficial changes possible for all of the children, families, and communities that I serve and of minimizing any conceivable harm capable of being caused by social work interventions.

3. The Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services believes all families and children should have a voice in the decisions that are made about them. To that end, we utilize the Team Decision-Making approach. Please describe this methodology and its major components.