The County of Ventura Board of Supervisors voted on August 5, 2014, to approve 59 new positions to help keep children safe in the County. The new additions, which include 30 new social workers, are the result of SEIU 721 Local members and staff working tirelessly with the County of Ventura through the joint Workload Forum to find better ways to lessen the impact of child abuse and neglect in our community.
The Workload Forum was formed during previous bargaining negotiations and is part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the County and SEIU 721. Over the past 2 years, the work of the Committee has led to the addition of 250 new employees with the aim of dealing with swelling caseloads.
“We’re in support of the Agency’s allocation of funds to assist the efforts of the Workload Forum to improve workload and support our community with the creation of these additional positions.” – Gloria Cervantes, SEIU 721 member and Co-Chair of the Workload Forum
The 59 new Children & Family Services positions are:
- 30 social workers,
- 10 leads and supervisors, and
- 19 support staff
Betsy Watson, CFS Social Worker, left, also spoke at the Board meeting and outlined the impact of current high workloads on child safety. Watson works the night shift in the emergency response unit.
The Workload Forum will continue to work with the County’s Human Services Agency to improve services to the community.