The staff at Child & Family Services are highly skilled and passionate about helping children in our community, so we are thrilled when they are recognized for their work. One of our team members, Residential Case Worker Sierrah Urbanczyk, was recently asked to present one of her cases at a statewide training by New York State’s Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). In addition, OCFS named Sierrah as our region’s “Permanency Superhero.” This is awarded to workers who go above-and-beyond to help children in out-of-home care find permanent homes with caring adults.
“It’s a huge honor that Sierrah’s case was picked out of the entire state, and she certainly deserves it,” said Heather Genusso, Residential Clinical Manager at C&FS. “Sierrah is a ray of sunshine on our team. In a job that can sometimes be frustrating, she always keeps everyone positive and hopeful.”
The training session – entitled “Grand Rounds: Achieving Permanency” – was designed to review best practices for children who are free to be adopted but have not been able to find a suitable home for an extended period of time. Sierrah told her story of Mark*, a boy who had been in and out of the Residential Program for several years. Mark had several close calls with finding a family to adopt him, but they fell through.
Sierrah worked with a group spanning several different organizations to discuss what they could do to find Mark his forever home. She helped put together an online video highlighting Mark. “Several families inquired about Mark, and our team narrowed it down to the one that we thought had the best potential,” explained Sierrah.
Sierrah asked the family to write Mark a letter to introduce themselves and include a photo. The family then met with Mark many times so they could get to know one another. Sierrah worked with Mark so that he would be able to adjust to new routines that he was not used to. As time passed, Mark spent more time with the family and had sleepovers with them. When he came back to the Residential Program, he would talk about how much he liked the family.
After years of living in the Residential Program, Mark was officially adopted by this family. When asked to give one takeaway from her experience with Mark, Sierrah replied that maintaining hope is always important. “I am a hopeful person. Even though it had been such a long journey, when I saw Mark with this family, I couldn’t help but tell myself that this would be the one,” smiled Sierrah. “When they told me that it was happening, my heart was full for Mark. Every kid deserves that.”
Congratulations to Sierrah for the recognition of your tremendous work! Your optimistic spirit and enthusiasm inspire your co-workers!
*Name changed for confidentiality.