April 2009 Caseworker of the Month
Leslie B. Calloway
Child Welfare Specialist-3
Lafayette Parish Office of Community Services
Lafayette, Louisiana
Leslie Calloway is a great caseworker. It is evident that Leslie believes in what she does. She takes time with our Foster daughter. When my husband and I do not know what to do, we call Leslie. If she is not able to accept a call she returns all calls and text messages. Although Leslie has children at home, she attends school meetings and other school activities for her foster children. When one of her children aged out of foster care and needed some where to live, Leslie helped to transition the child to my home to live until she could get an apartment for the child. Also, she uses wisdom as a parent in all of her decisions. She allowed our foster daughter to feel comfortable voicing her opinion and encouraged her to participate in various activities including attending dance classes. It has been almost as if this child has three mothers: biological, foster (me), and Leslie. My foster daughter is graduating early from high school with a 3.8 average, has secured tickets to the presidential inauguration and put together a trip to Washington D.C for students at her school, attended law camp at Howard University this past summer, and is very active in various school organizations. I have heard several people say that my foster daughter is a success story. If it were not for Leslie's dedication to her foster children I am sure that this child would not be so successful.
Alanda Plumbar
Foster mother
Lafayette, Louisiana
“I am currently working in Foster care. I was initially hired in the Child Protection Investigations (CPI) Division. I knew immediately that CPI was not quite for me, and I was later offered a position in Foster Care. In Foster Care I had/have the opportunity to develop lasting relationships with children and families and reap the benefits of my hard work - be it reunification or independent living for teenagers. I have had much pleasure in working with teenagers as I have accepted it as my responsibility to assist them in their transition to independence. My reward is knowing that I'm giving the children that I serve the right tools, direction, and support to live a productive life. I've worked in this field for over 11 years now. My work with the Plumbar family was very nice. They were very accommodating to our agency and the child in their home. They are the definition of going above and beyond, exemplifying commitment to our children.” - Leslie B. Calloway
Read the press release.