Dear Central Alberta families:
National Social Work Week takes place March 1 to 7, 2010. Within the Central Alberta Child and Family Services Authority we take time during this week to acknowledge the work of the staff who support the safety and well-being of children, youth and families.
Within the region, we have a team of 251 employees, many of whom work within the field of social work. The term social worker refers to individuals who are registered with the Alberta College of Social Workers and we have over one hundred employees to whom this term applies.
Delegated workers deliver legislated services to children, youth and families from nine office sites in Central Alberta. These workers encounter many challenges and risks as they complete their duties. These workers witness the best and worst of families and complete their jobs in a professional manner, according to a code of ethics and standards defined by their professional body.
We are proud of these workers who are often called upon to work in hostile environments and with individuals who suffer mental health issues, addiction issues, and engage in domestic violence.
Not only do our workers complete their jobs day after day, they carry with them a belief system that allows them to see hope in all situations and in all people. Our workers respect the diversity within our society, within families and within individuals.
We are proud of our workers who work with community partners — contracted agencies, schools, RCMP, health professionals and many others to get good results for children and youth in care.
We are proud of our workers who represent us so well.
Too often you have heard stories about children and youth in care who are not successful in reaching their full potential. We would like to tell you that for every one of these stories, there are hundreds of stories about children and youth in care who are successful — often because of their social workers. We want to celebrate these success stories and invite you to as well.
Please take a moment during Social Work week to acknowledge those who work in the field of social work. We seldom have opportunities to talk about the significant role these folks play in keeping children and youth safe — so this week we want to send a really loud shout out: THANK YOU!
Sara Potts
Ron Gaida
Co-chairs
Central Alberta Child and Family Services Authority
Red Deer