Ashley Pear

Agency: Aviva Children's Services

Term: Spring - 2004

I am volunteering with Aviva Children’s Services as a Case Aide for Child Protective Services in a unit specializing in ongoing cases. Under the supervision of a casemanager, Case Aides act as assistants by conducting home visits, assessing client needs, researching social services, scheduling appointments, writing reports, filing case documents, supervising visitations between children and their parents, and assisting with other case manager responsibilities as requested by the case manager.

Aviva Children’s Services is a non-profit organization that works closely with Child Protective Services. The organization’s main purpose is to provide children who are currently involved in the CPS system with different physical, financial, and emotional services that may be difficult for CPS to provide. Aviva links these children with the resources in the community that can be of support to them, such as through the assistance of volunteers. The contracting agency trains volunteers that offer their services to fill positions as case aides, visit supervisors, child history investigators, life book writers, mentors, office assistants, and other service positions. For volunteers and staff, the organization looks for people who are caring and have a strong desire to aid children in crises and require no previous experience in social services.

I decided to do an internship through Aviva because I love working with children and wanted to gain valuable experience in a career similar to the one that I hope to have after graduation. I was unsure of exactly what I wanted to do for a career, and thought that the internship would give me a better idea of some different options. I wanted to learn what social service jobs really entailed and if I would actually enjoy this type of profession. One of the main things I have learned is how much paperwork a CPS case manager has to do! I have also learned about many of the aspects involving the court system and a lot of information overall about the social welfare system.

Going on home visits and talking to the children are some of the best parts of my internship. I was able to go on one home visit that was especially great, because I saw a couple of children who were thriving in the home of their grandparents after being placed there by CPS caseworkers. I was able to talk to them, see a great improvement in their development, and feel good that they had been protected and placed in a warm and loving environment. This was a really rewarding experience that showed me how important and worthwhile this career can be, in the midst of dealing with difficult situations.

The internship program is a very satisfying experience and a great opportunity to gain experience and to really apply the things Family Studies students are learning in their classes. I would definitely recommend that any student interested participate in an internship, especially if they are unsure of their career plans. Internships also prepare students for what a possible career actually entails, allow students to see first hand what responsibilities involve a particular career, and help them to learn about other possible career paths. Working with CPS has showed me that I really want to work in some aspect of child welfare. At the moment, I hope to work for a non-profit organization that offers adoption, foster care, and case management services. Later on, I may consider attending graduate school; however, this will most likely not be immediately upon graduation.

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

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