Stacy Hennen, Director of Western Prairie Human Services, a joint powers entity formed in 2022 covering Pope, Grant and Traverse County Social Services, was recognized last week on the state level and received the Child Welfare Leadership Award.

The Child Welfare Leadership Award recognizes Minnesota leaders for their outstanding statewide contributions to child welfare practice.  The award is given by the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW).  The CASCW’s Outreach activities connect child welfare stakeholders in Minnesota to dynamic, relevant, accessible, research-informed practice and policy resources and trainings. The organization produces a variety of training events and publications that bridge the worlds of research, policy, and practice, bringing the latest information to students, administrators, policymakers, and practitioners working directly with children and families.

The organizations guiding values include:

•All children deserve competent and effective child welfare services to promote safety, well-being and permanency.

•Effective child welfare workers require continual professional development that is financially, geographically and culturally accessible.

•Effective child welfare training, education, policy and evaluation is multidisciplinary, multicultural and collaborative in nature.

•Child welfare evaluation informs policy and practice resulting in better outcomes for children and families.

•Policy makers and the public make effective decisions when provided with current, relevant, and accurate child welfare information.

•All children deserve competent and effective child welfare services to promote safety, well-being and permanency.

•Effective child welfare workers require continual professional development that is financially, geographically and culturally accessible.

•Effective child welfare training, education, policy and evaluation is multidisciplinary, multicultural and collaborative in nature.

•Child welfare evaluation informs policy and practice resulting in better outcomes for children and families.

•Policy makers and the public make effective decisions when provided with current, relevant, and accurate child welfare information.

About Stacy Hennen

Stacy has been a human services director for 15 years, starting in Grant County and adding Pope County in 2019 and Traverse County in 2021. Prior to being a human services director, Stacy worked in child protection and supervision of a children’s residential facility for 14 years. Stacy has served in numerous leadership roles in the past 15 years. She was appointed by the Governor to the Governor’s Child Protection task force and served on it for its entirety. She was also appointed by the Governor to the Human Services Performance Management Council and served on it since its inception. Stacy was President of the Minnesota Association of County Social Services Administrators (MACSSA) in 2015 and served in many other leadership roles within MACSSA including Chair of their Children’s Committee and the first Vice President of MACSSA. 

She currently is the Legislative Lead for MACSSA. Stacy received MACSSA’s Human Services Award in 2016. Stacy worked on many endeavors in her time as a director, including targeted case management redesign, vulnerable children and adults formula changes, and many child welfare projects. Stacy worked with her counties and teams to create Western Prairie Human Services and worked with her colleagues within her region to bring things like Collaborative Safety and Community Intensive Bridging Services (CIBS) to her counties and communities. 

Stacy testified in front of the Minnesota Legislature on a variety of children’s and general human services issues. She is married with two adult daughters.