Simone Fournel is a Senior Policy and Project Strategist with Family and Children’s Services at the Government of Yukon. She graduated from Dalhousie University with a BSW in 2002 and obtained her MSW from the University of Calgary in 2006. Her career has included a variety of roles in the field of Child Welfare and she has divided most of her work between the NWT and Yukon. She has been involved with the ASWNC as member in both of those territories. During her time as a member in the NWT, she contributed to the successful development of Social Work Regulation for that territory. She currently lives and works in Whitehorse, Yukon. Since joining Yukon Family and Children’s services she has worked in Management and has played a key role in a number of important initiatives aimed at reducing the number of children in care and improving their long term outcomes. Some of these include the “Honouring Connections” project, the implementation of “Signs of Safety” as a practice model and the development of a Family Case Management system. “Honouring Connections” is a joint initiative with the Yukon First Nations that is committed to reviewing the situation of every child in care and exploring options for reunification/strengthening their connection to family, community and culture. “Signs of Safety” was chosen as a practice model for Yukon, based on the recommendation of the Yukon First Nations, for its strength based approach and emphasis on relationship building. The Family Case Management system, which is about to “go live” will modernize Yukon’s record keeping system and improve quality assurance standards. The ASWNC Distinguished Service Award recognizes Simone for her contributions to improving child welfare practice in the north.