WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic has forced states to rethink their approach to social work, whether by finding safe strategies for staff to check on at-risk children in their homes or resorting to virtual visits.
FILE PHOTO: A playground at Ruskin Elementary School sits empty ahead of the statewide school closures in Ohio in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, inside Dayton, Ohio, U.S., March 13, 2020. REUTERS/Kyle Grillot/File Photo
Social workers and union officials representing them in states including New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois and Oregon said they are pushing their agencies to adapt at a time when entering a stranger’s home could expose them to a serious and sometimes deadly illness.
The changes are not always coming fast enough. An Oregon caseworker who spoke on condition of anonymity said she visited a foster child in her care on Monday to discover that the girl was coughing and had been ill. The social worker asked the girl to step outside of the house and stayed the recommended 6 feet (1.8 m) away from her while they spoke.
Four days later, the state changed its rules to allow some visits with foster kids to be conducted by video message rather than an in-person visit. The social worker on Friday reported no symptom