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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate Ardis W. Cook on
4her 38 years of service to the Department of Children and
5Family Services; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 1975, as a student intern, she received a
7commendation from the National Adoption Listing Service as
8having placed and completed the most adolescent adoptions in
9one year; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In 1976, Ardis Cook began her career at DCFS as
11the sole intake worker for Vermilion County; she investigated
12child abuse and neglect cases as well as provided services to
13dependent children and on prevention situations; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In 1980, due to the Child Abuse Hotline being
15revamped into a statewide reporting tool, as well as the
16forming of the new Division of Child Protection, Ardis Cook
17took part in the development of new rules, procedures, and
18protocols; and
 
19    WHEREAS, In 1986, she was promoted to the newly created
20position of Regional Child Protection Manager in which she
21excelled in the further development of programs designed to

 

 

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1protect children; she assisted in various training curriculum
2development and became a certified practicing trainer; and
 
3    WHEREAS, In 1992, Ardis Cook was appointed by then Director
4of the Department to one of the B.H. reform panels in response
5to a major lawsuit concerning the caseload sizes and standards
6in cases assigned to the workers; and
 
7    WHEREAS, In 1994, Ardis Cook worked with national experts
8to develop and train the others in the concept of the
9difference between safety and risk for children; she held
10training sessions for both state employees and well as private
11agency staff; she was selected to tutor and train staff that
12had difficulties with understanding the application of the
13concepts; all of the people who attended her review training
14sessions passed the certification test; and
 
15    WHEREAS, In 2003, Ardis Cook was promoted to the Assistant
16to the Deputy for Child Protection for downstate Illinois; she
17still volunteered many hours assisting special projects in Cook
18County, conducting special reviews, and mentoring both old and
19new supervisors in order to improve the overall improvement of
20services to families; her most recent assignment was to assist
21with a caseload reduction project in the St. Clair County and
22Madison County areas; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 2012, Ardis Cook became a role model and staff
2mentor for the northern region of Illinois; therefore, be it
 
3    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
4NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
5we congratulate Ardis W. Cook for 38 years of service to the
6Department of Children and Family Services; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8presented to Ardis W. Cook as a symbol of our esteem and
9respect.