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The Forgotten Podcast

Episode 264: The Reality of a Caseworker’s Role (w/ Brittni Hodges)

The Forgotten Podcast

The Forgotten Initiative

Christian, Family, Adoption, Kids & Family, Fostercare

4.9532 Ratings

🗓️ 3 March 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Foster care caseworkers often feel forgotten, isolated, and alone. From managing stressful workloads to coping with secondary trauma and sometimes facing frustration from families in crisis, it’s not hard to understand why caseworker turnover is so high. But here at The Forgotten Initiative, we believe well-supported caseworkers will more effectively serve children, leading to better outcomes for everyone.⁠

Our guest for this episode is here to give us an inside look at the kinds of struggles caseworkers may be experiencing in your community and how both individuals and churches can come together to give these professionals a network of support.

Brittni Hodges is currently a social worker at Delavan Schools in the same community where she grew up. However, she began her career as a foster care caseworker in Central Illinois.

During her time in this role, Brittni worked tirelessly to support children, biological families, and foster families within the complex demands of the foster care system. Despite heavy caseloads, limited resources, and challenging situations that took a toll on her emotional and physical well-being, her time as a caseworker profoundly shaped her understanding of compassion, resilience, and Christ’s love for all His children.

In this episode, Brittni helps us understand some of the most challenging parts of a caseworker’s role, how big of an impact community support can have on caseworkers, what kinds of resources can make a meaningful difference for local agencies, and much more.

Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes for this episode: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/brittni-hodges-264/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Sharing the stories of the foster care community.

0:04.1

This is The Forgotten podcast.

0:08.5

Continue to support your caseworker as much as you can and love them well because there's a lot going on behind the scenes that you don't know about or don't see.

0:16.8

They're tired.

0:18.1

They're exhausted.

0:19.1

Not that it's not important to support the other people in the foster care system,

0:23.4

but your caseworkers really need support and love too.

0:25.9

So take time to pray for them and to talk to them about their experience

0:30.2

and how you can love them well.

0:33.8

Hey, it's Jamie Cabe.

0:35.8

Welcome to the Forgotten podcast, where we are highlighting the stories of the people of foster care.

0:41.6

We want to bring you hope and encouragement in your journey and help you support the foster care community where you live.

0:49.1

This podcast is a resource of the Forgotten Initiative.

0:53.1

Learn more about our work across America

0:55.2

and how you can get involved by visiting

0:57.8

theforgotteninitiative.org.

1:00.2

And please consider joining with us on mission

1:03.4

with a gift of any amount.

1:05.8

You can do this by texting the word forgotten

1:08.4

to 44321. Okay, it's time. Let's do this.

1:21.4

Brittany Hodges began her social work career as a foster care caseworker in central Illinois,

1:27.4

a role she describes as both

...

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