(File Photo – theknowledgeexchangeblog.com)
L.A. County – ColoradoBoulevard.net:
Los Angeles County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Janice Hahn called today for a thorough assessment of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) that will place a spotlight on how well the organization is guided by evidence-based decisions and data to deliver outcomes for its clients.
By News Desk
The motion includes an evaluation of DCFS’ management structure and staffing levels – information that both Supervisors noted would be valuable to the department’s forthcoming new director.
Supervisor Barger said:
Today is precisely the right time for the Board to assess DCFS,” . “While in the process of hiring a permanent child welfare director, we should use this time to interview stakeholders, staff, and community members to see if there are opportunities for improvement or cost savings. Given DCFS’ structural deficit, this cannot wait for months of review. We should get this assessment in place so the incoming director has information on day one to hit the ground running ready to lead.
“The Department of Children and Family Services is complicated,” Supervisor Hahn said. “We have asked it to serve as a child protection system and a system for child and family well-being that focuses on prevention. This assessment will help give us an objective look at the challenges this department is grappling with and help us better understand why this department has not been able to better serve the County’s children, young people, and families.”
David Green, President of SEIU Local 721, voiced his support of the motion during the call-in portion of the Board’s meeting. The Board of Supervisors passed the motion today with a 3 to 2 vote.
An independent consultant will be hired to perform the programmatic and management audit for DCFS, the nation’s largest child welfare agency. The analysis will also assess if programs were developed in a culturally competent and community focused manner.
DCFS, including its Pasadena field office on Colorado Bl., is a deeply dysfunctional county dept. that has not improved despite decades of “thorough assessments” called for by county supervisors. Call me cynical, but I’m not holding my breath that I will see changes in my lifetime (which includes our family’s adoption of a child through the Pasadena DCFS and my long career of advocating for meaningful change at DCFS.)