L.A. County DCFS again at crossroads as another director departs amid child deaths

Eva Hernandez speaks about the death of her great-grandson, Noah Cuatro, at a news conference at the L.A. County Department of Child and Family Services office in July 2019. “It’s kind of a shock to me,” said Michael Nash, the retired judge who leads L.A. County’s Office of Child Protection. “We are sorry to have him leave.” Cagle took over running L.A. County’s child protective services apparatus in 2017 after leading Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services. “We were supposed to be protecting this boy when we took him away from his family.” No board members agreed to an interview about DCFS and they were circumspect in their comments on Cagle and instead highlighted qualities for the next DCFS leader: “It’s a big job, one that requires vision, accountability, and a dedication to ensuring that every child has a stable home,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said. Supervisor Hilda Solis said she wanted a director “who exemplifies the linguistic and cultural diversity of this County’s residents, understands how to prevent abuse and neglect, and commits to addressing inequities in our child welfare system.” “I expect the input of those with lived experience to be at the forefront of this process, allowing us to recruit a director who reimagines what it means to serve children and family,” Solis said in a statement.