One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
The Director Of LA County's Child Protection Services Agency Just Resigned
Bobby Cagle
(
Courtesy L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services
)
Bobby Cagle, the director of L.A. County's Department of Children and Family Services, has announced he will step down at the end of the year.
Cagle submitted his resignation letter to the County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, notifying them that his last day would be Dec. 31. He didn't cite a specific reason but his departure comes after a series of high-profiles cases in which children under the watch of DCFS have been abused or died.
Currently, a 4-year-old boy is in the hospital with life threatening injuries he sustained in foster care. His foster mother is facing child abuse charges.
Journalist Garrett Therolf, who has covered DCFS for several years, said that Bobby Cagle was known for defending his social workers, “and he actually didn't emerge too frequently to answer questions about how they may have failed.”
He added that the department is also reckoning with a pattern of racial disparities in the investigations it pursues.
“We know that the low-risk children who go through investigations that are unnecessary tend to be disproportionately black,” said Therolf.
In the case of the 4-year old Norwalk boy, L.A. County Supervisors ordered an investigation into why DCFS removed the boy from his family, and whether there was a communication failure due to the fact that his family speaks an indigenous language.
Sponsored message
Supervisor Hilda Solis called for “really understanding his cultural and linguistic abilities and our lack in terms of staff understanding what that meant."
DCFS said in a statement that Cagle will pursue a career in the private sector, and that he will be temporarily succeeded by Chief Deputy Director Ginger Pryor. Cagle has been the director of the department since Dec. 1, 2017 and oversees the largest child welfare agency in the U.S., according to DCFS.
Cagle wrote an email to his staff, saying, "It has been an honor to lead this important work and serve alongside all of you, the thousands of committed child welfare staff in LA County DCFS."
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
