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Proclamation commending and congratulating the Department of Human Services Staff and Director Marc Cherna for receiving the 2005 Betsey R. Rosenbaum Award for Excellence in Public Child Welfare Administration.
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WHEREAS, the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators (NAPCWA) is an affiliate of the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), a nonprofit, bipartisan organization of individuals and agencies concerned with human services; and
WHEREAS, the Betsey R. Rosenbaum Award for Excellence in Public Child Welfare Administration is offered annually by the NAPCWA to an administrator of a state or local public child welfare agency; and
WHEREAS, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) oversees the offices of aging, behavioral health, children, youth and families, community services and mental retardation/developmental disabilities. DHS has a $715 million budget and provides services for approximately 250,000 County residents each year; and
WHEREAS, the DHS staff will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to serving children, youth and their families through innovative programs and practices. Mr. Marc Cherna, MSW, Director of DHS, will accept the Betsey R. Rosenbaum Award for Excellence in Public Child Welfare Administration on behalf of the DHS staff at an award ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 4, 2006; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cherna came to Allegheny County in February 1996 as a result of a national search to take charge of Children and Youth Services, now the Office of Children, Youth and Families and immediately implemented system-wide changes, challenging the staff to achieve higher levels of excellence resulting in better permanency outcomes for children and their families; and
WHEREAS, his innovative practice and leadership abilities have won Mr. Cherna prestigious awards from numerous child welfare and civil organizations, including national recognition;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Allegheny County Council does hereby commend and congratulate the Department of Human Services Staff and Director Marc Cherna upon receipt of the 2005 Betsey R. Rosenbaum Award for Excellence in Public Child Welfare Administration. The Department's impact on this community, its commitment to Allegheny County and its citizens serves as an inspiration to us all.