Blogging May Now Resume

My, my, it has been quite some time since my last entry. In the almost three month hiatus from this blog, I traveled back to the states to obtain the ever-elusive "Working Visa/Permit". In retrospect, it would have been easier to wrestle a grizzly bear to its death than to get legal immigration status. But there has been enough time wasted on that stupid Visa so I don't care to say another word about it....

Lets talk about this fabulous new job of mine! Oh. My. Gosh. Greatest job in the entire world! I just finished my first week and while my elation is mirrored with exhaustion, all in all it made me realize how lucky I am to live the life I lead.

So just as a reminder, my job is through the London borough of Tower Hamlets Children and Families Directorate. My (very) official title is "Extended Schools Social Worker". I am working within 4-5 different primary schools, each one on a different day of the week, doing assessment and intervention with students and their families. However, this role is very different than any school social work position I have seen in the States or elsewhere for that matter. The key focus of this position is on early intervention and prevention. So I'll be doing early intervention work with kids who have family dysfunction, behavioral issues, family substance abuse problems, acculturation issues, mental health diagnoses, self-harm, potential for sexual exploitation, learning disabilities, socialization problems....the list goes on, you get the idea. But yeah, the key is that I would be the first contact when any of these things first get noticed or red-flagged in a child....I would not be working with kids who have a long standing history with social services, as that is clearly not "early intervention".

So let me paint you a picture... I wake up on my first day of my first job which is essentially launching my career...in a different country... and I am....surprisingly calm. I feel collected and poised ready for what London had to throw at me. I manage to wiggle my way on to the sardine can that poses as a train in the 8-9am rush hour in London's busiest banking hub. (*Note* I won't mention that many unnecessary hours of traveling and nearly £10 later, I was politely shown by a coworker a way to walk to work from my very doorstep in under 15 minutes instead of joining the mass of suits on the sardine can every rush hour that would take up to a half hour one way.... but hey, what do they want from me? I am an immigrant!) Since I am continuously bouncing from school to school, I am actually based out of the Town Hall, aka Mulberry Place. This is where my bosses are, where team meetings are held, and where some of the other social workers in the team come to do paperwork.

When I walked in it was not what I was expecting. It was all rather corporate, each floor set up in the same identical square with groups of four or five computer desks clustered together, snaking the entire way around. The monotonous drone of printers and copy machines filled the room and the clickity clack of 9 inch high heel shoes started to sound like something out of a Gene Kelly Broadway production. The entire floor is the various teams that make up Children's Services. What I want to know is what are professionals who work with children doing in 9 inch stripper heels?? These women are out of their mind! Does shoe fashion know no boundaries, or morals for that matter, in this country?

But I digress...I managed to find the "Extended Schools" corner amidst the chatter of the morning settle. Both of my team managers are delightful...Vrinda, who interviewed me and consequently hired me, is so very dedicated to the concept and role of extended schools social work. Her tireless hours of shaping and molding this program over the last five years now show in the slight circles under her eyes. Sharon, the other newly hired team manager is one of those constantly-busting-your-balls type in the jolly way that makes the workplace all the more casual especially when someone else other than me is the target of her wit and playful sarcasm. I learned quickly that if I want to get any work done, I can't sit within 20 feet of her because her boisterous laugh is infectious and I am easily roped into her prattle.

Everyone was very welcoming and right away I just got that intuitive feeling that has happened to me on a few other occasions in my life. A metaphysical experience that tells me, by the powers at be, I am exactly where I am supposed to be the exact moment I am supposed to be there. So with every procedure read, with every induction meeting I had, I could feel myself breathing in contentment and swimming in complete happiness after what will prove to be one of the most challenging periods of my life.

Most of the first few days revolved around reading policies and procedures, getting trained on their database and intranet and really getting a feel for what exactly the role of extended schools social worker is. A lot of time is also spent trying to fill in the gaps between the American way of doing things in this field and the English way of doing things...especially when it comes to child protection (CP). And while I shouldn't be dealing with that often, it is bound to come into play here and there. And man oh man can they get crazy about child protection stuff here! Ever since Baby Pete died the whole country is up in arms about CP... everywhere you go it's Baby Pete this and Baby Pete that... good grief, it gives me anxiety! While I realize it was tragic and sad, Baby Pete is gone for goodness sake, so lets not focus on dead babies but the ones who are still living and need help! (If your interested just go to google and literally type in Baby Pete).

But the best part of the week by far was when I got to visit 2 of the schools that I will be working in. My start dates at the school haven't been solidified yet so it was just an informal meeting with the Head Teachers...whom we in the States know as Principals...to introduce myself. Both meetings were absolutely fantastic. Both of the Head Teachers seemed to be so dedicated and honestly beaming with excitement and enthusiasm of having a social worker in their school. It was great to talk about how flexible my role could be and that really I would become whatever the school needed me to become based on the most pervasive needs an issues.

Architecturally, the schools are quite interesting. Nothing like the schools in the States with long corridors and classrooms all running parallel to each other. Here the rooms are scattered all about and vary greatly in size and shape. Hallways are narrow and winding with a step or two here and there. All of the walls, ceilings and floors are a barrage of colors and every child is in a uniform. One little girl approached me and asked me my name, at which time she told me "Julie is a cool name", and then showed me a picture she had just drawn. She very excitedly was pointing to my face and practically shouted " Hey! Hey! Look Miss Julie, the girl in my picture has the sparkly thing on her nose too, just like you!!!" (referring to my nose ring). I was beside myself with amusement at this precocious little girl.

I am super excited to be working with such diverse populations as well. One of the schools is made up of 90% Bengali (Bangladesh) students and the rest Somalian. That school in particular has about 230 students, only 6 of which are Caucasian. But this isn't surprising considering that it is about as "inner city" as it gets and deprivation runs rampant. Working with families who are having difficulty adapting to the new culture they are living in will also be part of my job description so that should give you some idea of just how multi-faceted this position really is.

I could go on for days about how much I love it and how excited I am to hurl myself right into the thick of it and get going. But I probably have gone on too long as it is. So in closing, I couldn't possibly have had a better inaugural week and look forward to whats to come and what I can do with this position. My goal is to update this each week, to capture my work experience, and of course all of my experiences living here as an American expat.

Stay tuned and keep on keepin on! Peace and Love my friends!