Case manager's corner is Chief Quality & Legal Officer, April Rolle's forum in which to recognize various employees from case management organizations for their outstanding work.

IN THIS EDITION:

- Shan Ramnauth, Emmanuella Pamphile and Carlise Williams at Lutheran Services Florida
- Markisha "Janee" Nettles at One Hope United
- Melissa Miller at Children's Home Society

 

Lutheran Services Florida

Shan Ramnauth

Shan is a Dependency Case Manager that was recently acknowledged and commended by Magistrate Matis-Jackson for his dedication and hard work in his cases. She especially praised him on the platform after the last hearing, the parents on his case spoke up and shared their appreciation for his work. 

Shan shares, "What inspires me to work with children? After two deployments to Iraq, I went to college for education. I realized quickly that I hated being a teacher. I then realized I hated working for DJJ. Besides helping families, what inspires me to continue working with children are my coworkers. There’s not one person at the LSF office who has not helped me in one way or another. Ms. Rodina who taught me everything she knows, Ms. Vatonda whose door is always open, Ms. Monique who will give me an honest and direct answer, Ms. Calandra who challenges me, Emma my rock who keeps me in check and most importantly of all Ms. Jennifer Charlton aka Mama Jen who breaks her back to make sure myself and anyone else who enters her office is learning the right way to complete a task and become successful. The individuals I am so fortunate to work inspire me to continue working with children."

He continues, "Not a lot of people know this, but I am terrified of the magistrate, terrified! She praised myself and others in my unit 836 in December. It meant a lot not only to myself, but I felt like I did right by all those individuals who helped, offered advise and continue to help me in this challenging job." Thank you Shan for your dedication to safety and strengthening of children and families!

Emmanuella Pamphile

Emmanuella is a Dependency Case Manager that was recently acknowledged and commended by Magistrate Matis-Jackson and Vatonda Herrington for her dedication and hard work in her cases and presenting in court. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK EMMA!

Emma shares, "I’ve always wanted to help people who are in need. Working in child welfare has allowed me to strive to improve the lives of people in society. I can enhance human well-being and help meet basic and complex needs of all peoples. I love learning about others and helping them overcome challenges in their lives.  One favorite memory is having the caregivers and parents complimenting me on the work I’ve been doing to assist them on accomplishing their goals."

Carlise Williams

Carlise is a Dependency Case Manager that was recently acknowledged and commended by Thea Henry of BayCare that shared, "I wanted to just give a kudos to Carlise. I frequently have to hunt down case managers and CPIs who are unresponsive or don't know what's going on and Carlise has been AMAZING. She has been proactive regarding Baby “F” and has answered whatever questions I needed. She's given me adequate information and has been helpful and pleasant/understanding in the ever-changing updates regarding the baby. I just wanted to make you aware of how much of a breath of fresh air she has been!"

Carlise shares her inspiration, "Life has many avenues and as we grow, we take our individual paths into adulthood. The path I took may appear serendipitous, but when I look back at it I think I was being guided by destiny. As a teenager I was advised by many people that I should have become a lawyer. When I went to university, I chose Criminal Justice as a major. It was to be the springboard into law school. However, that degree opened me up to many unexpected realizations. Up to that point, I was largely unaware of the hazardous and turbulent existence of many other children. While my soul wept for these children whose childhoods were riddled with the evidence of adult misconduct, I resolved that one day I would put myself in whatever seat necessary to bring justice, protection and comfort to as many of them as possible."

Reflecting on a favorite recent memory, Carlise shares, "During my short time being employed at Lutheran Services Florida, I have been lucky to meet some incredible people. One of my favorite cases relates to an infant that unfortunately had a long stay in the hospital since his birth. This child was born premature and weighed only 2 pounds. He fought for his life and prevailed, and then I was assigned to see him on a weekly basis. Seeing his progress and hearing the reports from his nurses about his improving condition has been immensely inspiring. The foster parent assigned to this child, has adopted three of his older siblings and would visit him multiple times weekly with his siblings. I believe that her consistently seeing him for the four and a half months he was in the hospital greatly contributed to his recovery. The child was able to go home just before Christmas to the caregiver, and I continue to see him on a weekly basis. The change in him is vast, and he is such a different child. Hearing the noises he can now make, seeing him hold himself up and move as he does shows his tenacious hold on life. Seeing the progress of this child reminds me of how important my job is and the job of everyone involved in this field."  

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One Hope United

Markisha "Janee" Nettles

Janee is a Dependency Case Manager who is full of knowledge and always willing to help. Janee has shown to have a strong relationship with providers, caregivers, and all of the families she serves. She genuinely cares for children and their safety and keeps a smile on her face no matter the twists and turns that may come her way. Janee is dedicated to her work and helping families get reunified. She is also a huge advocate for her families and is a great team player. Her skill set and perspective make her a great addition to the OHU Family!

Janee shares, "My inspiration for working in child welfare stems from my personal childhood experiences with a tarnished system. I aspire to make every child I work with feel loved, cherished, heard, and inspired to overcome life’s difficulties. My favorite memory is working with a family for about three years and the family reaching out to personally thank me for assisting with the successful adoption. The family continues to keep me updated on special occasions and milestones and it warms my heart each and every time I hear from them."

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Children's Home Society

Melissa Miller

Melissa is a Dependency Case Manager always does what needs to be done when asked. If she doesn't know the answer she will ask questions to get the right answer.  She understands how to utilize her supports. There have been several case where she has gone out to do visits and investigations had to get involved she was able to safety plan to maintain the children in their placements. She has even assisted a mother with cleaning up the home to prevent a removal from happening. Melissa is a model case manager.

Melissa shares, "What inspired me to work in Child Welfare is the difference it makes. I know that is a cliché answer, but it is literally the only answer. Case Management is Hard (almost impossible at times) but what keeps me going is knowing that I am able to keep someone safe. I like that I get to meet so many unique individuals and that makes every case completely different."

Reflecting on her favorite memory, "My favorite memory from Case Management was an adoption I was able to finalize, I had the case for about 2 years, almost from the beginning of case transfer. I literally cried when we received the order signed by the judge. The family had been through so much together and learned how to co-parent with the biological parents. It was such a happy ending! That is why I remain in child welfare."

 

Everyone here in our Circuit 10 system of care feels honored to have these amazing people working with our families and changing lives. We are so proud of all of our case managers for the very difficult work they do every day and for the support they provide to the children and families that we serve.