AdoptUsKids to Honor Caseworkers for their Dedication to Children and Families
Lafayette, Louisiana, April 7, 2009 – AdoptUsKids announced today that Ms. Leslie B. Calloway of the Lafayette Parish Office of Community Services in Lafayette, Louisiana is the April recipient of its Caseworker of the Month award. This award is part of AdoptUsKids’ national initiative which celebrates caseworkers for their dedication to children and families. More information about Ms. Calloway and excerpts from her nomination by Alanda Plumbar, the foster parent that nominated her, can be found along with this month’s award announcement on www.adoptuskids.org and www.adopte1.org.
Thousands of foster, adoptive and kinship families across the United States rely on their caseworkers every day to connect them to vital services, offer support and guidance, and ensure the safety, permanency and well-being of children in the foster care system.
Nearly 300,000 children in the United States enter the foster care system each year. Over half of these children will return to their parents, while the remainder of them will stay in the foster system awaiting identification of an alternate permanent family. Currently there are 496,000 children in the foster care system; approximately 130,000 are waiting for permanent families. Over 20,000 children “age out” of the system each year without being adopted. About half of the children in foster care are children of color, with older African American boys waiting the longest for adoption.
Alanda Plumbar stated, “Leslie Calloway is a great caseworker. 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.”
Reflecting on this recipient of the Caseworker of the Month initiative, AdoptUsKids’ Project Director, Kathy Ledesma said, “Leslie B. Calloway’s work with the Plumbar family is a shining example of the excellent work that public and private child welfare agency caseworkers do everyday across the United States."
After being nominated for this award, Ms. Calloway stated “I have 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.”
The Collaboration to AdoptUsKids
The Collaboration to AdoptUsKids is a multi-faceted, five-year, federally funded project. Its mission is to assist States and Tribes in their efforts to recruit and connect foster and adoptive families with waiting children throughout the United States. The Collaboration is managed by the Adoption Exchange Association (AEA) based in Baltimore, Maryland, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Children's Bureau. For more information, call AdoptUsKids at (888) 200-4005.
Lafayette Parish Office of Community Services
The Office of Community Services provides for the public child welfare functions of the state and administers the federal grants for services directed at meeting the special needs of Louisiana's most vulnerable citizens. For more information, call (225) 342-0286.
Contact:
Kate Kirkpatrick
kkirkpatrick@adoptuskids.org
(717) 545-5251