Child Welfare

Regarding “Ideas Offered for More Responsive Child Welfare Agency” (Nov. 17), why is it that the real issues are hardly addressed regarding attrition and low morale?

While high caseloads are of crucial concern, one of the main problems concerns the arbitrary manner in which supervising children’s social workers (SCSWs) treat or interface with their subordinates, the children’s social workers (CSWs). Shrouding the decisions of social workers in secrecy is done so as to protect the SCSWs and their supervisors, who have the ultimate say in matters.

In an effort to exert their influence, control and authority over the CSWs, SCSWs daily put children’s lives and the lives of their families at risk by using them as pawns in their games of power.

I speak from personal experience as a CSW.

ERCELL H. HOFFMAN, Compton