A few weeks back, I wrote a post about the DSS system here in MA and my disdain for how it's working - or rather, how it isn't working and it's astounding ineffectiveness.
Funny thing.
Yesterday I'm getting my nails/toes done at the salon - and this very, bubbly and outgoing girl is sitting near me. I mean, I'm outgoing - but she makes me appear introverted and socially inept. So she's talking to everyone there, foucsing primarily on the technicians, asking them relatively personal questions and truthfully - they don't seem very much like they care for her but they're tolerating her. She's getting involved in every person's conversation and then taking it over which I think some people were a little put off with. She's very....eclectic looking. And while it's important not to judge a person based upon appearances, it's hard not to take her appearance into consideration as part of the explanation in the story. I think it shows some of her outward personality. She sports a crew cut/wiffle hair style, seems very masculine - and then shows us all this like 5 carat diamond ring she's wearing and going on about how she got married at Copley 5 years ago. Which of course, sent the technicians in a tizzy because I think they thought she was not exactly interested in men. She proceeds to tell us all that it's her 3rd marriage, who paid what for the wedding, and how her husband is an executive and that she's into Buddism but her Mom is Jehovah's Witness and that she's Jewish... and so on and so on. I mean, if I sat near her long enough, I'd probably know her blood type, her brand of shampoo and probably the color underwear she was wearing that day. She held hardly anything back. And then she's ending all of her sentences with "God Bless, God Bless you". She is so very over the top outgoing and sticky sweet nice in a scary way - that even I am almost intimidated. Imagine!
Then she announces that she's a social worker for DSS. And that she goes from home to home overseeing abuse cases and foster children.
So, I asked her a little bit about her job; and shared with her a little about my concerns with the organization at the moment. And while you might think that she'd be very communicative about her job, the stresses or what she likes about it -- she couldn't hold a clear thought together to form a full sentence about it. Which, sort of surprised me. I mean, she came across as flaky and flighty....but warm. And then I think - wow, she's a Social Worker for the State, clearly she must be a bright girl. You know what? It became apparently clear within two minutes that maybe there really was nothing more to her than the flake and the flight.
Hmm.
And then suddenly I had even better insight as to why DSS is such a mess.
From the top....down.
And clearly - every person in between as well.
(The caveat to this, is that - my conscience is killing me at the moment because she was so very nice to me, complimentary etc... and so I feel really badly about not writing the most flattering piece about this woman. But you know, I am just so appalled at this whole DSS situation that sometimes, I have to just take a deep breath and say..it is what it is.)
7 comments:
You can't mix your like for someone and that person's ability to do their job.
5 carats - that's huge. I would have robbed her.
I was going to say have you seen what organizations like the DSS pay and of course most they attract won't be the best and brightest, at least not for long...
And then I remembered that I just became a teacher. Yeah. Then again, sadly, the equivalent of a DSS worker here probably makes HALF what I do as a new teacher.
And knowing is half the battle.
Its dissapointing that you would judge someone by a one time meeting, nevermind make assuptions about how they do their job.
DSS is a mess because each case worker has about 50 families (10 per day) to visit each week and those workers are responsibile for making huge decisions about whether or not to break up good families or keep dysfunctional situations intact(I have a friend that is a case worker in Holyoke, talk about a losing battle). The state pays shitty wages and does not attract the most qualified people. I don't work for the state, but I deal with the state often and they nickle and dime everyone they do business with including underfunding their own programs.
Why are they underfunded? Because everyone clamors for tax cuts. When you are in the voting booth next time and thinking about a candidate that talks about cutting pork that is usually code for screwing children, families and the poor. Twenty years ago workers probably had manageable case loads, but the state likes to add onto work loads instead of hiring new employees. They have no problem hiring drivers and cooks for the governor, but more cops, teachers and DSS workers,m forget it.
I hope no one judges you on your pink color scheme without reading your posts first.
David -
Good points. But she really disappointed me on her lack of clarity on any thoughts that were either positive or negative about the DSS. Maybe you had to be there? :)
I don't judge you on your pink color scheme!! :)
hahha, you're funny... yes, you don't judge me based on the color of my blog...and I wasn't judging her strictly on her outward appearance either. :) That was just added flavor for the story as to bring out her eclecticness in personality.
She's worked for DSS for 12 years - and yet couldn't even put a sentence together. I 've worked at my job for 15 years and I can tell you a little bit about the place!
Truly, I don't care what she looks like. It just was dissapointing to think that someone who seemed to be flaky and flighty was in charge of determining the health and well being of abused (or allegedly abused) children. ;)
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