January 2025: A Promise Kept: How Vision, Leadership and Staff Buy-in led to Incredible Outcomes

The power of vision and innovation in Child Welfare cannot be overstated. Join us as we share our leadership strategies, strategic community partnerships, and data's role in our work. This session will focus on key initiatives, such as the importance of employee recognition, collaboration, psychological safety in the workplace, and father involvement. 

Presenters:

Dr. Michael Rauso is the Regional Administrator for the Santa Clarita Regional Office of the Department of Children in Los Angeles County (DCFS). Previously, he was the Wraparound director for DCFS, which served thousands of children from child welfare, probation, and mental health. Before joining DCFS, Rauso worked for a community-based organization, one of the county's first Wraparound agencies.  

Liliana Capa-Velez is a dedicated administrator and advocate for families. With twenty-five years of child welfare experience, she tirelessly works to keep children safely at home or, when not possible, with kin. To help with this work, she has cultivated strong community partnerships with school districts, hospitals, law enforcement, and faith-based organizations. Capa-Valez is currently a champion for children zero to five and LGBTQ youth. 

Gabriela Breceda has been employed by the Department of Children and Family Services for the last twenty-four years. She holds an advanced degree in social work. Through her educational and professional journey, Breceda deeply understands trauma's impact on family systems and seeks to bring that understanding to her current role when making decisions about a family's long-term involvement with the child welfare system. Breceda’s research area is trauma-informed care training for educators. 

Laura Morgan is a child welfare leader with a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University and over 27 years of experience at the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). She currently holds the role of Assistant Regional Administrator in the Santa Clarita office, working with ongoing cases of youth and their families up to age 21, as well as the Parents in Partnership (PIP) and Father Strong programs.? 

Dr. Thomasina Mosley Sisay has twenty-six years of experience in child welfare and is passionate about preventing child abuse and neglect. In addition to her current administrative duties, she is the regional lead for implementing Families First Prevention Services (FFPS) and Eliminating Racial Disproportionality and Disparity (ERDD). Mosley Sisay’s area of research is single mothers and mental health. 

Dan Broyles is the care pastor at Valencia Hills Community Church. He has worked with churches since 2002 and previously for LA County DCFS. Mr. Broyles is licensed as a pastor and Marriage and Family Therapist. In 2019, he received the Kathryn Barger Commitment to Service Award (Los Angeles County). In 2021, the National Association of Social Workers awarded him the “Citizen of the Year” award for the United States.? 

Steven Medellin is a parent advocate for the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Parents in Partnership (PIP) program. Medellin has lived experience navigating and working with complex systems. He reunited with his daughter with the help of a social worker who believed in him; Medellin believes with the right team in place, parents and children can reunify without needing future child welfare interventions.