Child welfare workers face difficult...
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Child welfare workers face difficult and dangerous situations each day, situations that are dangerous for them and for the children they are trying to protect. Young social workers, working for the state on behalf of children, must make important decisions quickly -- decisions that will dramatically affect the child and the child's family. If their decision is wrong, a child may die or a parent-child relationship may be destroyed. If their decision is correct, the child is protected and will have the opportunity to live in a healthy environment with loving adults. Unfortunately, it is sometimes necessary to remove a child from his parents. If the parents are unable to care for the child or if they are physically abusive, it is best for the child to live with other adults who can love and support him in his growth and development. Occasionally, these adults become long-term foster parents and may even raise the child to adulthood. In such a case, the foster parents' constancy and love become very important to the child. As the children become integrated into the family, brothers and sisters accept them, and they learn to trust their foster parents in a way that was not possible with their biological parents. The foster parents, then, have given these precious little ones the opportunity for a new life. Because of their willingness to love and sacrifice for their foster children, the children are rescued from a life of neglect or abuse and given the love they so desperately need for healthy living. These children are literally rescued from the clutches of death through a loving, caring relationship. -- Spencer
