BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — It was a fiesta at the CASA clubhouse in honor of social workers Thursday, but Maria Bermudez with Kern County Child Welfare Services said the message goes beyond that one event.
"Social workers in our community, they’re the eyes and ears. They advocate for children. They work hours through the night. They are so dedicated, so passionate," said Bermudez. “The stories I hear of the dedication, the love, the support that they give to families is incredible.”
Leslie Rocha has been a social service worker for nearly ten years. She said she wants people to know what role they truly serve in our community.
“I think the public has this perception that we’re not good people and we take children away, but that’s not what we are," she said. "We want to help our community and provide resources.”
Heaven Vasquez is CASA's Public Relations and Development Manager.
She said they want social workers to know they are there to work hand in hand with them year-round.
“We just want to let them know that we appreciate all the work that they do because it is a lot. They have big case loads with many children and we hope that they feel reassured when a CASA is appointed to one of their cases, that they’re going to have extra eyes and ears on that case to be able to look after that child," said Vasquez.
Click here if you want to learn more about being a social worker or here to learn about volunteering with CASA.
