Social Work, Foster Care, and the Day I Was Rescued

by Silas W. Kelly, LMSW  

     A taxicab pulled up in front of the apartment in Brooklyn, NY. A social worker got out and got the little boy off the stoop and walked him back to the cab. He opened the back door and put the little boy in.

     There was a beautiful woman (the late Mrs. Ruth Alexandra Cox) sitting in there, and on the other side of her was another little boy. Simultaneously, both little boys leaned forward and looked at each other. They immediately realized that they knew each other. They smiled at each other. The little boy who was already in the cab said to the other little boy who had just gotten in the cab, "You're my little brother, and I'm going to take care of you.”

     This is the story of two brothers separated and then reunited at ages three and five in a wonderful foster home. These two brothers would grow up together in the loving foster home of Mr. and Mrs. Oden and Ruth Cox in Amityville, NY. The boy who promised to take care of his little brother was Paul Kelly, and his little brother that he promised to take care of was Silas Kelly - that's me. This is the story of the reuniting of the two youngest of the Kelly siblings, Paul and Silas Kelly, rescued from the mean streets of Brooklyn, NY. This was made possible by the profession of foster care social work.

     The most important role a social worker has is to protect and safeguard young, innocent children. Sometimes, when children are not in the best of situations, social workers must be astutely aware, step in, and take action. That may call for placing children in foster care. This decision and the subsequent relocation of the child is of strategic importance to the child’s overall growth and development. In my case, I had been placed in a cruel and vicious environment. This was after being removed from my biological parents because of the challenges they faced raising eight young children who were eleven years apart, ranging in ages of three (me), to my late sister Nancy, who was fourteen at the time. (See "My Sister and I: Connected by Social Work.")

     The foster care system is an important entity in regard to the mental health and well-being of a child. Foster care social workers must recognize and remove young children from abusive and neglectful situations; stabilize young children traumatized by separation, abuse, and neglect; and then find them a suitable home to grow up and flourish in. Many times, that involves foster home placement. They must do this while doing everything they can to maintain contact with the child’s biological family, and then reunite everyone, if possible. If reunification is not possible, the social worker must try to have the child remain in one home, rather than to be bounced around. Foster care social workers do an outstanding job, and I am a living witness to the power of “foster care social work.”  I remain grateful for what they did for me.

Silas Kelly is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). He is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Silas is an award-winning radio/podcast producer. His goal is to promote, publicize, and highlight the social work profession.