L.A. County SEIU 721 Children’s Social Workers are preparing a follow-up progress report on their “Roadmap to Child Safety” plan, which shows significant progress on caseload reduction through new hires at the Department of Children and Family Services and successful implementation of a new mentorship program aimed at reducing high attrition among CSWs.
Last month a labor/management working group finalized plans to implement a universal DCFS mentorship program. Beginning with April’s graduating academy class, every new CSW will be assigned a mentor during the first year on the job, with mentors receiving 20% caseload relief.
On April 18, the Board of Supervisors adopted a provisional 2017-18 budget that includes more than 400 new positions, including 220 new CSW positions to implement the mentorship program and reduce caseloads.