Kelsey Hippen
I would say to Barack that finding a solution to this problem is first on my list. The solution to the problem (that working mothers are trapped below the poverty line in an endless cycle of abuse perpetuated by the social system) lies in improving the health of the system. In “On Fixing ‘Bad’ Mothers and Saving Their Children�, Annette Appell discusses how mothers break down, and then how the system, full of its own breakdowns, assumes control and decides that it’s healthy enough to save the day.
This is not what actually happens. The system is not healthy enough to guide working women and their families toward their own health.
The article doesn’t address the true issue. DCFS-like systems need to exist, but they need to operate like a well-oiled machine in order to stabilize families. This requires funding. I believe the crux of the breakdown in the social work system is a lack of funding and a lack of employees through which to distribute the work. The article mentions again and again the times when a social worker didn’t call a woman being supported through DCFS, and yet it doesn’t address why. I believe that social workers are stretched too thin, not adequately compensated, and working within a broken-down, ignored, notoriously faulty system. It’s seemingly hopeless.
Unless, Obama, you create more jobs within this system and appropriate adequate funds for each and every one of the employees and organizers. How can we possibly improve the health of the working poor and their families if we are sick and tired ourselves? We can’t count on social work interns to save the day with their wide eyes and naivety. We need our social work veterans to feel supported in their role and to have fuel to continue. The answer is funding.