In this episode, we are having a conversation on a powerful concept many child welfare workers feel but don’t always have language for: moral injury.

We unpack the difference between simple burnout and the deeper, soul-level injury that happens when we know what compassionate, ethical care should look like, yet are forced to operate inside systems that often make that impossible.

We reflect on how this plays out across social work, foster care, and kinship care, where both workers and families can feel powerless, conflicted, and even complicit while trying to do the right thing.

This is a heavy but important conversation for those serving in helping professions, and we end by encouraging those carrying these burdens, naming that moral injury is real, and reminding you that ultimate justice and restoration belong to God.

Episode Highlights:

• Social Work Appreciation Month
• Moral Injury
• The Weight of Child Welfare
• Soul Care

Find More on Hope Bridge/Links from this Episode:

• Follow The Christian Social Worker on Instagram
• Follow Socialworkaholic on Instagram
• The Legacy Scholarship from The Christ Foundation
• Visit Our Website
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on Facebook

Join us for our Annual Benefit Dinner!

In honor of Social Work Appreciation Month, we’re resharing one of our earlier conversations with Blake Boyer.

Blake is a Christian social worker whose passion is encouraging and equipping believers who are fostering, adopting, and supporting children and families involved in the child welfare system. She also mentors social workers as they navigate the challenges of this important work.

In this episode, Blake shares honestly about the realities of the child welfare system and the unique pressures social workers often face. She offers practical encouragement for those serving on the front lines and reminds us that even when the work is hard and the outcomes aren’t always visible, God is still at work.

Whether you are a social worker, foster or adoptive parent, or someone who cares about children and families in crisis, this conversation is a powerful reminder that faith, perseverance, and community matter in this work.

Episode Highlights:

• Blake’s Background
• Challenges for Social Workers
• Setting Boundaries as a Social Worker
• Blake’s Passion for Change
• Encouragement for Foster Families and Social Workers

Find more on Guest:

• Blake’s Instagram
• Blake’s Blog

Find More on Hope Bridge:

• Visit Our Website
• Follow us on Instagram

Join us for our Annual Benefit Dinner!

In this episode, we sit down with Kirsten Smith, Summit County Coordinator for Hope Bridge, to hear her incredible journey as a mother of nine adopted children from foster care. Kirsten shares openly about her family’s story, beginning with her and her husband Josh navigating infertility and feeling God’s call toward adoption. She reflects on bringing home sibling groups, the challenges of raising children from trauma, and the unexpected ways God has provided for their family, including a miraculous gift of a bigger home and navigating her own health struggles with thyroid cancer.

Kirsten also opens up about the ongoing challenges of parenting a child with serious mental health needs, including multiple inpatient psychiatric stays, and how her faith has sustained her through seasons of uncertainty, grief, and fear. She emphasizes the importance of trusting God’s plan, embracing His timing, and stepping into foster care and adoption even when the path feels overwhelming.

This episode is full of hope, honesty, and encouragement for anyone involved in foster care, adoption, or walking a season of unexpected trials.

Episode Highlights:

• From infertility to adoption
• Raising kids from trauma
• God’s unexpected provision
• Faith through health struggles
• Navigating mental health challenges
• Trusting God’s plan
• Encouragement for foster parents

Find more on Guest:

• Support Kirsten’s Son in Funding His Residential Treatment
• In the Room by Maverick City Music
• Lifesong for Orphans

Find More on Hope Bridge:

• Chat with a Hope Bridge Staff Member
• Visit Our Website
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on Facebook

Join us for our Annual Benefit Dinner!