Local DCF social worker striving for safety, success

LYNN – Sara Grady?s schedule says she works 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., but an emergency erupting in any of the 24 families she assists as a Department of Children and Families social worker “throws 5 p.m. right out the window.”?You have got to be there,” Grady said.The 25-year-old, who grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., is one of 60 state social workers responsible under state law for helping 550 families living in Lynn and bordering communities. It is a job that has drawn criticism from elected officials in recent months following the death of children under the state agency?s care.Grady?s involvement in a local family?s life starts with a report of abuse and neglect to DCF. Her job description and the agency?s mission, according to DCF Lynn and Salem office director Jack Doyle, is to take necessary steps to ensure every member in an agency client family is safe. Meeting that objective means Grady sometimes makes decisions to take a child out of a home and, sometimes, she faces the prospect of stepping into physically violent situations involving individuals who are mentally ill or substance abusers.Doyle has worked for DCF almost 30 years, and he said agency worker caseloads were once a mix of people who needed only “preventative” help to get their lives back on track as well as families with more serious problems.?The day-to-day job Sara has has changed in terms of intensity: All 24 of her families need a lot of help,” Doyle said.A typical caseOn a summer afternoon, Grady parked on a street in the city?s center and walked up two steep flights of stairs to the apartment of a 22-year-old woman she has been assisting for about eight months.The woman – who declined to be identified or have her face photographed – is the mother of a 5-year-old boy. A Marvel superheroes poster hangs above the boy?s bed, and small sign on the apartment hallway wall reads: “With God all things are possible.” The boy?s father is in jail.?How are things going?” Grady asked as they sat down at the woman?s kitchen table.?I?ve started my summer class,” the woman replied.The woman said a search for a job “is not going so good,” but Grady excitedly encouraged her to explore different options before starting a discussion focused on stress and anxiety the woman has been enduring. Grady told her therapists are available to counsel her in local agencies or during meetings at the woman?s apartment.?There?s a ton of local agencies. I?ll figure out who has the shortest waiting list,” she told her client.Grady has worked for DCF for two years. She earns about $47,000 a year, and she got interested in working for the agency after doing a variety of social services internships while earning a master?s degree at Boston College.During an internship with a refugee assistance agency, she picked up families that just arrived in the U.S. from other nations and helped them get furniture and make contacts with agencies that could assist them in starting a new life.?I have a real strong interest in working with people who have overcome difficult situations,” she said.Grady?s mother is a former bartender and secretary who runs her own mobile diner business, and her father drove trucks for a living. She said they sometimes prefer not to hear every detail of her job.Building relationships with people who have endured drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence and mental illness poses the risk of dangerous encounters. Social workers work in teams of five and communicate closely with one another about when and where they are scheduled to visit clients.Grady?s 22-year-old client was under DCF care when she was younger and also lived in a foster home. She was referred to Grady by another social worker. During her recent visit with the woman, Grady talked to her about arranging after-school care for the woman?s son and his “fresh” behavior and recent moodiness.?How did he do around Father?s Day?” Grady asked.?He drew a picture for him,” the woman replied.Grady suggested play therapy – a form of co