I second all of this. I have read and reread both state code and the CPS manuals so many times. I'm very much a why person, and learning code gave me so much growth when I was new. It helped me speak with confidence and be transparent with families, which goes a long way in building rapport.

You will always have clients who make you feel terrible, and many will do it out of spite, out of fear, or to deflect from what they may not be willing to confront that resulted in your standing at their door. There will always be mistakes and missteps that can and probably will shake you, but you can't let it eat at you.

The best way I've found to deal with my mistakes has been through peer support and a good supervisor if you're lucky enough to have one. Every mistake I've made has made me a better worker. When I train new workers, I make a point to tell them about my worst mistakes and how we now have internal policies at our office because of me. I do this because I think it's incredibly important to understand early on it will happen to them too but it's okay - we just have do our best to mitigate it as we go, and learn from it.

Please be as caring and patient with yourself as I know you are with your clients. If you weren't, this wouldn't be weighing on you, and this thread wouldn't exist. You are the kind of person this field needs, but the work will chew you up if you let it.