Episode 281: Behind the Scenes with an Agency Worker (w/ Abraham Choate)
The Forgotten Podcast
The Forgotten Initiative
4.9 • 532 Ratings
🗓️ 27 October 2025
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It’s no secret that the child welfare system can be frustrating for children, their biological families, and foster families alike. More often than not, agency workers are the people who have to carry the brunt of this frustration.
Yet, if we were to take a look behind the scenes, we would see individuals who care deeply about children and families and are doing their best to secure positive outcomes for the people they serve—but they are overworked, overwhelmed, and often trying to keep up with ever-changing policies.
My guest for this conversation is deeply familiar with nearly every part of the child welfare system, from investigations and licensing to prevention and support.
Abraham Choate has spent years serving children and families through the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families. He’s also a licensed social worker who provides counseling part-time. Abe’s story and perspective offer us a unique look into the realities of child welfare, helping us understand how we can better support and partner with our local workers.
In this episode, Abraham shares some of the inner workings on the agency side of child welfare, the stressful environment agency workers are thrust into, the importance of everyone having healthy boundaries, and much more.
Find resources mentioned and more in the show notes for this episode: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/abraham-choate-281/
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The reason why they come in contact with child welfare agency is because their life is exceptionally difficult. |
| 0:14.0 | And I try not to come into the spaces like somebody that's like demeaning or trying to tell them that they're not, that they don't have |
| 0:22.1 | worse or value as a parent. So you want to lift them up. Fundamentally, you're interacting with the |
| 0:27.1 | things that are most dear to them. Hey, it's Jamie Cabe. Welcome to the Forgotten Podcast, where we are |
| 0:34.7 | highlighting the stories of the people of foster care. We want to bring you |
| 0:39.3 | hope and encouragement in your journey and help you support the foster care community where you live. |
| 0:45.5 | This podcast is a resource of the Forgotten Initiative. Learn more about our work across America |
| 0:51.5 | and how you can get involved by visiting the forgotteninitiative.org. |
| 0:56.9 | And please consider joining with us on mission with a gift of any amount. |
| 1:02.1 | You can do this by texting the word forgotten to 44321. |
| 1:07.9 | Okay, it's time. Let's do this. |
| 1:23.2 | Today on the Forgotten podcast, we are joined by Abe Choate, who has spent years serving children and families through the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families. |
| 1:34.4 | His work has touched nearly every part of the child welfare spectrum from investigations and licensing to prevention and support. |
| 1:43.7 | He's also a licensed social worker who provides |
| 1:45.8 | counseling part-time. And beyond his professional role, Abe is husband to his wife Mandy and a dad |
| 1:52.1 | to twin daughters, Clara, and Magnolia. He grew up in rural Oregon, spent some time in Vermont, |
| 1:58.5 | and has called Spokane home since 2017. His story and perspective |
| 2:05.0 | offer us a unique look into the realities of child welfare and how foster parents can better |
| 2:10.6 | understand and partner with their local workers. Abe, I'm so happy to have you on today. Thanks for being here. |
| 2:16.9 | Thanks, Jamie. It's a pleasure to be here and I'm excited for it. Awesome. Well, I'm so happy to have you on today. Thanks for being here. Thanks, Jamie. It's a pleasure to be |
| 2:18.4 | here and I'm excited for it. Awesome. Well, I would love to hear your journey. How did you get into |
| 2:24.8 | this child welfare space? Was this something you thought you wanted to do from little on up? Tell us |
... |
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