I used to think that social workers were interfering and hopeless, but that was before I fully understood what their job entails. Unless they're all heartless robots, it must be so difficult for them to see children going through hell, not living the life that children should live and being harmed(emotionally and/or physically) in the place that they should be safest; their home.
When I was moved from living in Coventry with my mum, to Salisbury living with my auntie and two cousins, I was confused. I was sad to be away from my mum, but I never spoke to anyone about it; I didn't want to talk to my social worker, I barely knew them. I didn't want to speak to my auntie or cousins because I didn't know where to start, it was a confusing time for me to go through, I was only young and I had to deal with a situation that I don't believe any child should ever go through.
But that reality of the matter is that it does happen, and it happens much more than it should.
So what can we do? As the 'looked after children', we need to respect the social workers that we are given, we need to find out anything we want to know. The sooner you understand why you're in the situation that you're in, the sooner you can accept it. We can't let it ruin us, we need to take whatever's thrown at us, no matter how difficult, and let it shape us into a strong, independant person that can achieve anything they want despite their difficult background. We also need to understand that whatever the social workers do, they do it for our benefit, they won't ever try to make things more difficult than they already are. It took me a while to realise that but when I did, I was a lot more at ease in the presence of my social worker, I was a lot happier and I became more comfortable.
Before I understood all of what I've described in the previous paragraph, I always felt uneasy. I felt as if I'd go home from school one day and someone would be there with a packed suitcase waiting to take me back to Coventry. I moved several times so it took a long time to get rid of that feeling. That's really not a great feeling for anyone to go through, however it will happen to anyone in that situation, but it will pass. Sooner or later you'll feel at ease with yourself, your care worker, your carers as well as your parent/s. Trust me!
I also used to want to go back to Coventry, but now I've realised that being in Salisbury is what's best for me. I've grown so much as a person; from a young girl that never thought about the future, to a girl that can't wait to experience her life. I'm still unsure of where I consider my home, however this feeling just makes me more eager to discover it. I want to know and experience so much, but most of all I want to make a difference. I want to help as many people as I can and that's why I want a job in social care; I want to share my experiences and show people that just because you got hurt, doesn't mean it's time to give up.
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