The Right Training for the Job

March is National Social Work Month — a perfect time to shine a light on the people doing the hard, hopeful work of changing lives. Scott Waller is one of those people.

Scott didn't take a straight road to child welfare. He holds two master's degrees — a Master of Divinity and a Master of Social Work — and he spent years working in churches and faith-based nonprofits before joining Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services (PCHAS) in 2009. He’s also licensed as a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) in Texas. That mix of ministry and social work turned out to be exactly the right training for the job.

Today, Scott serves as Regional Director for North Texas, overseeing the PCHAS Foster Care and Adoption program in Wichita Falls, as well as community-based family preservation programs across West, North, and East Texas.

Two Worlds, One Mission

Scott’s social work training gave him a strong foundation in family systems, community needs, and program development. Working in churches afforded him real-life opportunities to implement those skills in the context of a faith community as he connected with people on a basis of shared values.

“I had to learn the vocabulary of two different worlds,” Scott says. “But that actually helped me. I could speak the language of faith communities and the language of social services.” That fluency has made him a bridge-builder in his work recruiting and supporting foster and adoptive families.

Building Bridges with Faith Communities

Scott is passionate about ensuring children are safe and loved, and he’s passionate about helping churches live out their calling to love God and love others. But ministry is work and it takes more than just enthusiasm. Scott knows that building these relationships and connecting the dots takes time, trust, and a whole lot of listening.

“People in faith communities don’t get involved because of the process,” he explains. “They get involved because of the ‘why.’ When you connect foster care to someone’s deepest values — to their faith — that’s when something shifts.”

Scott’s desire is for churches to see that supporting foster families isn’t just a good deed — it’s a natural extension of their mission. For many families, he says, saying “yes” to foster care becomes one of the most meaningful spiritual experiences of their lives. Committing to love and support foster and adoptive families in a wide range of ways can be equally rewarding.

What Children in Foster Care Really Need

After years of working directly with children in foster care, Scott has learned to listen closely to what they say they want most. He doesn’t have to guess.

“When I ask children what they need, they give me the same answer every time. They want family. It’s always family.”

That’s why Scott takes finding families so seriously. Foster parents don’t have to be perfect, he says. They just have to show up with love and a willingness to learn.

“Foster parents aren’t heroes — they’re ordinary people who offer something extraordinary: a safe place to belong. And PCHAS walks with them every step of the way.”

Hope Is the Point

If you ask Scott what drives him, he’ll tell you it’s the same thing that drives the families he works with — hope. Hope for children to heal. Hope for families to experience restoration. Hope for every child to find the love they deserve.

This National Social Work Month, we’re grateful for Scott and the many social workers at PCHAS who bring that hope to life every single day.

Interested in learning how you can help kids in foster care? We'd love to talk with you.

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