Social workers protect children at risk

Supporting Island families -

For Lindsay Clow, a big part of her job’s reward is knowing that she can help a child in crisis – or even save a life.

“The ultimate goal is that we want to support Island families and children to ensure that children can live a life free from harm and feel they can develop and live in world that is safe and happy and healthy for them," said Clow, a child protection social worker with the province’s Child and Family Services.

After six years on the job, Clow has had the chance to see children and families stabilize. She has come to appreciate the value of coworkers who understand the pressures that come from doing social work.

"Our job is that we receive child protection reports, we conduct investigations, and we are always assessing risk to children," she says. "When risk to children is identified then we would help children and parents and provide them supports -- sometimes on a longer-term basis -- to alleviate those concerns so kids can live free from harm and feel safe and happy."

Clow and her colleagues deal with threats of all kinds to children including physical, sexual, and emotional harm, and neglect.

Currently Prince Edward Island is hiring social workers to work in children protection. Clow said an effective worker should be able to assess a situation, identify risks, and make effective decisions. Social workers have to be able to work with different cultures, different types of families and challenges of all kinds.

“I absolutely would recommend this job. It’s an incredibly honourable profession and it’s one you can be so proud of," she said.

"If you have a passion for children and making sure they are protected, this may be the place for you. You can go home at night and feel that you’ve made the life of a child a little bit better.”