A group of social workers met
with high level officials in Supervisor Gloria Molina’s office Monday,
Aug. 3 to offer suggestions about how to implement departmental changes
successfully.
Supervisor Molina introduced a motion in response
to multiple articles about DCFS in the Los Angeles Times. Social
workers told Molina’s office that the motion, which is already being
implemented in certain offices, can be successful with a few important
changes.
1. We demonstrated that the motion is already being
implemented as DCFS policy inconsistently in the 17 offices. The
Supervisor’s staff recognized this is not her intent and will lead to
problems.
2. We detailed Hub availability and agreed that the
Hubs are critical for forensics, but only one VIP is open 24 hours. In
order to use the Hubs effectively and
efficiently we need to increase hours of operation, locations and services provided to keep children safe.
3.
According to the motion, the ARA and the RA must now sign off on all
unfounded cases. With hundreds of cases and many ARA vacancies, this
will easily push referrals passed the 30-day timeframe, necessitating
another visit and increasing workload unnecessarily. In order to
conduct a second round of audits, we suggested using all available
resources including the QA unit.
4. 4. All ER workers have been
notified of a new round of training. We reiterated we stand by our work
and that we are committed professionals. We suggested
training be ongoing and department wide, not just ER.
Supervisor
Molina’s staff appreciated our expertise and input and wants to
continue meeting with us on improving the department. It will be up to
us, however, to ensure the department implements the new policy with
our recommendations. We will meet with DCFS Director Trish Ploehn next.
“No.1
we discussed we value the work of social workers and we stand by our
work. The voice from the frontline must be included as we seek measures
to assure the public children are safe.”
— David Green, Adoptions CSW
Social Workers Tell Board How to Make New DCFS Policy Successful
Categories: Campaigns | Los Angeles County