Oregon Child Welfare Director: Rebecca Jones Gaston, the director of child welfare in Oregon, has been confirmed by the United States Senate as the commissioner of the Administration of Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF) within the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
The ACYF is in charge of managing government initiatives that support social services that help kids, teens, and their families grow and develop healthy; refuge and protective services for kids and teens in danger; and adoption for kids with special needs. “I’d like to congratulate Rebecca on her confirmation by the United States Senate as Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families,” said Governor Kate Brown.
“Under her leadership, Oregon has improved its child welfare system stability and worked toward a goal for system transformation to better serve children and families. I’m thrilled that she will now use her skill and ability at the federal level for the good of families all around the country.
Jones Gaston joined the Oregon Department of Human Services as Child Welfare Director in 2019 as a result of Governor Brown’s executive order aimed at improving the child welfare system.
Some Necessary Announcements For Pupils
Jones Gaston has led the division in achieving the following goals since then: reducing the number of children in foster care from over 7,000 to under 5,000; eliminating out-of-state residential treatment centres; and modifying operations and policy to address the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining services for children and families:
- Driving the creation of Oregon’s Family First Prevention Plan in collaboration.
- Creating and starting to implement the Child Welfare Division’s Vision for Transformation, which emphasises that the division will work to prevent abuse and the need for foster care, support families, and keep kids in their homes whenever possible. The vision for transformation brings a racial equity and anti-racism lens to every aspect of the division’s work. In this Update, learn more about how the Vision for Transformation is being carried out.
“We are proud of Rebecca and grateful for her outstanding leadership over the last three years,” said Fariborz Pakseresht, director of ODHS. Rebecca’s nomination and confirmation reflect the growth of Oregon’s child welfare system, as well as the Vision for Transformation, established under Rebecca’s leadership.”
On January 1, 2023, Aprille Flint-Gerner will begin working as the interim director of child welfare. Flint-Gerner is currently the Child Welfare Division’s Deputy Director for Equity, Training, and Workforce Development. Flint-Gerner is a social worker with over 25 years of public sector experience, with a focus on system reform for the benefit of children, teens, families, and communities.
She previously worked as a Child Welfare Workforce Development Manager at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she created, implemented, and managed a workforce development evaluation and training programme for Nevada child welfare employees, supervisors, and providers. Flint-Gerner is working to close achievement gaps for young people who have been impacted by the child welfare and juvenile justice systems through a variety of programmes.
Aprille, according to Pakseresht, is committed to continuing the change that Rebecca began. Oregon’s strong commitment to equality and inclusion, experience in system transformation, and expertise in improving outcomes for underrepresented populations will ensure that Oregon maintains momentum in better meeting the needs of children, families, and communities.
I am pleased to continue to help bring the Vision for Transformation to reality by emphasising prevention and preservation, equality, and workforce development, as well as being a data-informed system. Flint-Gerner continued. We can continue to improve results and increase public trust in our work by working together, with the help of our employees and partners.
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