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County social workers, child-welfare staff petition supervisors over proposed staffing changes
Summary
Employees in Mendocino County Family and Children Services told supervisors during public comment that proposed staffing reassignments risk client safety and would destabilize services; staff brought a signed petition asking the Board to pause implementation and collaborate with line staff.
County social-services employees and foster-care staff used the Board of Supervisors' public-comment period Sept. 9 to press elected officials to pause proposed staffing changes in Family and Children Services, presenting a petition they said was signed by a majority of the unit.
Jeff Weston, who identified himself as an executive-board member of SEIU County Local 51 and a foster-care supervisor, told the board he had brought copies of a petition signed by "the vast majority" of Family and Children Services staff in Fort Bragg, Willits and Ukiah. The petition "respectfully request[ed] that social services management pause the implementation of the proposed staffing changes," he said, and warned the planned reassignments would harm clients and create conflicts of interest when investigators are asked to carry ongoing cases.
Multiple line staff joined the public comment, giving specific concerns: Irene, a Willits-based social worker, said a pilot model that requires investigators to carry cases through ongoing services was already tried in Fort Bragg and did not serve clients well. She warned a rapid October timeline for implementation risked "a lack of warm handoffs" and higher staff burnout. Vicky Whitehead, a resource family approval worker, told supervisors that a planned reorganization would reassign an entire unit and that foster parents would lose continuity with caseworkers who currently support them. "Healthy, strong foster parents give us healthier outcomes for our children," Whitehead said.
Staff asked the board to consider applying for a state waiver to allow a slower transition, and to involve line staff in planning. Weston said turnover already was high: "Out of 34 social workers, more than 10 have left the department within the last year," and that turnover could rise under the current proposal. Several speakers urged a collaborative, phased approach that gives existing investigators and resource workers time and training to meet state education and credentialing expectations.
Board response: Supervisors listened and acknowledged the concerns. The item was raised in public comment and was not an action item on the agenda; supervisors noted public comment can be used to agendize future action. The County's leadership and the Family and Children Services department were asked to follow up with staff and to provide additional information to the board; staff did not present a detailed timeline or decision during the meeting.
