Winner of the Inaugural Sarah Duncan Champion for Children and Families Award Announced
We’d like to thank everyone who participated in National Social Worker Month this March! While the month may be over, we’ll never stop looking for new ways to express our gratitude for those who have made it their life’s work to support vulnerable children and families. To that end, we are thrilled to kick off April by announcing the winner of the inaugural Sarah Duncan Champion for Children and Families Award!
This year’s nominees were:...
- Brittlyn Foster, El Dorado County
- Shirley Fulks, Mendocino County
- Jean Hobbs, Yuba County
- Jorden Lancaster, Mendocino County
- Melissa Morin, Mendocino County
- Patricia Vaccaro, Sacramento County
We wanted to thank everyone who took the time to nominate one of their valuable colleagues for this very special award. It was encouraging to read so many stories about child welfare professionals going above and beyond to improve outcomes for the children and families they serve
And the winner is…
Jean Hobbs from Yuba County Child and Adult Protective Services!
Jean Hobbs has dedicated more than a quarter-century to case management in a variety of roles and settings. Over the last six years, she has served as a social worker with Yuba County Child and Adult Protectives services, the role for which she was nominated. This dynamic champion for children and families has been recognized by her colleagues not only for her astute attention to detail and process, but also for her ability to think outside of the box when it comes to advocating for the safety and stability of the families and “kiddos” (as she is known for calling them) in her care. While she has been recognized by her colleagues for always putting “her kids,” “her families” and “her colleagues” first, she has also been credited for helping improve outcomes at the systems level. Yuba County Child and Adult Protective Services deputy director Tony Gordon credits Hobbs for her assistance with analyzing and assisting the county’s vertical case model, enhancing the Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) evaluation process, and for participating in the deputy director’s roundtable culture team. She has also been instrumental in providing guidance involving several important research and development projects within the county. Her nominating colleague may have summarized her contributions best when he wrote, “Jean epitomizes what one seeks in a diligent worker; [she is] an organized individual who is willing to demand the best of not only herself, but of her co-workers, in order to provide quality service to those who live within our county.”
Please join us in congratulating Jean Hobbs on being the first winner of the annual Sarah Duncan Champion for Children and Families Award, and in thanking her for her outstanding service to Yuba County and the field.
About the Sarah Duncan Champion for Children and Families Award
Named in honor of one of California’s outstanding social workers, the Sarah Duncan Award recognizes one Northern California child welfare line social worker who reflects Duncan’s passion, skill and tireless commitment to working to improve outcomes for children and families. It is awarded by the Northern Academy at UC Davis Human Services each year. Nominations are accepted year-round. Nominees are also highlighted via the UC Davis Human Services website, and on its Facebook and LinkedIn networks.
Nominations Accepted Year-Round
We have begun accepting submissions for next year’s award.
More on this Year’s Nominees
To learn more about everyone who was nominated for this year’s award, please check out our previous announcement.
We’ll also be sharing more over the coming weeks via the UC Davis Human Services Facebook and LinkedIn pages, so be sure to “like” and “follow” us there!
About Sarah Duncan
To learn more about the Sarah Duncan Champion for Children and Families Award and the outstanding social worker it is named after, please visit this page.