Spotlight on CFCS: Christy Benjamin

There are countless stories that live within our walls at CFCS, but not all of them come from the children and families we work with. Our employees –  the social workers, case managers, interns, admins and directors who make our agency run smoothly – are the reason for our success as an organization. They also happen to be interesting people with quite a few good stories of their own!

We’re highlighting the rich experiences and perspectives our staff bring to the office with a series on the blog called “Spotlights on CFCS”. We’re excited to start this series with a spotlight on our Developmental Disabilities Program staff, and today we’re celebrating Christy Benjamin, DDP Case Manager. Christy is actually moving away from Massachusetts, so we are sad to say goodbye to her. But before she left, she was kind enough to sit down with us and reflect on her time at CFCS.

Tell us a bit about yourself! How did you come to work at CFCS?
I did my undergrad at the University of Miami, earning a BA in Sociology and Biology. I also completed a graduate degree in biomedicine at Tufts University with the goal of studying psychiatry. Life took a little detour when I found a strong interest in the field of social work. My bilingual skills in Haitian Creole steered me into the field of social work because I wanted to make meaningful contributions in the Haitian-American community.

Before I came to CFCS, I had done case management work with senior citizens of Haitian descent and was became curious about working with adults and children with special needs in the Haitian-American community of Boston.  I always felt enthusiastic when it came to positions that require fluency in Haitian Creole. It’s nice to be at an agency like CFCS that is aware of and sensitive to social challenges and barriers, and has the capacity to provide access to culturally competent professionals and promote the community participation of its clients.

What did you do at CFCS?

I was a DDP case manager, working with our Family Support Center. As a case manager in the Family Support Center you do a little bit of everything, but you want to have a clear idea of what’s happening so you don’t get overwhelmed.

The main part of my job – the “main dish” – was to assist families in appropriately allocating the stipend they receive from the Department of Developmental Services, to serve the needs of our clients with developmental disabilities.

To help clients appropriately allocate the funds they receive from DDS, we explain to them the “rules” – what they can spend their funds on, and what they can’t – and also let them know that there’s room for flexibility. To get approval for spending their funds a certain way, we help the families to make a case, creating an argument to advocate for their needs so their request can be granted by DDS. In general, money is tight, but we go all the way to make sure our clients have what they need to have the best possible quality of life.

A lot of advising families on their allocation spending comes down to cooperation between the case manager and the family. Some families know, because they’ve been with DDS for so long, what they need and how to ask for it. Newer families who haven’t worked with DDS before don’t necessarily speak that language. So we, the case managers, take the time to get to know them, figure out what they might need and make recommendations.

But this job has a lot of “side dishes” as well. A big side dish for me were the events and trainings the Family Support Center organizes and hosts as part of our practice in supporting families. I promoted these events and trainings to the families we work with, to get them to come. I figured out that replying to emails instantly, making frequent phone calls and giving each client a personal touch when I spoke with them helped to boost the level of interest in our events and trainings. By being a consistent point of contact for our families, I could make people more comfortable and interested in coming.

Another part of organizing our events is figuring out transportation logistics for our families. We can’t assume that everyone is able to come and leave easily at an event. Because of the special needs of our clients, when they RSVP “yes” we’re very mindful of their transportation needs and accommodation. We have to figure out if we’ll need to call them a cab or The Ride. We want to make sure they have a way to get here and a way to get back home safely.

I also tried to do my part in educating the Haitian Creole speaking families I worked with, so that if there’s not someone who speaks Haitian Creole available to explain something to them they have enough information to navigate the system and get their needs met. I wanted them to have a solid understanding of how to collaborate with our program and DDS, and a solid understanding of where to look for help.

How did permanency factor into your work?

We have to have conversations with families about their plans for what happens to an adult with developmental disabilities after their primary caregiver (usually a parent) can no longer provide for them. It’s difficult, but it’s very important that we talk with them about their long-term plans.

We provide permanency in the sense that we have those hard sensitive conversations with caregivers to ask them, who do you have apart from your case managers and paid professionals to support you? And how do you maintain those connections?

But for DDP families, permanency also includes our services – they’ll need to receive support from us or an agency like us for their whole lives. So we have to get to know the people and the accommodations they need. 

What are you looking forward to doing after CFCS?

Doing escape rooms, practicing my swing on the driving range, taking Krav Maga lessons, spending time with my family and blogging about Haitian restaurants