7th Annual Child Placement Conference

8^th Annual Child Placem= ent Conference

Supervisor of the Year

Name of Nominee: = Dianne Burton

Name of Age= ncy: &= nbsp; Families First

Dian= ne Burton has been a social worker for over 35 years. The majority of that has been devoted to the well-being of children and families who are in the Child Protective services of the state. Twenty-eight of those years were dedicate= d to working in the metro-Atlanta area.

Over= the years, Mrs. Burton has pioneered collaborative work between foster parents, social workers and birth parents of the children in Families First foster c= are, including birth parent visitation within the foster home, more contact betw= een birth parents and foster parents and birth parents involvement in school ev= ents or doctor’s appointments.

Mrs.= Burton truly starts with the end in mind; reunification of the child with their parent(s). She knows that parents must be prepared to become better parents= and that a parenting course is no substitute for one-on-one nurturing of the bi= rth parent who often has needs that have gone unmet since their own childhood. =

When reunification is not possible, Mrs. Burton facilitates adoption of the child into a permanent new family, which often turns out to be the foster parents’ family. She truly recognizes that a family is the one and on= ly base from which children grow into productive, happy adults.

Mrs.= Burton exemplifies the best in social work; stretching the boundaries of practice = in order to serve the whole client.

Leadership Award

Name of Nominee: = The Honorable Steven Teske

Name of Age= ncy: &= nbsp; Juvenile Court of Clayton County

Judge Steven C. Teske has served as Juvenile Court Jud= ge of Clayton County since July 1999. Judge Tesk= e is a visionary and leader who has brought changes to Clayton County which have spread to other jurisdictions and even other states. He is the author of the nationally acclaimed FAST-START Program, which emphasizes alternatives to detention for juveniles. This program is grounded in a collaborative model that integrates all systems of government, including the private sector. This collaborative also employs a single point of entry for children and youth who are at risk of a petition being filed in court and serves as a preventive measure for families. This panel is called the Quad-= CST (Clayton County Child Collaborative Study Team). The collaborative consists= of an executive committee that meets bi-annually and includes the heads of all public and private child welfare agencies, law enforcement, mental health, juvenile justice, school system and other related agencies. Over 125 citizen volunteers have been recruited to serve on standing committees to address juvenile justice and child welfare issues in the county and make recommendations to the executive committee to be passed on to the juvenile court.

As a result of these innovative changes, Clayton County has experienced a 50% decrease in its recidivism rate among juvenile probationers and a reduction in minority confinement of 40% since 2003. Jud= ge Teske has also negotiated a protocol between the Clayton County School Syst= em and the police departments providing school resource officers, which prohib= its the filing of misdemeanor offenses in juvenile court and developing an alternative disciplinary system for this population. Consequently, the numb= er of filings has decreased by nearly 80% since its inception in 2004.

This past year, Judge Teske has taken the lead in prov= iding attorneys for children in deprivation cases and using CASA as GALs. Last October, he presented at = Emory Law = School on behalf of Barton Law Clinic on child’s rights to counsel in abuse = and neglect cases. Judge Teske co-authored an article, with Melissa Carter of t= he Child Advocate’s Office , which was published in the August 2007 edit= ion of the Georgia Bar Journal titl= ed “The Next Generation of Child Advocacy: Protecting the Best Interest = of Children by Promoting a Child’s Right to Counsel in Abuse and Neglect Proceedings.”

Judge Teske has been recognized by the Governor as an advocate for children by his appointment to the Governor’s Children a= nd Youth Coordinating Council where he serves as Vice Chair and on the Departm= ent of Juvenile Justice Judicial Advisory Board. He also serves as the Georgia representative on the National Coalition for Juvenile Justice and the OJJDP Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice.

Volunteer of the Year

Name of Nominee: = Mr. Willie Battle

Name of Age= ncy: &= nbsp; Men Making a Difference – Au= gusta, GA

The reason’s Willie Battle deserves this award are numerous. Mr. Battle s= aw the need for real role models for African-American youth, particularly males. A retired sergeant in the Army, Mr. Battle set out on his mission. He founded= an organization named Men Making a Difference and he set out to live up to that name. In the process, he and his fellow mentors have become an irreplaceable part of the Augusta Juvenile Court. His organization provides mentoring services, structure and guidance for many of our most at risk youth. His connections with the military have been beneficial, as many active and reti= red soldiers have dedicated their time and efforts to helping our youth. Though created to assist and mentor primarily African-American males, Mr. Battle h= as been a friend to many at-risk children, no matter what color or social stat= us.

Mr. = Battle and his organization have been tireless workers for the children involved w= ith the Augusta Juvenile Court. They do not receive any money, yet they work as hard as or harder than some of the paid employees. I can always count on hi= m to assist with the toughest cases. Mr. Battle has never refused my call or declined to assist the court. The dedication he and his fellow mentors prov= ide is without comparison, for if no one else can get a kid to open up, Mr. Bat= tle can. He never raises his voice, is always positive and is always thinking of ways he can better help our kids. In the process, Mr. Battle and the other mentors have been father figures to the youth and have helped many of them = stay in school, respect themselves and their families and become the young men a= nd women we all hoped they would become.

Friend of Children

Name of Nominee: = Dr. Janice Shieh

Name of Age= ncy: &= nbsp; Augusta RYDC

Dr. = Janice Shieh is without a doubt one of the best clinicians I have ever encountered. Not only is she extremely skilled in diagnostics and treating, but she is professional and personable. Her level of expertise in mental health issues= is superior, but what truly makes her special is her level of advocacy and compassion that she displays 100% of the time. In a field like mental health where quality of care is so dependent on the subjective aspects of the clinician, Dr. Shieh is beyond compare. She is able to combine clinical expertise with the therapeutic personality very eloquently.

Dr. = Shieh holds the youth she treats in the detention facility very close to her hear= t. She has been on call for 24 hours every day of the week since the facility reopened. Her positive light shines over not just the youth, but over the s= taff as well. Dr. Shieh goes well beyond the call of duty to make sure the youth= are safe and secure. The youth at the Augusta Detention Facility would be filled with joy if they knew she has received this award today. She has truly touc= hed their lives in so many ways. = The kids describe her as being caring, compassionate, humble, dedicated and trusting.

Dr. = Shieh makes great effort to support the youth, despite the mistakes they have mad= e. Dr. Shieh teaches the kids and the staff that “People have two hands… One for helping ourselves, and another for helping others.R= 21; Not only does she teach this to the kids, but she practices this in her lif= e as well. She is an excellent friend and role model for all of the kids she com= es into contact with. She advocates on behalf of children who would normally h= ave no one to speak up for them. She has made court appearances to educate the judicial system about mental illnesses and cognitive impairments.

In s= ummary, Dr. Shieh is a true champion of children. She will put her reputation on the line to fight for the rights of children. At times, people have become angr= y or upset with her but she stands by her decisions and what she believes is mor= al and ethical and in the best interest of children. Her hard work and her advocacy bring hope to those who are at a disadvantage.

Friend of Children

Name of Nominee: = Rachel Ewald

Name of Agency: &nb= sp; Volunteer Child Advocates

If y= ou ask her, Rachel Ewald will proudly tell you she is the mother of more than 45 children in 18 years. Without a doubt, she has been every bit of a loving mother to each and every child – beginning with the first Georgia= foster child she received 13 years ago. He was 12 days old and arrived straight fr= om the hospital with nothing more than a diaper, a soiled gown, and a hospital receiving blanket. Over the years, Rachel has seen this situation over and over, with children being removed from their homes and sent to foster care = with little more than the clothes on their backs. Rachel has also seen many lovi= ng families stop providing foster care because they simply could not afford to provide all the things growing children need on the small stipend the state pays.

In 1= 997, Rachel started what eventually because the Foster Care Support Foundation (FCSF) with the mission to support abused and neglected children entering t= he foster care system by making it possible for them to have every day items t= hat other kids have. For example, FCSF provides children in foster care with in-style school clothes, shoes, coats, toys, cribs, seats, strollers and car seats. FCSF has grown from serving a few hundred children to over 4,000 fos= ter children across the state in 2007. FCSF was entirely run by volunteers until 2006 when Rachel began drawing a small salary as the Executive Director.

FCSF= is a wonderful example of an organization mobilizing the community to help child= ren in foster care. Rachel and her family have spent countless hours building t= he organization. She also has a cadre of volunteers who work at the FCSF distribution center every week, with some taking on supervisory responsibilities. FCSF is supported by local faith based organizations, businesses, community organizations, and individuals who realize how import= ant it is to meet the needs of at-risk children in foster care.

Rach= el has worked closely with the state and county level Department of Family and Children’s Services to make sure eligible foster children are referred for services and that foster families receive needed items. Her outstanding work was recognized by the GA Department of Family and Children’s Services in 2002 when she received the “Beacon of Light” award.= In addition, first Lady Mary Purdue has worked on behalf of FCSF, by twice hos= ting a tea at the Governor’s Mansion to help obtain prom dresses and accessories distributed by FCSF to foster teens who want to attend their pr= om.

Case Manager of the Year

Name of Nominee: = Michael Marks

Name of Age= ncy: Fayette County CSO, Department of Juvenile Justic= e

Michael Marks has been in service with The Department = of Juvenile Justice for over 30 years. He has demonstrated outstanding knowled= ge and skill during his tenure and has a reputation as a superb case manager i= n Fayette County.

His commitment to role modeling, teaching and leadersh= ip is not only extended to the lives of the youth he touches, but also to his pee= rs and associates. His competence, compassion and ethics are exemplary. He is capable of building social and rehabilitative skills for our youth, and commands an excellent working relationship with the parents of the youth, as well as various other agencies and court workers.

For the past 30 years, Mr. Marks has been a steward fo= r his agency and continues to excel as an excellent case manager. He is a dedicat= ed worker who truly believes in providing rehabilitative services for our yout= h.

Public Servant of the Year

Name of Nominee: = Honorable John B. Sumner

Name of Age= ncy: &= nbsp; Cherokee County Juvenile Court

Judg= e John B. Sumner, is the Presiding Judge for the Blue R= idge Judicial Circuit and serves Cherokee County Georgia. Judge Sumner is a man of great compassion and vision. Judge Sumner has been= a chairperson for the CASA for children Board of Directors and he currently services on the local Drug Endangered Children Task Force, through which he spearheaded the Drug Free Cherokee program. Additionally, Judge Sumner is a local Cub Scout leader, while maintaining involvement in the Teach One to L= ead One Program, which teaches the universal principles of integrity, respect a= nd courage to youth who are at-risk. He also serves on the Judicial Council of Juvenile Court Judges through the Permanent Placement Committee. Further, J= udge Sumner supervises the Citizen Review Panels for Cherokee County through court staff.

His = interest in teen issues is extended into programming designed to meet their special = and unique needs, such as Anger Management Counseling Programs through the Cher= okee County Juvenile Justice Agency, along with programming for a Young Women’s Group, which meets regularly to discuss issues of concern for young ladies, such as pregnancy prevention, dating violence and family issu= es. He spearheaded the Senior Pride program to enable high school seniors, still involved in the foster care system to participate in activities some seniors take for granted, such as yearbooks, class rings, cap and gown and other expenses related to senior year and graduation. Last school year, another program Judge Sumner supported was the In-School Probation Officer/Mentor Program, operated in conjunction with DJJ and local middle and high schools. This program provides much needed support for at-risk youth during the scho= ol day.

In September, 2007, Judge Sumner brought the first Justice for Children Summit= to Cherokee. Through his leadership, the Supreme Court Staff of Georgia’s Committee on Justice for Children will unite stakeholders from every arena serving children in Cherokee County, for the purposes of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the county and developing an action plan to ach= ieve goals, so that Cherokee County will serve its’ children to the best of its’ ability. Sharing this statistical information regarding the qual= ity of the courts’ service makes a strong statement about his vision and servant’s heart. Judge Sumner recognizes the needs of the children and youth of Cherokee County, devises a p= lan to meet their needs, finds the funds and people to work the plan and keeps everyone on task and feeling great about their endeavors. Cherokee County is truly blessed to have the Honorable John B. Sumner serve their county.