Director of Boulder County Housing and Human Services Honored for Improving Child Welfare

SEATTLE, Jan. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Casey Family Programs, a national operating foundation committed to improving the lives of children and families in communities across America, has named Frank L. Alexander, director of the Boulder County Department of Housing and Human Services, among the winners of the annual Casey Excellence for Children Awards.

The foundation gives the awards to recognize outstanding individuals who have demonstrated distinguished work, exceptional leadership and relentless dedication in improving the child welfare system.

Director Alexander received the Excellence in Leadership award. The award recognizes a current child welfare commissioner or director who has demonstrated excellence in leading a child welfare agency toward improved outcomes for children and families.

Frank Alexander has been a leader among his peers and a relentless advocate for improving the lives of children and families in Colorado and for the goals of Casey Family Programs' 2020 Strategy. Under his leadership, Boulder County has experienced a 40 percent reduction in foster care since 2009, and has the lowest foster care rate among all Colorado counties.

Boulder was one of the first jurisdictions in the country to implement permanency roundtables. In his role as president of the Colorado Human Services Directors Association, he has promoted safe reduction and permanency roundtables to all other 63 county directors in Colorado. Director Alexander also has been instrumental in preparing Colorado's application for a federal Title IV-E waiver, and he was successful in promoting state legislation that allows for flexible funding.

He directed a comprehensive redesign of Boulder County's child welfare system that focuses on integrated, front-end prevention and early intervention, while ensuring the agency's compliance with all statutorily mandated services.

"Frank Alexander carries the banner for countless others across the nation who are doing extraordinary work on behalf of those involved in the foster care system," said Shelia Evans-Tranumn, chair of the Board of Trustees of Casey Family Programs. "He shares our goal to have every child grow up in a healthy, safe and permanent family, and within a supportive community."

Casey Family Programs is the nation's largest operating foundation focused entirely on foster care and improving the child welfare system. Founded in 1966, we work to provide and improve – and ultimately prevent the need for – foster care in the United States. As champions for change, we are committed to our 2020 Strategy for America's Children, a goal to safely reduce the number of children in foster care and improve the lives of those who remain in care.

SOURCE Casey Family Programs