I recently had an in-depth conversation with a close friend about my time working in social services. It’s definitely not a profession meant for everyone.
A social worker is not in it for the money. The profession often attracts people who care about their fellow man. From 1999 to 2010, I worked for Hamilton County Job and Family Services. Previously, I worked in child support enforcement and then with staff at Children's services managing out-of-home care contracts. The contracts covered children who were removed from their homes for various reasons.
My friend and I spoke about how before I worked for county services, I knew almost nothing about abused and neglected children. Prior to working for the county, I had no idea how many children lived in foster care. During our conversation, I started to discuss how child support orders can cause such animosity between parents. Ex-couples often told me how much they resented each other.
In one case, however, I was convinced that a higher being intervened. Now, I realize not everyone believes in angels or miracles. But I would like to share a miracle I once experienced during my time with the county about two decades ago. I had not thought about the case too often until I shared the story with my friend over the holidays.
While working in child support enforcement, I received a visit from a non-custodial father. The father appeared disheveled and upset.
The man rambled about how he loved his kids and how he needed me to stop his support order. He explained his situation to me.
“Mr. Hoover, my ex tried to kill my kids.”
“Sir, this is not funny and a terrible way to get out of paying support,” I replied.
A family escapes a near-death experience
“No, it’s in the paper,” he said as he handed me a newspaper. “Didn’t you see the story on the news?”
The paper caught my attention with its story about a woman attempting to kill herself and her children. After she had turned on the gas in her apartment, she left it on until everyone passed out. He wanted me to stop his order because he had taken custody of his children.
Still, I had a question. How did his ex and her children survive if she turned on the gas to the apartment? I got my answer from the family's children services worker. He came into my office and started to tell me what had happened. I will refer to him as “Steve.” Apparently, our agency had gotten involved with the family. Steve visited them regularly.
Steve said he received a mental warning on the day of the incident. While he wasn't scheduled to visit the family, he knew the children needed help. He rushed to the apartment and began knocking. Steve said he couldn't just assume they were gone just because nobody answered. His instincts told him something was wrong. He called 911 and asked for assistance. Once the police arrived, Steve entered the apartment. The mother and her children were unconscious.
They all survived and made a full recovery. The county then placed the children with their father. He got emotional when discussing them, so I knew he really loved them. I stopped his wage garnishment immediately.
As Steve continued to tell his story, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How could he know the children were in danger? He could not have known. A gut feeling told him the children were in danger.
I never had another conversation with Steve or the father of those children about the incident. As someone who believes in miracles, I am thankful that Steve followed his heart and saved a family. And it’s these kinds of stories you will never hear on the news about social services workers. We are blessed to have good people protecting society's most innocent citizens.