Shhh…. I have a secret

April 2012

I. Hate. My. Job.

It’s a freaking train.

Or A train wreck. I’m not really sure.

It has been an extremely stressful last couple of days.

I love working with kids and yet there are days when I really hate it!

Especially when the kids in question not only don’t want your help but actively seek ways to prevent receiving it.

It has been really odd weather this year so far. Snow. Sunshine. Wind. Snow. Rain. Rain. And more, you guessed it, rain. And yet this nasty unpredictable weather has inspired so many teens to run away from their homes that it is truly amazing.

The area that I live and work in, consists of around 60,000 people. In the town I work in there are, at last estimate, 100+ kids that are homeless and living by couch surfing or sleeping in culverts.

Crazy, right?

Maybe during the summer I could see sleeping under a bridge or in a culvert. But during the winter? (Spring, whatever). No. It is just too damn cold.

And yet they run. In what appears to be record numbers this year. Now I can understand if the kids are being abused. My job is to help them. But if they are running because they don’t think they should have a bedtime, or their parents refuse to buy them a new phone? I mean seriously. There are people out there with real problems.

So far I have had one kid on the run, that decided it would be a good idea to steal his foster mothers car. No license. And he stole two plates to put on it so it wouldn’t be obvious. Did I mention the plates didn’t match?

We, at the For.Profit. have been literally begging his social worker to enforce some consequences, or at least let the ones that we are trying to enforce stand. Does she? NOPE. Instead she comes to visit. Pats him on the head and gives him money.

Lady- He doesn’t need your money! He’s been shoplifting and selling drugs! He has more money than you do. WAKE UP!

Another one had a truly horrible family life before she went into foster care. I mean the family tree doesn’t branch. It is actually more like a wreath. ROUND, if you get my meaning.

She swears she doesn’t want to be like her mom: pregnant before 18, drug and alcohol soaked with four kids from four fathers in a matter of as many years.

Well, she has a birth control implant, so she won’t get pregnant, again. Other than that… She likes drugs and alcohol and enjoys spending her time with older mean. She is 15 for gods sake and dating men a minimum of 6 years older!

Foster mom and I tried to put a stop to it. She ran. Repeatedly. She was picked up yesterday for trying to steal a car.

Another one is 13. Has been a constant runner. currently thinks she might be pregnant. AT 13! Know what she was excitedly talking about to me today? There is a boy at school that likes her and finally got up the nerve to ask her out! I wonder if being pregnant will put a crimp in that relationship?!

And our latest problem child. Soon to be 18 and will age out of the system. She has nowhere to go in roughly 40 days. She is a type 1 diabetic that refuses to take care of herself. It is common for her blood sugar levels to be over 400. She has been in 5 homes in the last 3 months. Has made allegations against every one of the homes so far. Has ended up hospitalized three times (which we understand is actual low for her in that time period).

Her current home is tired of her hostility and threats toward another one of the kids and her suggestion that if things don’t go her way that she will tell CPS that their son has made unwanted advances on her. They want her out. NOW. They have been telling us this for THREE WEEKS.

My boss has been telling those of us on the crisis team that she has been actively trying to find her a new placement, but no one wants to take her due to her (well deserved) reputation. However, if there is a crisis and she has to be moved on an emergency basis, who ever has the crisis phone has to find an emergency placement.

HOW? With WHOM?

Happened last night. Foster parents said get her out. I was on call. I started down our list of homes that we have. went something like this:

Full.

Takes only boys.

Allegation.

Allegation.

Allegation.

Full.

Allegation.

On vacation and takes only boys.

On vacation, takes only boys since there was an allegation made by her.

Etc. You get the idea.

Called my program manager and asked how I was supposed to find her an emergency placement when she had been ‘trying’ to find her a placement for three weeks? Her answer was, not her problem, she is on the other side of the state in training.

Excuse me?

Called her boss. explained the situation and was asked why we haven’t put our notice in on this kid. How should I know? THAT IS NOT MY JOB. Was told to widen my search. to include the ENTIRE state. Seriously?!

Instead I put the other child in the home on respite for the weekend. Told my boss and her boss that it isn’t my job to find a placement for this kid, it should have been dealt with already and frankly I don’t get paid near enough to deal with it.

Bosses boss spent ALL DAY on it. Found a temporary place at 4:30PM.

I know that there is going to trouble over this. I also know that I am going to be the one that gets blamed.

I REALLY hate my job today.