Well the shit hit the fan this morning (my apologies to my more sensitive readers)!  I arrived at my usual time to discover a message from the Halifax Regional Police stating that charges have been laid on the mother of my shaken baby.  That makes the case plan quite clear.  All this time mom has been lying and now we discover that she has thrown her baby in the crib when she gets frustrated.  If you could only see the pictures of this little one when she was taken to hospital.  Her head was swollen and her retinas had been severely damaged.  It is amazing how well she is doing now considering how poor her original prognosis was.  I'm still reeling . . . and I have a full day ahead of me . . .

It's funny.  All my life I've never thought of myself as an intimidating person.  Quite the opposite.  But today I was reminded that my newfound role as "social worker" can strike fear in those families that I become involved with.  I had a home visit today and things went exceptionally well . . . or so I thought.  The couple was warm and inviting, even offering me a cup of coffee as I sat and discussed their case and addressed any concerns.  The children, particularly the youngest, played happily, and because I was familiar with the file, I knew that the children were in no danger.  There are problems - we wouldn't be involved otherwise - but I am confident that this family will be a success story.  They simply need a little help and a whole lot of support.  So I leave an hour later thinking to myself "job well done" and went about the rest of my day.  And then 4:00 rolls around and I get a call from mom, in tears, terrified that I would take her children away.  And all of a sudden it dawned on me how terrifying it must be for these families to have CAS intruding in on their lives.  I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with this woman who was sobbing at her situation, and I assured her that I would be working "with" them and that I wanted her to feel comfortable with me and to trust that I had her family's best interests at heart.  It is a misconception that we consume ourselves at CAS with apprehension.  Certainly that is one of the downsides of the job, but it is a last resort and only done when the Child and Family Services Act calls for it.  Mom felt a whole lot better in the end, but on the drive home, I promised myself that I would be far more consciencous about my role and the impact my presence has on families in their homes.  I may only be 5'2", but when I represent an agency that carries a lot of clout in this community, my stature does nothing to relieve fears.  Lesson learned.  One of many.

I heard from my sister in Romania and she sent me the cutest pictures of my niece.  She has grown so much over the past few months!!  I just had to show her off!!

I have started at the Children's Aid Society this week.  VERY BUSY!!!  But what an experience!!  I'll come up for air this weekend and tell you all about it!