I am writing in response to a previous article published in the Daily Press about the social services system in Moffat County. The article discussed how the main goal was to rehabilitate parents who have lost their children because of drug addictions. The article revealed that the priority for Social Services is to get the children back to their families in a timely manner when the problem has been resolved.
I truly do appreciate the dedication it takes to do the job these people do. I think it takes a good heart to make sure the children in our community are safe. Nevertheless, once in a while I think mistakes can be made.
Recently, I have witnessed a mother who has become a part of this kind of situation, and I have concerns with the way the department is handling the case. The mother has complied with the random drug testing, mental evaluations, as well as home inspections and supervised visitations. She has passed her drug screenings, and the mental evaluation proved that she was not in need of further counseling.
However, despite the positive efforts she has made in the past six months to get her children back into her home, the system is not satisfied. In my opinion, I feel the problem is not with the professional standings, but that it has more to do with the personal relationship between the caseworker and the involved parties. The caseworker at one point was ready to recommend the children be placed back into the home, but the person who has the children confided that they thought the social worker was manipulated and that the mother should not be allowed custody. For that reason, the children have remained in the foster home, which is with a family member who lives out of town.
The mother is on a fixed income. She is struggling to make visitation meetings because she cannot afford to travel as often as