Saba Amiri

Responsibilities

I shadowed and supported staff who delivered trauma-informed services to children and families referred through the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. I also observed and contributed to family engagement, assessments, and goal-setting using evidence-based practices and assisted in evaluating child safety, risk factors, and family support systems. I participated in family interactions, skill-building sessions, and crisis response support, and attended court hearings, case reviews, and team meetings. Lastly, I maintained professional communication, documentation, and strict client confidentiality while working with diverse populations. There was a lot of support from various team members throughout, and I felt capable of the tasks given to me as I gained more experience.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment would be building rapport with the children I worked with and making them feel comforted and safe during hardships. Learning to build rapport and complete therapeutic skills, such as motivational interviewing, was so valuable and important. I am proud of the depth of knowledge I've built about the juvenile and child welfare systems.

Learning experience

I learned so much about how to apply the things I learned in my HDFS classes. I started with some agency training, which helped me understand what casework is really like. Then I attended unit meetings to hear people's stories and agency updates, and finally, I bridged the gap by shadowing caseworkers in their day-to-day work. I had the opportunity to ask a bunch of questions, learn how the child welfare justice system works, and to complete paperwork as needed by the agency and the state. I got to see court in action for the first time, which is different from what I expected, and I learned that no matter the misconceptions about the job, everyone wants the parents to do better, and the goal is always reunification unless that is not possible for a given family. I learned that some people are ready and motivated to change, whereas others will not change, no matter the consequences, which was hard to witness at times.

What advice would you give?

Be open to new experiences - I would have never thought I would be interested in child welfare until I tried it out! This field is very broad, and you interact with people from all kinds of backgrounds and experiences. It is important to keep an open mind and always seek learning opportunities in what you do. Even if you are unsure about your niche, it is okay for it to take a while to truly click!