Informational Interviewby Lorena M. Bess

Steve DuvallSocial WorkerChildren Welfare and Family Service–DSHS-

Children’s AdministrationMission: The mission of the Children’s

Administration is first to protect abused and neglected children, to support the efforts of families to care for and parent their own children safely, and to provide quality care and permanent families for children, in partnership with Tribes, foster parents, and communities.

Children's Administration works with children and families to identify their needs and develop a plan for services which support families and assure safety and well-being for children. These services are designed to reduce the risk of abuse, find safe alternatives to out-of-home placement, and assure safety and permanency for children in care.

The Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is the largest provider of direct client services .

Steve DuvallI decided to interview Steve

Duvall.Steve Duvall is a social worker at

Children Welfare and Family Services at the Division of Children and Family Services –DCFS- in Moses Lake.

Educational BackgroundSteve Duvall has a Bachelor’s

Degree in Psychology. He has been working at DCFS for 9 years.

Previous Positions: Before, Mr. Duvall was a CPS

social worker after hours, serving Grant County. He worked together with Law Enforcement

What are the individual’s job duties?

Mr. Duvall performs global assessments on families involved in CPS, including psychological evaluations. Then, he makes counseling referrals not only for the child but also for parents and/or grandparents who have other issues such as chemical dependency, anger problems, mental health issue, disabilities, etc.

Mr. Duvall also provides support to foster parents.

What does a typical day consist of?

Early in the morning Mr. Duvall checks his email, returns phone calls, writes/ types reports and case notes.

Later he goes to home visits and/or drives clients and/or children who need transportation. His schedule is from 8:00 a.m to 5 p.m Mondays to Fridays, but the schedule is very flexible.

What do you like most about the job?Mr. Duvall likes working with

children. Working with kids is very rewarding for Mr. Duvall, especially watching them grow in a healthy environment.

What do you like the least?

For Mr. Duvall dealing with parents who live in denial has been challenging. Especially those who don’t want to accept that they have issues. Many parents believe that they haven’t done anything wrong, so they don’t understand why their children have been removed by CPS.

If you could change one thing about the job, what would it be?

Improve the quality of services we offer to parents. Many parents involved with CPS need tutoring and extra support about how to successfully parent their children.

What do you see as the causes of child abuse and neglect?

In Grant County meth use is the main cause of child abuse and neglect.

Inter-generated poverty is also a big issue because many parents have been victims of abuse when growing up, and they need extra support to learn positive parenting skills.

Lack of boundaries between parents and children that can lead to sexual abuse.

What do you think are essential elements of intervention?

Engagement: Make parents feel they are partners of change.

Solution base case: Looking at family model in each intervention. It is important to identify what works and what doesn’t work for each family. Work with families individually to identify strengths and weaknesses.

What do you think are essential elements of prevention?

Education: Educating people about the consequences of child abuse and neglect

Early intervention: Targeting children at risk of child abuse and neglect before it is too late.

Social support: Creating social programs that support prevention and early intervention.

What do you think future social workers need to know about child abuse and neglect?

It is important to develop a holistic approach when analyzing the family dynamics. It is also crucial to identify parents strengths because every family does something well. Discovering what changes are necessary to transform the family environment is very helpful in the intervention process.

Conclusion:It was a positive experience to

interview Mr. Duvall. I admire his courage and the heart he puts in everything he does for the children living in Grant County.

There are few males willing to work with children and families involved with CPS; and getting to know Mr. Duvall has been a very positive experience.