Port St. Lucie - Frank Hickox, a dependency case manager for Children's Home Society, was awarded the United for Families Case Manager of the Quarter Award June 12 during an in-service training about working with foster parents.

United for Families, which hosted the training, is the community based care agency that coordinates and oversees child-welfare services in St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River and Okeechobee counties. Hickox's employer, Children's Home Socity, is part of United for Families' network of providers and provides case-management services in Martin, Indian River and Okeechobee counties.

United for Families created the award as a way to recognize and better support the efforts of dependency case managers, who coordinate services for children in the dependency court system. It was the first time an Okeechobee County case manager won the award, which has become the centerpiece of United for Families' program to train and retain quality social workers and stabilize the child-welfare system for children.

Hickox was nominated by his supervisor, Al Jacks and his program manager, Susan Murphy.

"Frank is very good at establishing rapport with the families who live on the Indian reservations, which can be difficult at times because he has to get approval from the tribe leaders each month to see the children," Murphy said.

In addition to a $250 bonus check and complimentary tickets to United for Families' signature gala, John Pierson's Toyota of Stuart Le Bal Masque, Hickox automatically will be entered into the Case Manager of Year Award contest. The winner of that award will receive an additional bonus during the Oct. 18 gala.

For more information about United for Families, or to contribute, please call Christina Kaiser at 398-2920 Ext. 298, or visit www.unitedforfamilies.org.