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 "Best Practice" Award for Child Welfare Workers "I enter my job each day knowing that I need to put myself in these children's shoes and understand the world from their perspective," said Ann Rickitts, Youth Support Counselor for MercyFirst, a foster provider agency. Rickets was among a dozen honorees receiving the 2009 Best Practice Award, given annually by the Child Welfare Fund. The ceremony, held at ACS's Children's Center on September 15, honored the workers "for changing the child welfare field for the better." The Best Practice Award, administered by the Council on Family and Child Caring Agencies (COFCCA), honors caseworkers, parent advocates, supervisors and agency leaders who advocate for families, give voice to the problems of youth in foster care, and often go well beyond the call of duty.
"Recognizing the exceptional dedication of our front line child welfare staff is an honor and an inspiration to us all," said COFCCA's Chief Executive Officer Jim Purcell. "Their commitment to ensuring the safety, well-being, and permanency of the children and families they work with makes all the difference for these families. I only wish that everyone could hear their stories." COFCCA is the principal representative for the not-for-profit child welfare organizations in New York City. It administers the award, along with the Child Welfare fund, which assists organizations that help children and families. Among those cheering on the honorees was ACS Deputy Commissioner Valerie Russo of the Division of Quality Assurance. "Children's Services embraces and supports workers both in our agency and in our partner agencies who constantly strive to strengthen and improve practice," said Russo, who added an encouraging message for the honorees: "When you find yourself facing difficult challenges, remember that what you do really does matter for families."
Individual foster provider agencies nominated employees for the award, which has been presented annually since 1998. Commissioner Gladys Carrion of New York State's Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) pointed out that "very few people get a chance every day to make a difference in the life of a child [as you do]. I thank you!" She noted that Governor Paterson has named 2009 the "Year of the Child Welfare Worker." Each honoree expressed the message they want to send to colleagues about the importance of best practices in child welfare. Said Sandra Killett, Parent Advocate for The Children's Village: "Be empathetic, honest, trusting and non-judgmental and believe in the spirit of resilience in every family." Added Geordana Weber, Caseworker with the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Services: "Best practice involves accepting that even when families exhibit maladaptive coping skills or risky behavior, they are still the expert on their own needs."
The honorees receiving the 2009 Best Practice Award are: Jewish Child Care Association Caseworkers Alice Armstrong and Tracy Dreher; The Children's Village's Janal Early (Caseworker); Sandra Killett (Parent Advocate); Aswan Morris (Youth Advocate) and Edward Rice (Supervisor); Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service/East New York Family Center's Caseworkers Audrey Henry and Geordana Weber; Andrus Children's Center's Senior Residential Care Worker Guerschom Joseph; MercyFirst's Ann Rickitts (Residential Care Worker) and Jacquelyn Smallwood (Parent Advocate); and St. Dominic's Home's Director Annette Thomas. Along with the award, each honoree received $1,000.
In addition, agency managers received awards in the
Senior Manager Award category, and those honorees are: Ann McCabe, Assistant
Executive Director of Catholic Guardian Society Home Bureau and Luis A.
Rodriguez, Senior Vice President of Abbott House. ________________ Related Pages: |  |
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