OMG You're just gonna love this. It would seem that the lovely caseworker that offered to care for my client those 2 days I was in Ottawa got total shit about having done it. I was floored. I was also not supposed to know that but because she and I clicked so well she told me. Apparently the morning after when she got to work she was SUMMONED! to the boss's office. He proceeded to rip her a new one starting with ...what you did was a conflict of interest, against all protocol, for your own profit, obvioiusly against all known rules and that she hadn't seeked council or informed anyone bla bla bla...he went on to say that there was nothing wrong with it after she retires next june etc but not now bla bla......
Luckily from the week before she actually did sit for me she had mentioned what she was going to do to her emmediate supervizer, her co-worker, the famous social worker I love so much from last post ( and it was right infront of me when she told him her intentions) All for the exact reason of making sure all was ok. Not one person told her otherwize . No one had a problem with her taking one of her acumulated off days that they have harped on her to take and no one among the whole lot said anything about it not being against protocol to do what she did on her free time.
So she tells him that obviously this in NOT known rule hense no one saying a word against it . That she did Not keep it a secret for this very reason. That transparency is a must and always has been. That it was not a conflict of interest because it was to help the foster family out given the 2 day excursion had been planed 2 months earlier and she wanted to ensure the client had the appropriate care. Also it was her free time and since she had ideas of offering her services to people like me after her retirement it would be a great gage to see if she enjoyed it. Then there is the obvious reason......he the boss himself told her and the social worker that I was to get all the help I needed with this client because he is difficult case. He didn't want to have to start all over again with another placement of him. So she was sent to me for as long as I needed, hense that first weekend we spent together when she showed me the appropriet ways to wash and feed and care for him etc.
It would stand to reason we spent alot of time getting to know eachother and my telling her about my daughters day in parliament etc. She was kind enough to offer to sit for those 2 days on her free time and had I hired someone else (although there was no one I knew qualified enough) I would have payed them the same rate.
She didn't go one to tell him all that but some of the latter of it anyway. He finally capitulated and reasoned that it was NOT infact a conflict of interest. WOW how big of him. He did say that she was not to do it again however. Apparently not even when I have a DIRE need to have someone here for such things as doctors appointment with my OTHER CLIENT or for myself . That makes so much sense....NOT....so much for meeting my needs with this client. All other responsabilities I have fly out the window. OH did I forget to mention that this client can not be driven anywhere unless there is another qualified person to accompany me with him. He is highly agitated in a vehicle. So any idea to just bring him along is a no no .
This governmental organization is not even equiped with a list of babysitters or should I say qualified care givers for the kind of clients we take in. I spent hours on the phone yesterday phoning clinics and such to see if they had a list of adult care givers that would be interested in doing this for a few hours once in awhile etc. No answers yet , left alot of messages . I know it's for not because I am not the first who has tried. Others doing the same job as myself are having a hell of a time aswell so when they do find a friend or other to sit for them they hord them for themselves and don't really share. I so don't blame them.
I am sorry to those who may find all this boring but it is my one forum to vent and try to let go of the frustrations of the political side of my job. I say political because thats exactly what it is. Even in my line of work caring for mentally and physically handicapped people in my own home there is the agencies in the background pushing papers and prosiding over all that at times becomes rediculous. I realize that there are many good reasons for certain things like making sure the clients are well taken care of and that all the guidelines are followed and respected. I am all for making sure that mistakes from the past history of mistreated people as vulnerable as these never re-occur. I have also seen on another scale though, the ass kissing peons that find themselves with 10 clients who just hire welfare recipients to work for them for next to nothing wages under the table while they go to the bank laughing. This as the organizations tells us in meetings that they have had the politic for years to not want more then 4 clients in one home to ensure enough one on one care for each client.
In the 10 years I have done this job, I have never wanted more then 2 clients. It is enough for me and just enough to pay my morgage and needs. I also know I am giving them optimum care. I learned many years ago how to play the game. Yes it can all be a game. Unfortunately it mostly has nothing to do with how well you do your job but how smart you are in dealing with these self important paper pushing pions that couldn't do our job for a full 24 hours before calling their mommys to save their own lives.
I realize they wouldn't choose to do this job like I do but there inlies the conflict when they are so apt at pissing us around and be it what ever lable they tout, tell us how to do our job. Social worker, educator, caseworker, there are afew different titles and I am trying to translate them from french to english lol so it they aren't all acurate. Nevertheless some of the lame brain ideas they come up with for dealing with any given behavior or personality problems are laughable. I smile and play the game till they finally figure out that their idea didn't work. DUHHHH
OK, this vent ........oops post is done for today. I assure you that I have had some more enjoyable posts with funny experiences but I am currently dealing with this so I am writing about it.
Bare, bear, bair with me lol
1 comment:
Moon, Thank you for you doing what you have chosen to do so well and with such concious. Few of us know-nots realize that your job includes doing the the work of all those you are posting about. Not only are you caregiver/family member by the sounds of it, but also case worker, social worker, cordinater and paper pusher combined. As a mother of a "special" damn that title, son, I sometimes look at him and wonder how much our life would of changed had circumstances been even slightly different. I'm thinking what you are doing is harder than giving birth to such a needy individual because at least then you can always drop them at thier Dads or relitives for a break. Keep that pretty chin up and thank you for making a differance.
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