We train the trainers
I got into social work because I wanted to change systems.
Before DAC, I worked with refugee families, adults and youth who who were formerly and currently incarcerated, survivors of domestic violence, and families living in shelter. I have always worked on interdisciplinary teams but I had never worked alongside an attorney and a mentor parent until I came here.
It changed how I see what’s possible when it comes to supporting families.
I’ve always known that my title as a Social Worker could carry negative connotations in the communities I serve. When I entered into this profession, I knew I would carry this representation into my work, but none so important as working in the child welfare system.
In this system, social workers are usually mandated reporters and their presence can feel like surveillance.
At DAC, our social workers are not mandated reporters. That is intentional.
We work with parents who already fear that everyone around them is looking for a reason to take their children away. If we show up as an extension of that fear, we cannot do our job. Our clients need to trust us enough to tell us the truth about what they’re facing whether it be homelessness, mental health struggles, substance use, domestic violence, lack of childcare, lack of transportation, lack of healthcare.They need to believe that we don’t see these as individual or moral failures. They need to trust that we understand that these are structural failures.
Some people assume that because we aren’t mandated reporters, we are ignoring harm. That we will let children be unsafe. That we protect parents at the expense of children.
That could not be further from the truth.
Most of our families are in poverty. Their cases are rarely about intentional abuse. They are almost always about neglect, the kind that comes from surviving without enough resources or support. Kids shouldn’t be removed because their parents are poor. The family should be supported so they can stay together.
The parents that I support are often facing allegations of neglect, all of which are directly tied to having limited access to resources, support, and basic needs. The real threat of child safety isn’t coming from intentional abuse, it’s coming from a system that is keeping our families in poverty. Children should not be removed from their parents due to poverty. They should be supported so they can remain together.
That is the work I do every day: help parents address the root causes that brought them into the system, and connect them with the services and supports they need to keep their children safe. Because I’m not a mandated reporter, parents open up in ways they never would otherwise. They tell me the full story. And that allows us to advocate effectively for what actually keeps families whole.
Your support makes this possible.
Your gift allows DAC to staff social workers who build trust instead of fear.
Your gift helps us keep families together by addressing the real causes of harm: poverty, isolation, and lack of support.
Through the First Call Warm Line and Know Your Rights training, we teach teachers, doctors, case managers, and service providers how to see parents holistically and challenge the myths that cause mandated reporting. We give service providers the tools to question their assumptions so fewer families are separated.
Not being a mandated reporter does not make my work unsafe. It makes it effective.
It allows me to change the narrative that has harmed our clients for generations. And it allows parents to be seen not as cases, but as human beings who deserve dignity, support, and the chance to raise their own children.
If this work matters to you, please consider making a gift today.
Your donation helps us get to the full story, the story that keeps more families together.
Make a Gift to Support Families
Cecilia, Social Worker, Dependency Advocacy Center
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