News Release
April 2011
Lifetime Achievement Awards
Jane Chafin, LCSW, Child Guidance Center
Ms. Chafin has been in the social work/children's mental health field for 42 years. She started ds a caseworker in a rural county for the West Virginia Department of Welfare. She is currently the Clinical Director of Child Guidance Center. While in West Virginia she was able to protect children from abuse and instrumental in their adoptions. She also directed a small family counseling agency there and was responsible for its growth. She started the first domestic violence center in her home town.
She has worked at Child Guidance Center for 23 years, most of those being the Clinical Director. She has been an integral part of the tremendous growth the agency has experienced in the last several years. In many ways, she is responsible for the safety and the provision of outstanding services for over 3,500 children a year. She has lead the agency in the path of collaboration with sister agencies in the community to help children and families to not drop through the cracks in services.
Ms. Chafin has also been a member of many local committees and boards of other agencies. She remains a member of the Pilot Club and NASW. She was the Social Worker of the Year in 2001.
She loves giving back to the community. She has mentored around 50 therapist toward getting their state licenses. Everyone in the field knows Ms. Chafin and to know her is to love and respect her.
Anne Claridge, Child Guidance Center
As a therapist for the High Risk Newborn Program, Ms. Claridge provides services to the most vul-nerable little ones and their families. She assists the parents with developmental guidance, parenting education and relationship therapy. Her expertise allows her to address some of the parent's mental health issues so that they are able to provide the appropriate nurturing care that is so essential to healthy social emotional development. Since all of the services are provided in the home, she must work around the parent's schedules, as well as traveling all over Jacksonville. Her car is the one filled with developmentally appropriate toys, diapers, baby wipes, and occasionally port-a-cribs and stroll-ers. Many of the areas of town she visits are in high crime areas, but she does not worry about her personal safety. The needs of the children come first. As she says, "they know I'm the toy lady, so it's okay." The families on her caseload are often dealing with domestic violence, trauma, grief and loss, as well as extreme poverty. She carries around vinyl tablecloths to use as play mats to ensure a safe, clean environment in which to engage the children in play. She endures heat, cold, pets and bugs in order to deliver services in the home setting, where the families are most comfortable. She consis-tently demonstrates patience and professionalism in dealing with very difficult situations.
