I worked as a case aide throughout college, working for social workers for child protective services. While the requirements are not difficult, a two year masters program following a bachelor's, the problem is not always incompetence. I have worked with infuriatingly awful social workers, but I've also worked with truly passionate people. The issue uniform to both: funding.

There are sometimes upwards of twenty cases per social worker involving over 60 children they have to manage. There is nothing each social worker wants more than an intimate relationship with each client, but that's not always possible. And yet DSHS was facing even more cuts last year. Another problem is sourcing for foster care, which is done by a separate social worker than the active case social worker. There's always a shortage, and it's often not easy to find placement for kids unless they're infants. It's frustrating to see.

Also, separations from families is ordered by judges, not mandated by social workers. Why they saw this necessary to see a court is beyond me, but the judge decided it was bad enough. What a cock.

A promising step in the horizon is CPS FAR. It's a program that attempts to intervene with families before the case goes to full active investigation. For example, if smoking weed was illegal in their area, they would suggest corrective actions before the kid is placed in foster care. This lessens the load on the active cases, and temporary placement for a few weeks is much easier to find, and often has positive impacts on the family upon reunification. It was really heartwarming to see those reunions.

That being said, no kid should be taken for cannabis use unless coupled with neglect, same as alcohol. I have seen some truly awful things happen to kids, and why the social worker assumed this was worth their time is beyond me. I feel truly awful for this family, and I hope CPS gets an upgrade in their funding and thus efficiency.