Kearns informed the county commissioners on Monday that he would like to promote the agency’s ombudsman, Bill Morrison, to the position that is currently held by Adam Jones. Jones will remain the assistant director of Job and Family Services.
Since he declared an overhaul necessary on Jan. 16, Kearns and his executive team, which includes Jones and Morrison, have met with numerous groups that touch the agency and some, like faith-based organizations, that haven’t until now. Kearns said it has become clear to him the overhaul, and needs people have voiced through the process, demand his full, immediate attention.
“Bill brings over 17 years of experience in child welfare, and eight of which, he has served as the ombudsman for the board of county commissioners. As a known entity, he will be able to hit the ground running, allowing me to immediately direct my attention to our community relationships,” Kearns said. “Just as a caseworker must adjust their schedule, given the changing needs of the families, it is important we adjust our stages (in the reorganization process) immediately, now that we have been asked, ‘how can we help?’”
Kearns gave the agency four months to implement change, but some offers that have come in are too good not to jump on immediately. For example, during a meeting with faith-based organizations last week, everyone said they would be thrilled to help the agency recruit more local foster families, an enormous need identified by the agency.
Commissioner Cindy Carpenter, who has attended almost all of the community meetings, said if the agency moves in the direction the community has suggested, there won’t be a need for an ombudsman, which is basically the agency’s “complaint department.”
“As part of rethinking how we do things, as we’ve discovered in these listening sessions, the more we can be proactive in family preservation, the less we’ll have to be involved in picking up the pieces,” she said.
The Journal-News recently interviewed a group of social workers at the agency and three of them said they don’t even know Jones, which was considered a problem.
“I’ve never seen him. I couldn’t pick him out of a line-up, and he’s supposed to be someone who is involved in our agency,” said Jennifer Crail, one of the social workers. “I certainly couldn’t go to him and tell him any concerns I have, because I don’t know who he is. That just seems crazy to me.”
Kearns said the move with Morrison has nothing to do with Jones’ performance. He said since he spends so much of his time at the Children Services building on Fair Avenue, he has needed Jones to be in charge at the JFS offices in the Government Services Center. He added the proposed structure aligns with most other shared agencies across the state.
The social workers’ union President Becky Palmer said this is a good move.
“I think Bill Morrison will add a value to the agency as assistant director because he understands the day-to-day operations. Bill has worked with families personally, as well as with the case workers, and he is able to recognize both weaknesses and strengths in both,” she said. “We look forward to working with Bill and making positive changes at the agency.”
Jones could not be reached for comment.
The commissioners will have to approve the promotion, but it was not clear whether a pay raise would be involved.
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