Social Workers in Adult & Children's Services provide a range of
services to the most vulnerable members of our community: the young,
persons with disabilities, and the elderly. One result of increasing
stressors within our society, such as poverty, crime, substance
abuse, and family violence, is that those who are least able to
protect themselves are most often victimized by their caregivers or
by their own self-destructive actions.
Our office receives reports of alleged abuse and/or neglect of
children, dependent adults, and the elderly from mandated reporters
and other community members. These reports are investigated by
social workers whose first priority is the safety of the victim. If
a crime is alleged to have been committed, law enforcement also
participates in the investigation.
A very close second priority for Adult & Children's Services social
workers is the preservation, to the extent consistent with safety,
of the family unit or living situation of the child or adult
experiencing abuse. Isolation from family and friends can be as
painful as the abuse and neglect suffered at their hands. Our goal
is to stop the abuse and neglect while strengthening the family's
ability to protect all its members.
Sometimes it is not possible to preserve the family unit and provide
safety for those members being victimized. Part of our role is to
find alternative living arrangements such as foster care,
guardianship or adoption for children, and board and care or nursing
homes for adults. These alternative living arrangements are closely
monitored to insure the safety and well-being of the child or adult.
The success of our work depends on involvement by the larger
community and the many partnerships we have with other agencies.
Family and child well-being is far too important to a healthy
society to leave to a single agency. We work closely with law
enforcement and the courts to insure the safety of our clients, and
collaborate with public and private agencies to provide services to
individuals and families in the community.