Julie Hanscom

Agency: Casa de los Niños

Term: Fall - 2001

I am currently interning at Casa de los Niños. Casa was the nation's first crisis nursery for children at risk of child abuse and neglect, and it has continued to grow and develop new programs over the years. My main responsibilities are within the Family Visitation Services program, which serves families of divorce. These responsibilities include providing a safe environment through supervising visitation among children and non-custodial parents, and child exchanges between custodial and non-custodial parents. I am also required to objectively document each visit and exchange that I supervise.

I chose to do my internship with Casa de los Niños because of their history and their desire to help children in need. I have always wanted to work with children, and this internship provided me with the opportunity to do just that. After graduation, I plan to take a year off from school and continue working in this field. I will then attend graduate school to pursue my Masters of Social Work.

Working at Casa has helped me to gain a better understanding of the various issues that social workers face everyday. I have learned that unfortunate incidents affect all walks of life. No one is immune from these realities, regardless of socio-economic status, cultural background, or age. I have also learned to be patient. Because many of the children I work with are going through their parents' divorce, they a have a hard time getting close to others. I have learned that in order to foster a relationship with these children, I need to be patient and understanding, and let them initiate a connection when they are ready.

My advice for anyone interested in doing this internship is to remain neutral so that you are able to maintain objectivity and impartiality when working with clients. It is also important to keep in mind that these individuals are dealing with extremely sensitive issues. At times, they may be irrational or confrontational. These situations should be taken in stride and not considered personal.

Overall, working at Casa de los Niños has been a very rewarding experience. In the area of social work, the rewards are not always as obvious as we would hope, and over time you realize that the little things make a big difference. I remember a time when I had to miss a visit that I normally do. I figured that the little boy probably wouldn't even notice that I was gone. When I opened the door to start the visit the next week, the little boy ran inside, hugged my leg and told me that he had missed me. It's hard to know how your presence affects the visitors that you are supervising. I had previously thought that my presence was unnoticed by the child. This helped me to realize that we never know when we are touching the lives of others.

University of Arizona | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
School of Family and Consumer Sciences | Family Studies and Human Development

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