JENNI M. PEREZ

Trauma-informed child welfare leader with nine years of progressive experience advancing safety, permanency, and organizational excellence across Washington's child welfare system. Recognized for leading systems improvement initiatives, mentoring professionals, strengthening workforce development, and improving organizational performance across multiple child welfare programs. Experienced in complex investigations, quality assurance, federal compliance, multidisciplinary collaboration, and organizational change. Committed to building high-performing teams while improving outcomes for children, families, and communities.

• Recipient of the Excellence in Child Welfare Award for outstanding contributions to child welfare practice.
• Selected to serve on the DCYF Workforce Retention and Engagement Advisory Board, contributing to statewide initiatives focused on employee engagement, belonging, workforce development, and organizational culture.
• Appointed to the Federal Case Review Team, evaluating case quality, strengthening federal compliance, and promoting trauma-informed best practices.
• Selected to support two regional case closure initiatives developed to address staffing shortages, improve timely case completion, and strengthen documentation quality across multiple offices.
• Designed and implemented an innovative placement coordination process that reduced the number of children across the region without an identified placement for the night from 18 to zero within two weeks. Sustained this outcome for nearly six months through enhanced coordination, workflow redesign, and collaborative problem-solving.
• Led team development initiatives that promoted collaboration, trauma-informed practice, case consultation, and continuous quality improvement, enhancing team performance and practice consistency across multiple child welfare programs.
• Mentored and provided professional consultation to approximately 30 child welfare professionals across investigations, CFWS, after-hours services, placement coordination, and background investigations, advancing workforce development while strengthening trauma-informed, family-centered practice.
• Developed and delivered training on domestic violence, permanency planning, trauma-informed practice, and child welfare best practices.
• Presented at agency all-staff meetings on a variety of child welfare practice and organizational topics.
• Selected to present at professional conferences, sharing knowledge and best practices with child welfare professionals.
• Coordinated complex multi-office child welfare investigations requiring collaboration among multiple DCYF offices, law enforcement, medical providers, schools, behavioral health professionals, attorneys, and community partners.