The University of Minnesota Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) will award the first annual Child Welfare Leadership Award to Rob Sawyer, former director of child and family services for Olmsted County. CASCW will present the award at its 11th annual Child Welfare Conference at Coffman Union on April 15. Sawyer, has been a leader in developing and implementing innovative child protection practices in Minnesota for more than 40 years. His leadership has made Olmsted County a model for child protection practice, and his efforts have made a clear difference in the lives of abused and neglected children in Minnesota. In February, he was appointed a senior fellow in the American Humane Association Children’s Division.CASCW is broadcasting the conference to child welfare practitioners in more than 30 counties around the state and to hundreds of practitioners across the country via live web streaming.