2023 Outstanding Child Welfare Worker Nominees Announced

To continue our celebration of social workers beyond National Social Work Month, the Northern Academy is proud to announce the first slate of nominees for the 2nd annual Sarah Duncan Champion for Children and Families Award!

For those who submitted a nomination, thank you so much for taking the time to recognize one of your valued colleagues.

If you didn’t get a chance to nominate this year, don’t worry: We are already taking submissions for next year’s award.

And the nominees are…

Angela Benson, Trinity County: After years of doing amazing work in the substance abuse and recovery field, Angela began her journey as a Social Worker II in 2017. She recently earned her promotion to Social Worker III in August of 2022 as she works toward earning her M.S.W. from Chico State University. Her nominating colleague stated that Angela “is the incarnation of the client-centered, trauma-informed, strengths-based approach to social work, and it shows through the appreciation expressed by the clients she serves.”

Leah Brown, El Dorado County: Leah has dedicated nearly 20 years to El Dorado County Child Welfare, supporting her community of South Lake Tahoe as an investigating social worker. Widely recognized throughout the community for helping children and families, she holds herself to extremely high standards and sets an example for her colleagues, clients and community to do the same. Her nominating colleague shared that during a particularly challenging investigation, Leah was able to build rapport with the family and help them develop insight into the safety concerns. She has continued to support this family by advocating in a town that has minimal resources, and was ultimately able to help them achieve safety and stability without Court intervention.

Nick Gancayco, Lake County: Nick has been a Permanency Planning social worker for several years. His nominating colleague commended his tireless commitment to ensuring youth in his caseload learn to face and cope with their often-complex trauma. When one highly vulnerable youth on his caseload was asked if there was anything he wanted to share with either Nick’s nominating colleague or the judge responsible for their case, the youth responded, “Thank you for making Nick my social worker.”

Diana Mulina, Placer County: After joining her team with relatively little experience, Diana has demonstrated tremendous capacity for growth by asking questions, seeking training courses and learning from leadership and peers. Her nominating colleague noted her empathy, compassion, and willingness to go above and beyond to engage and help the children and families she works with. Despite having one of the higher caseloads on her team, including some difficult and complex cases, her colleagues commended her ability to “embrace the challenges that come with [the complex cases] and do her best to help the families in need.” Now, Diana is applying all she has learned and experienced to offer support and guidance to other staff without hesitation.

Huy Nguyen, Yolo County: Upon starting with Yolo County in 2022, Huy was assigned a sensitive and difficult case. His nominating colleague praised the way he jumped in and dedicated himself to aligning with the case’s tribal components, and the children in the case. “Huy has gone above and beyond for these children,” his nominating colleague wrote, “[as well as] in his advocacy, energy and professionalism for the well-being of these minors. We could not be more proud of him and his work at Yolo County.”

Amara Robles, Trinity County: Amara has been a Trinity County social worker for more than seven years, where she has participated in every part of case management from emergency response to post-permanency and engagement with contracted adoptions services. Her nominating colleague stated that Amara is a “leader amongst her peers,” providing mentorship and guidance to newer staff, as well as engaging agency management and stakeholders on a regular basis to ensure that needs are met for all of the children, youth, and families served by Trinity County Child Welfare Services.

Heidi Seddon, Mendocino County: Put simply, Heidi is a natural. She was praised by her nominating colleague for applying her natural kindness and ability to form positive relationships to her work teaming with families, which has translated to positive outcomes. “She is truly gifted in her teaming ability with her families,” they wrote, “and most importantly, her families really enjoy and respond well to her.”

Nicole Walters, Sutter County: Nicole has worked for Sutter County Child Welfare Services for 11 years. A case-carrying social worker and mentor for new staff, colleagues describe her as resourceful, knowledgeable, fair, responsive, and diligent. One colleague shared a success story in which Nicole assisted a homeless single father with securing housing through Sutter County’s Bringing Families Home (BFH) program. “Having his needs for safe and stable housing met,” her nominating colleague wrote, “the father was able to focus on reunifying with his child while building a healthy and supportive network of friends and family. Through this process, the father attended school and recently secured full-time employment, allowing him to become financially independent with the ability to maintain his housing, offering stability and safety to his child."

Additional Nominees to be Announced Soon

Stay tuned to our social media pages and/or our News Blog, where we’ll announce and feature additional 2023 Sarah Duncan Champion for Children and Families Award nominees, and the winner!

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