I like the social work poetry, so I'm going to keep it going. I've found a bunch already and know there are more. I'm going to try to have the poems from all perspectives. From the social workers perspective, from the client's perspective and from any other perspective possible!
My first social work poetry post was from the social worker's perspective. The poem spoke about the tiredness of constantly trying to educate the privileged about the oppressed. It spoke to feminism, oppression, poverty and burnout.
I'm going to leave the commentary out of this next poem until later.
A SOCIAL WORKER'S POEM
I am a social worker,
I'm really very nice.
I help you loving mothers,
And give you good advice!
Your partner has departed
Your income is too low.
I'm really very sorry,
All your kids will have to go!
Your partner was abusive?
He beat you black and blue?
We'll soon be there to help you,
And take your children too !
You have a learning problem,
you’re really not too clever
We'll get your kids adopted
When can you see them?? NEVER!!
Your son is hyperactive?
You need a brief respite;
we’ll soon take ALL your children
give up the hopeless fight!
Your child was taken into care,
So many years ago
If now you have a baby
That too will have to go!
Foster parents love your kids
To get some more they seek,
For each one brings a tidy sum
£400 per week!!
Children's homes are run by us ,
Where paedophiles abound
Each time we cover up abuse
"The gutter press" come round
"They" said adoptions worked the best
we soon proved that they would
Fathers shout and mothers cry
Their kids are gone for good!
What happens in our special courts?
Our experts they will say
"You're a danger to your children,
so we'll take them all away!"
Your children may be healthy,
Happy and well fed
But one day you might hurt them
That's what our experts said
The judges know that we are right,
With us they will agree
They dare not risk another course
You have no chance you see !
Our special courts are secret,
So don't you breathe a word
Of what goes on inside those walls
No matter how absurd!
We'll get your kids adopted,
and don't you dare complain!
Or you'll end up in prison
and I won't say that again!
We have adoption targets,
They must be met you see,
Failure means a reprimand,
So spare a thought for me!!!
by IAN JOSEPHS (a very social worker!)
Fathers for Justice have a definite.. agenda.. to put it very kindly.. It's interesting stuff though and I wonder if you retain your view that poetry is inaccessible :)
ReplyDeleteI'll have to look at more of their stuff. And yeah, this one's pretty easy to understand. ;)
ReplyDeleteAttempted parody which is actually the truth is indeed a sad commentary of the child protection system.
ReplyDeleteNot all social workers even work with children. I understand that there are some people that this must feel real to, however, i think it gives social workers in general a bad rep when most of them really want to help.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was originally telling people what I was studying, I got a lot of questioning of why I wanted to be a social worker. When I explained it, many didn't understand. "You mean you won't be apprehending children?" I was asked.
ReplyDeleteWhen you say "social worker" in a general context, people think of CPS workers (who often are not allowed to publicly defend themselves) and all the horrible press they get. No one think of all the other types of social workers.
All social workers working in the children's Services departments in the UK are stealing children for profit. Social Workers are also emotionally and mentally abusing children in care. Social Work in this country is a damn disgrace and the child snatching social workers should be held accountable for their actions that have criminal intent.
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