Deena Loughary

• Provide vision, leadership, guidance and district alignment with the ODHS mission and the statewide vision for the Child Welfare, Eligibility and Self Sufficiency programs. Implements state and local strategies required to achieve the mission and vision for each program utilizing RiSE which is the culture at ODHS that includes 5 elements (safety, well-being, caring and supportive relationships, high expectations and accountability, meaningful participation and community engagement). Provide guidance and direction for linkage and cross-system work between Self-Sufficiency, OEP, and Child Welfare staff aligning the supports necessary to operationalize the state vision regarding child safety and poverty reduction, uses data and research to inform and improve outcomes for children and families, collaborating across all ODHS programs and within local community to identify service intersections and provide a seamless delivery system to families served by ODHS.
  Establishes a framework of collective impact with the other leaders of poverty reduction, family stability, child safety, and employment & training services in the local community to create opportunities for collaboration. Provide avenues to work collaboratively by developing relationships and partnerships and leveraging diversity in the community with business, government, faith based organizations and other social services agencies such as housing, community action agencies, anti-hunger agencies, justice systems,(i.e. Courts, district attorneys, law enforcement agencies, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Citizen Review Board, foster parent associations, tribal communities, health organizations, Coordinated Care Organizations, workforce agencies, early learning and education, legislative officials, and other local partners and advisory committees within the community.
  Responsible for leadership development and empowering managers to distribute leadership responsibly by drawing on the collective strengths and skills of all employees, evaluating training needs that grow our leadership capacity, providing support and opportunities for professional development, and maintaining a robust succession plan. A successful candidate will create a culture of safety, innovation, and stewardship.
  District Managers across the state will operate as a collaborative team and ensure that two-way communication channels are open from the program directors to the field staff, providing consistent statewide leadership of the programs. This position provides the leadership to promote a positive working relationship between field and central office colleagues. This position must be responsible for legislative and local communities, providing timely communication and feedback.
  The District Manager is responsible for preserving the public’s trust by providing the leadership necessary to evaluate and implement improved management practices pertaining to all ODHS programs within the district. Evaluation of programs is accomplished using data-informed practices.
  This position is required to operate within established federal and state guidelines, as well as operate within approved fiscal limitations, to achieve department and district goals.

Oregon Department of Human Services | June 2018 - Present | 6 years 6 months | 500 Summer Street Salem Oregon

This position manages the Child Safety Program, which includes the following programs: child protective services, OCAN grants, and the Children’s Justice Act grant. The Child Safety Manager provides leadership and direction statewide for social, supportive, remedial, and legal services for children and their families by setting and monitoring standards, identifying goals, and designing short- and long-range plans. The manager assures that program design, policies, administrative rules, procedures, consultation, and training are comparable statewide and comply with federal and state statutes, the mission of the Office of Child Welfare Programs, and good social work practice.
The Child Safety Manager is a key position within the Office of Child Welfare Programs (OCWP). This position is responsible for providing statewide leadership that has a significant impact on the quality of child safety services provided to children and families in Oregon. This position requires the incumbent to continuously develop, demonstrate, and support (through the work of subordinate staff, contractors, and community partners) an evolving mode of policy and practice in the child safety program within the larger context of Oregon’s public child welfare system. In turn, Oregon’s child welfare system functions within an even larger context of federal legislative and regulatory requirements, which constantly act upon the Oregon model for which this position is largely responsible. The person in this position must be very self-directed, responsive to external and internal change, timely, and must accurately reflect the vision and mission of DHS as it seeks to incorporate legislative mandates into the existing child welfare system.
The Child Safety Program works closely with all units of OCWP, other organizational parts of DHS in the Central Office, and supports field needs. The person in this position reports directly to the Deputy Director of the Office of Child Welfare Programs and is responsible for assigning work and reviewing the performance of subordinate employees within this unit.

Oregon Department of Human Services | March 2016 - June 2018 | 2 years 3 months | Corvallis, Oregon

The position provides an overall vision, leadership, and direction for the Child Welfare Program within the assigned district and the department. This position engages and works with community partners and departmental managers to create holistic Child Welfare Program service delivery systems that reflect the cultural needs and diversity of the community, and to maximize and improve the timely and accurate delivery of benefits and services to all DHS customers. The position provides leadership for its management team and is accountable for the District Child Welfare Program operation. The position manages programs and staff with diverse backgrounds and competing interests, in collaboration with partners, to manage change, and to focus on both internal. and externa! issues.
Manage the District Child Welfare Programs. Plan, develop, and monitor the local service plans. Resolve contractor, partner, and branch/District issues and concerns. Develop interagency agreements needed to support/enhance services.
Participate in the department's program and policy development, including planning and setting department priorities. Provide direction to District 4 Supervisors on policy and program goals, setting expectations for branch performance to achieve program goals.
Develop short- and long-term goals for the District, and assist Supervisors in the implementation of these goals.
The position is responsible for program and policy implementation, interpretation, and policy expectations.
Establish and implement personnel practices consistent with personnel rules and regulations, OPEU contact, and the department's affirmative action policy. Provide direct supervision to supervisors and district support staff. Manage, through a subordinate supervisor, all Child Welfare Program Branch staff within the District. Recruit, hire, monitor, and appraise staff performance, assess training needs, and arrange or provide necessary instruction.
Respond to and resolve employee complaints and grievances, and assure that progressive discipline is taken when necessary. Assure that performance standards are established for Child Welfare Program staff.
Allow supervisors to receive technical assistance and manage effectively with equity and transparency.

This position managed Child Welfare Programs in both Benton County and Lincoln County.

• Provided clinical supervision to child welfare staff. Supervision is a multi-layered process that involves a number of different roles and responsibilities, which includes group and individual supervision and critical analysis of the Oregon Safety Model and Policy and Procedure. Clinical supervision focuses on the actions, responses, and decisions of the caseworker in providing services to clients in a regular, ongoing and systematic way. In this context, clinical casework is any direct interaction, intervention, or service between caseworkers and families. The major duties include: Implements the organizational objectives and helping to ensure that the quantity and quality of work achieves standards articulated or assumed for the agency.

• Generally speaking a policy analyst duties are as follows: Manage research studies that evaluate agency policy and operations. Formulate policy, and design operational systems to support policy direction. Advise agency management on the benefits of different policy options. Write or revise policy to mitigate operational risk. Lead policy task forces comprised of agency staff and outside stakeholders to address legislative and policy changes. Evaluate statutes, legislative and executive intent, and operating procedures; develop a comprehensive evaluation of the effect on agency operations. Research current trends in the subject area related to agency operations, formulate policies, and suggest legislative changes to support philosophy or changes in practice.

• Provided clinical supervision to child welfare staff. Supervision is a multi-layered process that involves a number of different roles and responsibilities, which include group and individual supervision. Clinical supervision focuses on the actions, responses, and decisions of the caseworker in providing services to clients in a regular, ongoing and systematic way. In this context, clinical casework is any direct interaction, intervention, or service between caseworkers and families. The major duties include implementing the organizational objectives and helping to ensure that the quantity and quality of work achieve the standards articulated or assumed for the agency.

• In addition to conducting child protective services assessments, I provided daily mentoring and training to child welfare staff. I ensured that Child Welfare staff were trained in new policies and procedures, both related and unrelated to protective services. I provided supervisory assistance to child welfare staff in the protective services unit, both in the capacity of screening allegations of child abuse and neglect, and assessing those allegations of abuse or neglect. I also provided mandatory reporting training to law enforcement, community programs, and educators throughout Umatilla County.