Deborah O’Flaherty-Lewis is a well-known Child Protective Investigator Supervisor within the child welfare community in the Broward County’s Sheriff’s office. She serves as the liaison between law enforcement agencies, Child Protective Services, the Juvenile Justice Service, and foster care agencies to determine the best course of action in some of the county’s most difficult cases. In all cases of child abuse and neglect, the details are heartbreaking, sometimes horrific. O’Flaherty-Lewis says that to survive the day-to-day stress and heartache, one has to operate with an open heart and an open mind.
Deborah O’Flaherty-Lewis says that it is easy to become discouraged even after one day on the job working within the child welfare community, but the great case workers who stay and try to help as many children as they can, have to truly believe in their work. This belief makes it easier to withstand setbacks and roadblocks. O’Flaherty-Lewis herself has encountered many difficult situations over her years working in Child Protective Services. She wouldn’t have risen to a supervisor position if she let those profoundly discouraging moments wear down her motivation.
Deborah O’Flaherty-Lewis says that the most rewarding part of her job is watching a family learn how to become functional and realize that they need to make changes in the way they operate as a family unit. She is encouraged by the fact that in most child welfare cases, the love is there, but parents don’t always have the tools and advantages that other parents take for granted when raising their children. She loves to provide these families with the resources they need to take better care of their kids.
Deborah O'Flaherty-Lewis 