Name: Erika Barnes
Occupation: Health Services for Children with Special needs (ages 0-26) in Washington D.C.
Degrees: Bachelor’s in social work – A&T State University
Master’s in social work – Temple University
Master of Divinity – Howard University
Q: What inspired you to get into social work?
A: I have always been a helper and I’ve always wanted to make an impact and help African American children.
Q: What was your path to your current job? Did you have any past jobs?
A: I have been a social worker since 1992. My first job in social work was at the Child and Family Services Agency in Washington D.C. and I was an investigator of abuse. I then moved on to be a social worker for foster homes. There I would check up on different foster homes and make sure they were meeting the different regulations and the home was up to code. From there I moved to an adoption agency and worked there for a few years. And before I was in the job, I currently am I was a social worker in a juvenile detention center. This was probably my hardest job because a lot of kids don’t have a place to go when coming out of a juvenile so my job was to find them foster homes or connect them with their family or close friends that they could stay with. Then I would travel around the country and check up on the kids wherever they went. I’ve been to Florida, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma just all over the place.
Q: What are some basic roles/responsibilities of being a social worker?
A: We provide transportation and certain necessities that families might need for their child with a disability. We also conduct home visits with the child and their families to see how they are interacting in the household. With our older patients, there are times where they don’t want to go to the doctors or the dentist, so we give them little incentives if they do certain things throughout their day like $20 or before COVID-19 we’d surprise them with a movie ticket or something like that.
Q: What is your favorite, most rewarding part about being a social worker?
A: Just helping people and families that may not know how to help themselves. We provide people with occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy and so much more, and it’s just amazing to see the growth of different individuals who are a part of our program. I also love how kind and helpful other social workers are. Even though we all have our own individual cases, it really is a team effort to make sure all of our patients get the best possible help and care.
Q: What is the most surprising aspect of social work? What is something you didn’t expect?
A: I didn’t realize how broad social work really is and how many things social workers could do. I mean you can work in a hospital, at a school, in a juvenile just so many different ways to make a difference. I also didn’t realize how challenging it would be having to drive around D.C. laughs.
Q: What is the most challenging aspect of being a social worker?
A: It can be incredibly overwhelming at times. You continuously see broken families who are in desperate need of just someone to listen to them and I am so happy I can be that for other people. Another thing that can be challenging is the number of cases that can build up and you want to give everyone your best like I have 75 cases and there are more added by the day.
Q: What is some advice you can give to someone entering the health field?
A: Be open! And remember to ask as many questions as you can. It’s okay to not know everything but use every opportunity as a learning experience. Just be a blessing to the people and remember to take care of you.