Please vote yes for the Washington County Children Services Levy on Nov. 6.
I have been a protective caseworker for Children Services for well over 20 years and have watched the agency grow from just a few workers to expanded and specialized services only to watch programs dwindle with funding cuts year after year. We are way understaffed and have cut corners until there is nothing left to cut.
Caseworkers at Children Services do a job few would attempt. We are usually alone, making home visits and checking on children, never knowing what is on the other side of the door. We enter homes with bed bugs, roaches, lice, disease, human and animal waste, filth, and sometimes assaultive adults. We are armed only with education, training, and determination.
We do our jobs with few thanks and plenty of criticisms. Those we visit often feel we are unjustly interfering in their lives. Those who make reports sometimes feel we are not doing enough. We change lives and for caseworkers, knowing we made a difference in the lives of children is why we persevere.
If you have questions about Washington County Children Services, we will be happy to speak to you. Call 373-3485. Please vote YES for the children who cannot speak for themselves.
Kimberly Ensign, Caseworker
Washington County Children Services
Marietta
