CFS Social Worker Update: April 28, 2022

Dear OCEA member,

The campaign to win meaningful improvements for CFS workers continues to make progress. Since the end of 2021, workers and OCEA staff have come together to address long standing issues that were exasperated by the pandemic. Equipped with survey data, worker committees were held by program to identify specific demands by program to remedy the challenges in the workplace. In the five months since the worker committees have been meeting the following improvements have been implemented or are being implemented:

1. Initiating a Class and Comp study for Social Worker classifications

2. Restructuring the CFS Caseload Management Forum to allow for a deep dive into each program’s caseloads and issues

3. Securing a meeting with management and Social Worker leaders to discuss the ER PM shift

4. Improving workloads between Dependency Investigators and Senior Social Workers in Court services

5. Ensuring staff will not be forced to flex in lieu of taking overtime

6. Pushing management to pursue different therapy contracts that would increase the quality and quantity of therapy sessions from trauma-informed counselors.

Despite the progress being made, it is not enough and not fast enough. The Agency and County historically have attempted to delay, deflect, or slow any worker driven change. The only way to change that dynamic is to escalate our pressure on management. To achieve the next steps of our campaign, the OCEA Board of Directors has made the decision to enhance our efforts by bringing in a rank-and-file workplace leader on Union Business Leave.

Senior Social Services Supervisor Kerensa Schupmann will be taking a leave from her position with PSP for three months to work full time at OCEA in the capacity of a union campaign lead. Many of you know Kerensa from your time with the County. For those that do not, Kerensa has been with the County for 10 years and has worked in the following CFS programs: Dependency Investigations, Court Officers, and PSP/Collaborative Courts.

Kerensa has been active in the union for many years by providing workplace leadership and insight into the inner workings of the County. Kerensa will be working to enhance our workplace leadership so we can escalate our efforts to bring change to the workplace. Kerensa will be working with each program in CFS to increase our collective power.

You can contact Kerensa at kschupmann@ocea.org or by calling her at 714-564-3257.

In Solidarity,

Team OCEA

Publication Date: April 28, 2022