Profile of Edzetta Nimmons, MSW
Edzetta Nimmons is a Child Protective Specialist Supervisor II. She participated in the ACS MSW Scholarship program and graduated in 2000 from the Yeshiva University Wurzweiler School of Social Work with a concentration in clinical social work.Q: What do you do in the Queens Field Office?
A: I supervise five caseworkers and one Supervisor, who investigate allegations of abuse and neglect.
Q: How do you think the MSW has helped you in your work?
A: I use the skills that I gained from the MSW quite often. When I do an assessment of a family I'm much more attuned to possible underlying issues, not just those presented. I'm thus more apt to find services to address particular issues. The MSW also gives you more of a focus on the whole family rather than just the child. I think the MSW has also given me skills that allow me to be an effective supervisor. Caseworkers have hard jobs and I try to find ways to motivate and support them. They need to know that someone understands their work and the challenges it involves.
Q: Is there a particular case you can point to where your MSW skills really made a difference?
A: One case that I'm particularly proud of involved a mother that was deaf and mute. She was very uncooperative and her case ended up being passed from worker to worker in an effort to find someone who could convince her to cooperate with the ACS investigation. This mother was helped by my understanding of her need for dignity in the entire process of the ACS investigation, enabling her to obtain dignity in caring for her children. I worked with the mother and her children and found that it was a matter of being aware of the family's strengths. I focused on this family's will to stay together, and to obtain stable housing. To gain the mother's confidence, I utilized the translation services ACS provides and eliminated using the children as translators. This helped her access all needed services.