American Social Work Organizations

Social Work
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Social work
Introduction
American social work organizations continue to be instrumental in protecting children from broken or vulnerable families. These include families where children encounter sexual or physical abuse, or parents are drug addicts. The social services help minimize the negative impact of such situations on their overall growth and development. The foster care system gives children from these disadvantaged backgrounds a chance to enjoy a better upbringing in a more positive and peaceful environment. However, despite the immense benefits these child protection services offer, many parents, particularly from minority groups such as African-Americans, have faced discrimination. These agencies have over the years together with the family courts that arbitrate the cases of child neglect to abuse have been criticized for promoting the unfair treatment of minority families. This paper uses the case study of Mercedes, who is an African American woman, and her children at the hands of the foster care system. The article reflects the treatment of Mercedes to highlight some of the weaknesses prevalent in the social welfare system. It then suggests some possible remedies to this situation.
Mission and goals of the agency
I find the mission and goals of The Administration for Children's Services (ACS) in New York impressive. The organization has been at the forefront in promoting the child welfare of many vulnerable kids within the New York area. The agency has mobilized several non-profit organizations to help give these children better care, which they don't enjoy from their families. I feel such an initiative helps prevent many of these children not to fall into anti-social acts such as drug and substance abuse or violent and aggressive behavior. My research shows that their work help probes over 50,000 child neglect or abuse cases within New York.
Further, the organization works with the juvenile system to help create safer communities. I believe their juvenile justice ensures that these young offenders can reform and adopt positive behavior that benefits society. I find these supportive services to have a significant impact on the educational development to thousands of families within New york. Their collaborative effort with other city agencies helps to keep away many youths from the justice system CITATION NYC20 \l 1033 (NYC children, 2020).
Questionable agency actions
I found certain actions of the caseworkers from the agency questionable. For example, if a parent became angry in the course of their interrogation, they think that the parent mentally unstable and so is abusive and poses a danger to their children. Also, if there is no food within the house, they think that parent has neglected their duties. However, sometimes the parent may be unable to cater to the nutritional needs of their children. I find this kind of judgment unhelpful as some of these parents may be innocent. I feel that their aim seems to use any minor condition to remove a child from the care of their families. When Mercedes missed a child safety conference, they saw that action as posing a danger to Tiana's health. The two instances of unsanitary conditions were seen as signs of parental neglect or abuse (MacFarquhar, 2017). The ACS were persistent in their efforts to separate Mercedes from her children, evident by the several attempts they tried to persuade the court. I feel this action was harmful as they disrupted the strong bond that existed between Mercedes and her children. I also think that ACS blackmailed Mercedes by asking her to give up her children. The action led her to lose her children to the foster care system. The ACS made all attempts to persuade Judge Sherman from granting Mercedes custody of her children.
I also condemn the actions of the parents within the foster care system. The court gave them the responsibility to take care of Mercedes children. However, their selfish actions made them say false things regarding their parent, such as saying Mercedes was a drug addict. This action harmed the relationship between mother and children. I feel that it makes the children resent their mother. These false accusations can make the children hate their mother from an early age.
Policy reviews or changes
The first policy I would revise is the standard of proof required in care proceedings. I believe that taking a child from their parents is a severe action. The parent may face many years without building a relationship with their child. The fact-finding hearings in family courts need to draw from more reliable evidence. Officers should be required to conduct more comprehensive investigations before presenting their case in front of a judge. Family courts use a balance of probabilities to determine the case, whether serious or not. So, the threshold should be higher to justify any drastic action like removing a child from their parent (Simon Goddard, 2014). For example, the court case at the Bronx Family Court also highlighted the need for judges to demand more reliable evidence before giving any orders. The ACS attempted to paint Mercedes as having burnt her kid intentionally to keep her away from them. They even used some health issues such as the children being underweight as evidence, which was false allegations. They also used minor faults to prevent Mercedes from taking her children. This included issues such as turning up late to children's visits or missing parenting classes. Therefore, this policy cha...