Claire Opperman

Major: Child, Adult, and Family Services
Company/Organization: Iowa Department of Human Services
Company/Organization website: http://www.dhs.iowa.gov
Destination: Story County
Timeframe: Spring
Advisor/Coordinator Email: enloe@iastate.edu

Responsibilities

-Shadow social workers 2 and 3 -Attend court hearings, family team meetings -Assist in interviewing families for Child Protective Assessments -File and organize client files -Visit clients -Assist in removals

Accomplishments

I volunteered with DHS this summer to gain experience and from my efforts, they offered me an internship for the spring.

What advice would you give?

Don't be afraid to be "annoying" and ask for tasks, projects, go with them, etc. A lot of the time they might give you small or menial tasks because you are the intern but if you take the initiative to step up and ask for more, they will really appreciate it and help you grow.

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