Charles is a child protective services worker who rarely talks about his work in social settings because he knows how much controversy it tends to provoke. Sometimes he is accused of being power-hungry and taking children from their families because he has some sort of quota to meet. Other times he is accused of having no concern for the safety of children and leaving them with abusive families because he is too lazy to do his job. It seems to him that people have no idea what his job is really like. Charles and his entire team have very large caseloads, far beyond what is recommended by professional organizations and their experts. He is also almost completely controlled by the red tape that seems to twist around him, whether from the federal government or the state government.

• Suppose that you, like Charles, are a child protective services worker. How does the federal government shape your work environment?
• How is your state government likely to influence your actions as a child protective services worker?
• Why d you think the public has such a wide range of attitudes about child protective services workers? What could you, as a CPS worker, do about that?