Just like healthcare workers, social workers are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis across America. While healthcare workers are caring for the sick and medically fragile, social workers are caring for the vulnerable children around our country, especially in times of crisis.
As COVID-19 has exponentially grown in our nation, so has the uniquely hard job for social workers to care for vulnerable children and the families caring for them. In light of March being Social Worker Awareness Month, PivIT Global is proud to shine a spotlight one group - Embrace Oregon - supporting social workers on the front lines.
Director of Strategic Partnerships for Embrace Oregon, Kerri Thornton, explains, "Social workers have had the uniquely hard job of still meeting guidelines for family visitations, home visits, and court dates in this current climate. The month of March had our state’s social workers working extremely hard to adapt processes and protocol to keep children and themselves safe, sometimes on a daily basis."
To help support social workers and the foster families they serve, Embrace Oregon & Every Child have launched My NeighbOR, a 36-county emergency response system to meet the acute needs of foster families and youth impacted by foster care in the state of Oregon. My NeighbOR seeks to mitigate tangible emergency needs and stabilize placements in this uncertain time.
Thornton further explains, "Social workers are being put to the test right now as their systems are pushed beyond capacity. The needs of youth they serve are surging while funding is quickly being used up. DHS Child Welfare is working closely with the state’s leadership to find emergency solutions. Staying flexible is critical right now as social workers are serving kids with new mandates given for safety and health each day."
PivIT's mission has always been to stand alongside groups like Embrace Oregon who are strategically supporting foster care families and the social workers who serve them. Will you join us?
Learn more about My NeighbOR project here.