United for Families names Erickson Child-Welfare Professional of the Quarter
Fort Pierce – Ashley Erickson, an adoptions specialist for Children’s Home Society, was awarded the United for Families Child-Welfare Professional of the Quarter Award February 11 during an in-service training about working with poverty.
United for Families, which hosted the training, is the community based care agency that coordinates and oversees child-welfare services in St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River and Okeechobee counties. Erickson’s employer, Children’s Home Society, is part of United for Families’ network of providers and provides case-management services in Martin, Indian River and Okeechobee counties as well as adoption services in all four counties.
Erickson is the first member of the adoptions teams to win the award.
United for Families created the award as a way to recognize and better support the efforts of dependency case managers and other child-welfare professionals, who coordinate services for children in the dependency court system.
Erickson’s supervisor, Michelle Dorrington, said Erickson is always eager to help her families during their greatest times of crisis.
“Adoptions has never won an award so it was a wonderful surprise not only for me but my whole unit,” Erickson said. “Receiving this award means a lot; it means that my work, attitude and dedication really are appreciated.”
A district-wide Supervisor of the Year also was announced during the training.
The 2009 Supervisor of the Year is Andrea Willocks, also a Children’s Home Society employee who has worked as a child-welfare professional for a decade.
I feel very honored and grateful to United for Families for recognizing my hard work and dedication,” Willocks said. “I also want to thank my unit, as I would not be supervisor of the year without their hard work and support.”
Both Erickson and Willocks received a cash bonus for their accomplishments. In addition, Erickson received complimentary tickets to United for Families’ signature gala, Le Bal Masque, and automatically will be entered into the Child Welfare Professional of Year Award contest. The winner of that award will receive an additional bonus during the March 5, 2011 gala.
For more information about United for Families, or to contribute, please call Christina Kaiser at 398-2920 Ext. 298, or visit www.unitedforfamilies.org.
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