May is National Foster Care Month. This month, we are taking time to honor an incredible Hephzibah Foster Care team member who is not only making a big difference in the lives of the children and families we serve, but is leading her team down the same path. We asked Piper Caldwell, Foster Care Supervisor, some questions about her work:
How long have you worked for Hephzibah and what is your role? I have worked for Hephzibah for 10 years (since 2013) and I have been a Foster Care Supervisor since 2020.
Why did you choose this line of work? I chose social work because I knew that I wanted do something to help others and I was interested in mental health. I chose child welfare because, during my first job after grad school, I realized that I wanted to be able to do more for my clients than I was able to do within the limits of that job. As a caseworker, I was able to help in so many ways, I felt like I was better able to make a real difference for my clients.
How do you decide what the best services for a child or family are? It is different for every family. We get to know the family and try to form a trusting relationship with them so we can find out how we ended up here, and what needs to be done to help the family heal from the unique traumas they have experienced and come back together safely.
What is the most rewarding part of your work? For me, the most rewarding part of the work is when we are able to confidently and safely return children to their parents, or when we see children being adopted by families who love them unconditionally if they cannot be sent back to their biological parents.
What is a memorable story or moment with a particular child or family that you worked with? There is a youth who was on my caseload when I first started at Hephzibah in 2013, and I am still in touch with him now. He experienced so much in his early life, but now, as an adult, he is living in a home that he owns, and he is working on getting his masters degree. I am just so proud to have been a part of his life and am so inspired by the progress he has made since the time I was his caseworker.