Celebrating Northern California's Outstanding Social Workers

September is National Child Welfare Workforce Recognition Month

 

In support of the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute's Child Welfare Workforce Recognition Month, we're excited to join them in recognizing some of our outstanding child welfare social workers in Northern California this month. We recently reached out to leaders throughout Northern California asking them to help us by nominating their outstanding social workers—and we've been thrilled to see so many social workers nominated for recognition.

We’ll be highlighting each of these outstanding social workers individually here on our news blog as well as on the Northern Academy Facebook Page. Be sure to "like" and "follow" us on Facebook and add our News Blog to your bookmarks to stay up to date as we highlight these amazing social workers throughout September.

 

This Week’s Outstanding Social Workers

This week, please join us in congratulating these outstanding child welfare social workers who were nominated by their supervisors and colleagues:

 

Angela Berglund, Trinity County 

"Angela has been with the department for over 6 years. She carries a vertical caseload and is our in-house transitional age youth specialist. She spends a lot of time with her clients in their homes and easily connects with them. She is able to have those hard conversations with her clients as well as knowing when they need empathy and grace."
~ Mario Angelone, Trinity County

 

Tammy Stewart, Siskiyou County

"Tammy is determined to "change the face" of child welfare and show our community the positive impact child welfare can have in our community. As an emergency response social worker, she always goes the extra mile to help the families she is working with. She is creative and constantly thinking outside of the box to help identify services for families in our rural county. Tammy diligently works on building and maintaining community relationship in order to refer and serve the clients she is working with." 
~ Corey Watson, Siskiyou County

 

Jordan Harrington, El Dorado County

"Since joining our team in 2015, Jordan has been driven to learn new skills and has gone out of her way to research and understand the regulations that govern the child welfare practice so that she can make the most positive impact on the children and families she works with. When she was asked to revamp the AB12/Extended foster care program and support all El Dorado County Nonminor Dependents. she didn’t just shift her caseload; she developed a supportive and understandable program for Nonminor Dependents that truly prepares them for a future free of government intervention and oversight. Jordan continues to show compassion, resilience and strength; and continues to incorporate new ways to lift and support the families of El Dorado County and the field of child welfare as a whole." 
~ Shannon Wild, El Dorado County 

 

Tamara Powers, Sierra County

"Tamara came to our social work team from the eligibility department, and I didn't know what our team was missing until she became a part of it. She brings so much laughter and humor to the team, so much so that her fellow social workers have told me that being around her and her personality is their self-care. She is able to relate to both families and colleagues in such an organic way. Bringing her life experience to her social work, she helps families and children succeed throughout the child welfare referral and case process. She meets families and children where they are at in any given moment, and works alongside them, making them feel comfortable in her presence. Tamara never complains about an assignment, and always jumps in when someone needs her help. She leaves positive lasting impressions on families and children, and I can't imagine her doing anything other than social work and working with the people that she cares so much about." 
~Jamie Shiltz, Sierra County

 

Melissa Norwood, Humboldt County

"Since joining our team less than a year ago, Melissa has built a strong organizational system and positive relationships with our local Tribal Social Services social workers and families. She has had many challenging investigations during this first year and has been able to work through the stress that often comes with child welfare social work. Melissa is a great support to her peer team and will often volunteer to help when needed. She is a pleasure to work alongside."
~ Pamela miller, Humboldt County

 

 Kristal Evans, Sierra County

"Kristal Evans goes above and beyond in working with her families and children every single day. Last year, she took on one of the most difficult case Sierra County Social Services has seen to date, and she maintained her composure, professionalism, and grace in the face of adversity. As in many small rural counties, she is constantly thinking outside of the box in order to make sure the needs of her families are met. She has worked long hours, many weekends, all without complaint. She never hesitates to jump in and help her fellow social workers with anything that they may need, even writing whole court reports when a deadline is looming. Kristal is the epitome of an outstanding social worker, and an amazing addition to our team in Sierra County."
~ Jamie Shiltz, Sierra County

 

Richelle Arche, Humboldt County

"Richelle Arche is a leader within her peer group. She supports, mentors, teaches and lends a hand when needed. She works positively with families and often meets them where they are with kindness, compassion, and patience. Richelle has transparent practice and has been successful in building relationships both with the local Tribal Social Services social workers as well as our tribal communities. She will often greet you with a smile, and it is a pleasure to work alongside her."  
~Pamela Miller, Humboldt County

 We look forward to featuring and celebrating several more outstanding child welfare workers next week!

 

To get the full picture

Read about our other outstanding nominees in the subsequent blog post.

 

How can I participate in Child Welfare Workforce Recognition Month?

There are several ways you can support and recognize the child welfare workforce this month:

• Be sure to "like” and "follow" our Facebook page. Wouldn't it be a nice change for some good news to go viral? You can help make that happen by "liking" and commenting when you see a social worker highlighted on Facebook. Let's make them famous!
• Stay tuned to our News Blog. We'll be highlighting new social workers throughout September.
• Visit the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute's Child Welfare Workforce Recognition Month website. Our colleagues at NCWWI are offering a lot of great resources and events throughout September.
• Thank a social worker for everything they do. Gratitude is so important in this challenging field; during these current times it may be the breath of fresh air that turns around someone's entire day or even week. Thank someone you know who is a social worker for everything they have done, are doing, and will continue to do in service of California's vulnerable children and families.