Lizzy Castile

Responsibilities

During my internship with the Department, I assisted social workers with covering visits and transports. I would supervise visits with parents and their kids, and make sure they followed the court orders of their individual cases, as well as maintain appropriate conversation and activities. I also assisted with providing transportation for parents who don't have their own way of transporting. I took parents to visits, drug screenings, or dropped them off at different parenting classes and rehab. I was also able to sit in on different court hearings, and gain an understanding of the system once court is involved and the different stages of court.

Accomplishments

I would say my greatest accomplishment was learning the process of social work. This process is very confusing, as there are a lot of different scenarios you are working with, and it's a long process from opening a case to closing it. During my internship, I saw the beginning stages of a case opening, the end stages of closing a case, and all the stages in between. There is a lot of work, and a lot of problem solving that comes with their field, and I'm glad to say my hands on experience to this process has given me a big understanding of how it all works.

Learning experience

I learned it's hard to help people who don't want help. A lot of HDFS careers are centered around people and providing services to them. But there a lot people you are serving that don't want your help. Many families refuse your services because they don't think they need the help. It's hard, but very important, to not let those families impact the way you see your job or your drive to help.

What advice would you give?

Don't stress over what internship you work. Any internship in the field of human services will look good on your resume. Even if it's not exactly the career you want to get into, any experience is good experience. You also can gain a strong reference from your internship.