Give Me Benefits Or Give Me Death
Kentucky state social workers are pushing for re-classification as hazardous duty employees. They say this is necessary because they risk life and limb to remove children from dangerous home environments and often face threats themselves.
At issue if whether we are just throwing money at the problem or actually trying to solve it. Adding them to the hazardous duty category only changes eligibility for a full pension from twenty seven years of service to twenty years.
Social workers are unarmed and often walk into dangerous situations without a police escort. They say that when they do have police support on a call, the officer stands behind the social worker.
Making them hazardous duty employees does nothing to alleviate the physical risks. It just pays them more for enduring the risks and pays them from a woefully insufficient pool of funds.
Wouldn't it be better for the safety of the social worker and cheaper for the state to send a police officer with every social worker who requests one and have the armed officer stand in front of the social worker at the door? It seems the officer could stay as long as a threat is perceived. Usually that wouldn't be very long.
Just seems that if I were in a very dangerous job, seven more years of pension would be small compensation for risking my life. Given a choice, I would rather see the job made more safe.
It is curious, then, that the social workers are so fired up for the seven years and won't listen to suggestions for cutting the safety risk instead.
posted by Kentucky Progress @ 11/10/2006 10:38:00 AM
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35 Comments:
Social Workers in Kentucky are severely underpaid.
Oh quit the whining. According to every gubbament cheese employee they are uynderpaid. Give me a break.
KP, your suggestion is exactly the one I came up with.
You are correct.
You're right freeourpows.
The big government thugs need more benefit/cheese to confiscate our land, our property and interfere in our lives.
They need protection from the police state lest we start shooting the bastards.
As bloggers 2 and 3 infer, should we do away with Social Workers who are suppose to help protect children as well as the State Police?
Maybe you should work on changing Policy first!
Maybe you should work on changing Policy first!
Instead of taking away all these children and adopting them out, leave them Alone. You all are NOT GOD! Even tho U act like you are. Change your Policies, like the previous post said, and don't be so quick about taking Custody. Let that be known and I guarantee your job won't be so Dangerous. Chase
Why not arm the social workers and teach them how to use their weapons?
freeourpows, according to every private sector employee, they also are uynderpaid. The fact that they work for the 'gubbament' does not change the fact that the college educated, excuse me liberally indoctrinated, but mostly female workforce of social services are underpaid, in my opinion. But maybe you are more of a "to each according to their needs" kind of fellow.
KP, and you, are certainly correct about the need for police assistance and I agree that retirement at 20 years is bull-oney. But just because a person works for the government doesn't mean they should be a pauper to do it. I don't, in case your wondering.
BTW, have you actually been exposed to this 'liberal indoctrination' of a college or university 'edumication' that you always rail against or are you just a big David Horowitz fan?
Just Curious.
Rep Embry should LOOK at Stats FIRST... They just want more pay for same work...and to Retire Earlier for no reason. This is the 1st time something like this has happened in 20 years, by their own admission!! But!... Look at the Children that have been KILLED!!! They have been in my home, Numerous Times and it is NOT dangerous. Yet they say they are ALL dope heads, meth uses etc. They did not take my child! There are 120 counties in Ky. Say 30 SW's per 120x30=3600 That is an awful lot of children being taken away. Of course that's stretching it! But PLEASE People, See the BIG PICTURE... A Concerned Taxpayer
Just curious,
Do you think that KY Progress and freeourpows have actually been educated beyond National Enquirer and Rush Limpballs?
It is obvious that neither of them have any education whatsoever, and are only mimicking the right wing butt-holes who have become so popular among weak-minded individuals.
Looking at this web-site every week or so is quite entertaining.
KYProgress has a difficult time dealing with reality.
"As bloggers 2 and 3 infer, should we do away with Social Workers who are suppose to help protect children as well as the State Police?"
Hey "blogger 4" (4:00 PM), how on earth did you come up with that? It is quite clear that blogger 2 came up with exactly what KP came up with. On "blogger 3", I don't get that either. This blogger is understandably upset, it appears, with the over-reaching hands of government in our lives.
I "feel his/her pain".
6:54 has a point. Why do we "understand the frustration" of rioters yet not "understand the frustration" of people whose children are being taken away from them by the nanny state?
7:44 - It won't work. Social workers are overwhelmingly liberals and are therefore not predisposed to using a firearm.
"according to every private sector employee, they also are underpaid." Not true Swamproot. You must be hanging out with the Wal Mart greeters or something.
The difference is in that the gubbament-cheese employees are eating cheese that was fleeced from all taxpayers, many against their will.
Look how out of hand teacher pay is for example. KY's teachers are among the highest paid in the nation, if one is intelligent enough to factor in cost of living; their benefits package rivals that of the highest paid executives in the world; and they work less than seven months a year (subtract all the breaks and time off). And they whine like they have it bad. It is out of hand.
"maybe you are more of a "to each according to their needs" kind of fellow" Nope, quite obviously the opposite. It does not take a mental heavyweight to be a social worker and therefore the pay is commensurable.
Get cops to escort these folks and be done with it. It is that simple. Naming a bill for some poor unfortunate woman and playing on all our emotions on the 6:00 News for more money is sickening, almost as bad as Cindy Sheehan. It appears they don't want safety, they want more money, and to do less work. Hmm, how gubbament-cheese employee typical!
No one is asking them to be paupers, only realistic here. Stop fleecing the taxpayers to make all gubbament cheese jobs easy and lucrative and early retirement cash cows.
"have you actually been exposed to this 'liberal indoctrination' of a college or niversity 'edumication' that you always rail against or are you just a big David Horowitz fan?"
Absolutely oh insulting one, right here in the land of blue for that matter. Poly Sci was all about hate America and blame America for all the world's woes for example. History was indoctrination in America as evil conqueror and racism even though we are the first civilization in the history of man to END slavery. Go figure!
As far as David Horowitz is concerned, do you mean the David Horowitz who grew up in a communist home in America, was indoctrinated in the mental disorder of liberalism, was one of the most vehement hippie anti-war protesters out there, saw through the lies and deceit and was saved through Jesus Christ, became a highly respected conservative speaker and writer and professor, and works to bring diversity of thought to campuses all across America where conservative and Christian thought are censored, by those who cry the loudest for freedom of speech? That David Horowitz? You bet!
Here is man who was a vehement commie leftist, saw through the lies and deception, saw the light, and stood up against evil to help America heal from the wounds instituted by pinkos who have been destroying our culture for decades.
I would consider him a hero.
The louder the enemy becomes when attacking an individual, the greater the accomplishments of said individual. This can be witnessed not only in the leftist attacks against Horowitz, but those against Reagan, Coulter, Hannity, Limbaugh, Savage, Beck, and so many others.
Thanks for the compliment!
8:48 - Excellent observation and thanks for bringing it into the discussion.
11:01 - How weak. You exemplify everything we say about the moronic left. Grow up!
The Bill or Bills to add hazardous duty benefits to social workers have very little chance of passing the House A & R Committee, due to the funding that would be required.
The next state budget will be passed at the 2008 Session, maybe at that time the Bills would have some chance, but not now. Maybe something can be passed that would give these workers more safety.
freeourpows, if it is true that the "louder the enemy becomes when attacking an individual, the greater the accomplishments of said individual", that must make the accomplishments of all those liberals you attack pretty great indeed, such as the former "pants dropper in Chief", for example.
I didn't mean to be insulting either, just a smartass, so I apologize if you felt that way, though I'm positive your skin has to be thick enough not to have lost sleep over it. I just feel your take on reality is a little more doom and gloom than I would care to subscribe to, and sometimes I just got to speak my mind about it.
You might just call it "whining", in a non-attacking way I'm sure, but I don't come by my opinions lightly or via Democratic Party talking points.
But I guess that still makes me one of those 'useful idiots' you guys on the extreme right are always quoting Stalin on.
Social workers are needed in today's society since too many morons can't take care of their kids, but instead of tying up a police officer the parents should have to go to a public place i.e. the court house to visit the kids and it will be the first step in seeing if they are serious about being a parent. CB
In rural areas (and sometimes elsewhere), there are not enough police offices to be available to go with social workers. Sometimes social workers are under court orders to remove children within a short period of time. The cost to add the additional police offices to help make social workers safe would be great. Local officials would like that however, since most law enforcement agencies are already greatly under staffed.
Have not ANY of you ever heard of Supervised Visitation?" Social Workers have I'm sure! They have procedures set up for this. This is 1 time they should have used common sense (better judgement) and did this. Being as this was the LAST TIME this MOTHER was ever going to SEE HER CHILD!!!... I am not upholding the crime, just trying to get U to see the Cabinets "lack of judgement."
A social worker who works for the Commonwealth of Kentucky will encounter most of these things in any given day: investigation or ongoing case work with violent individuals(some who believe in a "conspiracy theory" that workers are out to steal their babies); working with people with substance abuse issues, mental health issues, or a combination of both; entering homes with unknown circumstances (people, animals, meth labs, diseases, weapons, etc.); collaborating with the local police, sheriff's office, and KSP, all of these agencies are understaffed like social workers are; meetings with school personnel (some of whom, want to know why CPS hasn't taken achild away from his parents because they won't get him on ridalin); petitioning and reporting to the court and Judges (who have the final say); and ongoing work with community partners like therapists, counselors.
I am a worker of nearly two years. I came into this job very well educated and I thought I was prepared to handle it, but no one can be prepared enough, trained enough, or paid enough to do this job. I do it because I think every once in a while I'm able to help make a difference for a child (usually my caseload of over 23 families and 40 juvenile status offenders prevents me from feeling that I've helped anyone).
Getting hazardous duty pay will not make it more safe for workers but it will help workers see that this is a dangerous job before they start it and quit a few months later (which, by the way, wastes state money in training that is never utilized). Also hazardous duty pay will be one factor in encouraging estixting workers to stay and not quit. The rate of turnover is ridiculous, it's causing disruption of services to the families who need it, wasting state money, causing workers who stay to have huge caseloads, and thus causing worker BURNOUT. I've been in the same office for less than 2 years and already 3rd worker from the top seniority wise, how pitiful!
Along with hazardous duty pay, many other changes need to be made. Social workers need to be better trained in self defense and safety techniques. Social workers need better tools to help do the job (cell phones, cameras, etc. so we don't have to use our own or buy our own for that purpose). The Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) needs to hire more social workers so we can have manageable caseloads (when we have fewer cases we can get to know the families better and assess the situations even more). And finally, since CHFS is already doing a "reorganization" the Commissioner and other administrators need to look at and revamp our policies and procedures because some of them do not help families but only hinder our services to them or hinder our safety. These policies include the ones that give specific timeframes for initiating investigations, requirements for lengthy assessments (written reports), forms/reports, and needless paperwork that really do not assist the worker in making decisions about the case even though that's what they are meant to do.
I don't think hazardous duty pay will fix any of the above needed changes, but I do think social workers deserve it. Really workers just want the acknowledgement, tools, and assistance from Administrators that they need and deserve. In regards to pay, I'll make a total of about $34,000 this year (including all the overtime) and I usually work about 45-50 hours per week, on a good week. (This does not count my sleepless nights thinking about clients or things I need to do for court, etc.). I'm not necessarily complaining because that's not bad for a relatively young person who has been here less than two years, but if you compare it to other states and private agencies (and Kentucky teachers) it seems like a lot less. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side!
How much DO KY teachers make and why so much, since they are Not Doing That HOT of a Job? According to one of the Network (ABC?) Channels, we are "Stupid In America!!!"...
Kentucky teachers rank 37th in the nation in salaries. However all citizens in Kentucky (no matter what their job, in or out of government) rank 43rd.
I don't know exactly what Kentucky teachers make but I know they just got a big raise this year when the rest of the state employees did NOT get the 5% they are suppossed to get. Here's the deal: teachers get lots of perks because there are so many of them and they form together to rally for what they want. When legislators have hundreds or thousands of teachers calling, emailing, picketing, and sending letters to them they do what they teachers are asking. If social workers want any changes they are going to have to do the same thing. The problem is social workers don't get the summer off to plan and do these things and social workers are OVERWORKED so they have no time for their own families, none the less to advocate for themselves - they are too busy advocating for the children.
Teachers got the raise for the reasons you state (6:03 PM), but also because they ranked next to last in average salary in this eight state area. But as 10:07 AM said, all Kentuckians rank low in their average salary (43rd).
I should also point out that legislators get the same raise as state employees (not teachers). The ones that are not among the few in leadership posts, earn from $29,000 to $35,000. Most of their staff makes more than they do. The staff are merit system employees and can not be fired unless they steal money, or kill or rape someone. Legislators have to spend thousands of dollars every two to four years to keep their job. When their staff or other state employees do not do a good job (and most do), they do not get the blame (no on knows who they are), but the governor or other elected officials do.
That would be OK if they did the right kind of Advocating.. They are too young to have any of Life's Experiences" under their belts! Although, they may have children they still do not have the experience of an older lay person, such as a grandparent or any "logical" Adult, much less, a Better Educated One. Some of you are there, just for the *Rush* Of POWER!!! It has got to be that. Because some remarks I have seen turned into court have been so illogical!... an 11 year old could figure it out... A Concerned Parent
9:10, please don't judge all social workers because you had a bad experience or because you think they are "too young." Just like any other job/career, there are some workers who don't do a good job - this also applies to teachers, factory workers, and even law makers.
Besides this forum is to discuss the risks and safety concerns of social workers and whether or not they should get hazardous duty pay and also whether or not there should be some changes in their policies.
That was just 1 example of many. Policies Need Changing. They Need to be BETTER EDUCATED. Less Paperwork. More on the Job Training With A Highly Educated, Honest, with Integrity And Great Morals, Supervisor Or Higher Up in the Cabinet, (paperwork on that. no fakes) if such a person is Employed There... especially for Emergency Situations and Mandatorily made to get to know the clients, Also the "opposing" side. Learn to be FAIR, not partial to one side. That's what the Judge is for! As has been said, too much turnover!!! Therefore, enough Waste. Make It Known It's Hard!!! NO HAZARDOUS PAY or Early Retirement Required. As for equipment, WHY? isn't there any. What about ALL the Grant Money, State Budget,ETC., that CHFS, DCBS gets? Yes! Policy definitely NEEDS Changing. Our Legislators need to take a REALLY GOOD LOOK AT THIS in the upcoming Session! ACP
If any one needs more info go to ...www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/474920559 ... It will tell how *America* Feels about CPS. A Group of PARENTS who understands A Concerned Parent! Thank you, People Without their CHILDREN on ThanksGivinG :-[
dear POW....i am a conservative republican and understand your views..however, don't you think they are stuborn views?
Someone has to help the children who do not have a voice. Children could be beaten to death if the nanny state did not step in...
I too have had to have help in my life which i accepted graciously and ;earned from..that is what the social workers try to do...help...without them the children of the world would be much worse off.
Everyone needs to know all the facts b4 blowing off steam on this matter.
Enlighten us.
"that must make the accomplishments of all those liberals you attack pretty great indeed, such as the former "pants dropper in Chief", for example."
Quite the opposite. The pantsdropper in chief, as well as all the other libs get slanted treatment in the public venues. There is the majority of the volume friend.
These loudest of venues are also where conservatives are relentlessly attacked. You miss the reality, swmaproot 2:02, but we expect you to.
"I apologize if you felt that way, though I'm positive your skin has to be thick enough not to have lost sleep over it."
You are surely right about that, and I consider attacks and negativity thrown my way a sort of red badge of courage in the battle against liars and deceivers who do the devil's work, so in that vein, I love it! Bring it on.
"...you guys on the extreme right"
If you think we are extreme right, not only do you not know what extreme right is, you have learned your lessons of the MSM well.
I know extreme some right people, and believe me, we aren't extreme right by far, but it makes people who espouse your views comfortable to say that.
"Sometimes social workers are under court orders to remove children within a short period of time."
Then change that and legislate it away. There, another problem solved.
"Kentucky teachers rank 37th in the nation in salaries."
This is a lie. Think about who did the "ranking". Factor in cost of living and retirement benefits and time off and that number is really in the top ten. This is a FACT!
"Someone has to help the children who do not have a voice. Children could be beaten to death if the nanny state did not step in..."
Indeed, and children will continue to be beaten to death even within the most oppressive of nanny states. You cannot stop it through social work.
It can only be stopped by getting God back into the classrooms, getting the MSM under control and stopping their negative leftist agenda, gaining control of the colleges and universities and getting the peace-hippies out of there, restoring the teaching of our true Christian heritage and the truth about our history as opposed to the PC version, restoring Hollyweird to a pro-American and pro-Christian entertainment venue rather than the communist atheist pornographic venue it has become, and bringing morality back into popularity as opposed to it being "out of style".
Wake up America, stop treating symptoms and get to the root of the problem before it is too late.
Hey I have an idea: Take care of your children and social workers won't have to come into your homes! -Kentucky Social Worker
It really ticks me off that we social workers have to come into your home and take your children b/c you can't seem to take care of them. What's wrong with you people! And now you all are mad at us for taking them!? Go figure. You should be mad at yourselves b/c you've failed as parents! Stop breeding: That's an idea!
HOOORAYYYYYYY for anonymous 11:58 and 12:01!!!!! I second and third that!!!!!!!!!!!
POW- you don't have a clue.
Losers? I don't think there is anyone in this thread losing their children to the state or do you SW's view everyone that way.
Get a clue!
Is anyone aware in this blog that SW's do not have the authority to remove children?
75% of the time, children are taken into police protective custody and then the police notify the judge who makes a decision.
The other 25%, the worker notifies the judge and the judge makes a decision.
The underlying person with authority here is a JUDGE.
Please in the future do your homework before assuming SW's have the authority to remove children.
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