The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors appointed Nichols to the role of director during the June 14 Board meeting, with a start date of July 1. Nichols will lead a workforce of nearly 9,000 staff members in 20 regional offices, providing protective services to more than 29,000 children.
“We are at a pivotal time when it comes to how the largest child welfare system in the country serves families,” said Supervisor Hilda Solis. “Brandon has a proven track record of cutting through red tape for families, working closely with advocates and residents with lived experience, and supporting the Department’s employees.”
“I’m pleased that our Board has quickly filled the top position of one of our most important County departments,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “Director Nichols possesses a combination of boots on the ground experience and executive management skills, along with remarkable compassion and dedication to improving outcomes for our most vulnerable children and youth served by the Department of Children and Family Services.”
Nichols, who had been serving in the role of interim director since April, indicated that his primary areas of focus will be ensuring child safety, advancing race equity efforts, and providing accessible, quality support to families.
“DCFS is charged with keeping children safe and making families strong,” said Nichols, who has a background in child welfare, foster care, adoptions, and mental health. “As Director, I want to help my staff to make the best decisions they can, I want to work with communities to support families where they live, and I want to make sure we are confronting the problems of bias and racial disproportionality that have plagued child welfare programs.”
A Los Angeles County employee for more than 25 years, Nichols has worked for several departments, including DCFS where he previously served as chief deputy director for three years. Nichols began his County career with the Office of the Counsel, where he represented the County in cases involving child abuse and neglect in the juvenile courts. He also has worked for the Probation Department and, most recently, the Chief Executive Office.
In his last position, as the Executive Director of the County’s Jail Closure Implementation Team, Nichols played a significant role in efforts to develop mental health services and other support services for people incarcerated in County jails as part of Los Angeles County’s commitment to decarcerating and closing the Men’s Central Jail.
Nichols holds a bachelor’s degree in Law and Society from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Juris Doctor Degree from the California Western School of Law in San Diego.
[Information via news release from Los Angeles County.]
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SMH says
I’m not surprised. If you are Gay or a Lesbian you can have any job you want at without taking a test. I feel sorry for the children this agency is shameful and a disgrace. And he isn’t going to do nothing for the children. He was lazy at the probation department always eating no work eating food. But the truth is these white folks get all type of jobs they don’t deserve. Welcome to the real world.
Feeling hopeless… says
Our society is so broken. There is no simple fix. Go into stores here in the AV and see parents being abusive to their children, verbally and physically. They use all kinds of profanity, say horrible things, make threats. Parents are too busy on their phones and with their social lives. So many people are on something, be it legal or illegal. Seems like many are committing some sort of fraud or engaged in some illegal activity.
A young mom, about 19, was horribly nasty to our staff. She walked up one day and dropped her child to the ground. Child fell onto the pavement and slammed head back, crying for mom, and she never looked back. Child’s face and hands were covered in dried blood. Reported her and nothing happened because they put on a good show. We’d call her and she’d nastily tell us don’t be calling her and hang up.
Staff is told to report parents for tardiness, missing homework, lack of warm clothing during winter—any little thing. One staff member went to extremes and said she was reporting a parent because she didn’t like how the parent sounded on the phone, reporting another parent for yelling at child during virtual learning, reporting another parent because the child was in a bad mood and knows dad is strict and may have done something despite not witnessing anything.
Another staff member was the bully/abuser—she’s not the only one! She would say atrocious things to select students, charge at them with her fist up like she was going to strike them, and much worse. But she could lie her way out of it. Students had told her of abuse at home and she did nothing! One boy told her uncle makes him sit on his face and ‘he does stuff to me.’ Another told about getting knocked around by an older cousin.
A local district is employing a woman who was accused of abuse at her previous job. There were many witnesses and photographs. Several families sued, and won nearly 7 million. She resigned and never had any action against her so she was able to move on and get another job with kids.
How do we fix this? These societal problems seem so insurmountable.
Danelda says
Ok great so he is good at management but can he keep kids from doing in state care or being wrongfully removed and never returned to non abusive loving families?
Stinger says
What do you think management does?
ACE says
I WAS JUST WONDERING IF –
THE HIGHLY PAID. POORLY VETTED L.A. COUNTY DCFS FOSTER PARENTS WOULD DO SOME OF THE FOLLOWING IF THEY WERE PAID EXTRA..?
1. HELPING KIDS WITH THEIR HOME WORK AND ENCOURAGING THEM TO READ BOOKS…
2. TAKING THEM TO THE SNOW ONCE A YEAR TO SLED AND THROW SNOW BALLS AND BUILD A SNOWMAN…
3. TAKING THEM TO THE BEACH FOR THE DAY…
4. TAKING THEM TO DISNEYLAND AND KNOTTS BEERY FARM AND MAGIC MOUNTAIN…
5. TEACHING THEM HOW TO DRIVE…
6. TAKING THEM CAMPING, HIKING AND FISHING…
7. TAKING THEM TO THE CHURCH THAT THEY BELONG TO EVERY SUNDAY…
8. HELPING THEM DEAL WITH MISSING THEIR PARENTS AND NOT BE ABLE TO HELP THEM…
9. ALLOWING THEM TO HAVE PETS…
10. NOT RUNNING DOWN THEIR PARENTS BY LYING ABOUT HOW AWFUL THEY WERE…
HOW MUCH WOULD WE HAVE TO PAY THE L.A. COUNTY DCFS FOSTER PARENTS MORE A MONTH TO PRETEND THEY REALLY LOVE THE FOSTER KIDS..?
NO NOT THAT WAY, EITHER…
Love the truth says
Brandon Nichols work hard. Lol Yeah right working hard stealing State and Federal funding from the children’s. He is apart of the problem understand. Brandon Nichols had several child death under his watch as a interim Director. Remember, Baby Noah Brandon Nichols is responsible. And what is funny he leaves the Department after the child death. And the Board of Supervisor brings him back. What sense does this make..
ACE says
WUT..? NO MENTION OF ALL THE PAST ABUSES..?
HE WAS WORKING THERE THEN TOO..?
WANTED TO CLOSE JAILS…
AND OH BY THE WAY FOLKS…
“Advancing race equity efforts…” BY THE DCFS MEANS RACIAL QUOTAS OF FAIRNESS IN TAKING AWAY KIDS AND DESTROYING FAMILIES…
LOOK FOR THE DCFS TO CONTINUE TO TAKE AWAY MORE DIFFERENT RACE KIDS THAN THE HUGE NUMBER OF HISPANIC KIDS IN FAIRNESS…
AND FOR THEIR STATISTICS…
ABOILSH THE DCFS NOW…
FIRE THEM ALL…
VOTE OUT ALL OF THE SUPERVISORS…
Spelling Bee says
Get off the Meds and use spell check….
ACE says
O YAH TANKS A LOT FOR YER KIND HEARTED SPELLING ADVIZE…
NO ONE LIKES A BRAIN DEAD RUDE CONTROL FREEK POINTING OUT SMALL TYPO ERRoRS…
THAT CERTANLY AIN’T CHEW…
NO-SIR-EEE…
AS AN OLD BLIND MAN WITH NO ONE TO PROOF REED MY POSTS SUM TIMES I MESS UP…
MAYBEE I CULD EMAIL THEM TO YEU AND YOU COULD PROUF REED THEM AND EMAIL ME THAM BECK..?
THAT WOOD BE EVER SO KIND OF YOU AND HALPFUL TWO…
Stinger says
Nice trolling, there.
Citizens says
Ace you are spot on! The DCFS has been ripping kids away from their family for 40 years now! And it doesn’t matter what color you are or if your a man or a woman! The DCFS’s 3 billion dollar annual budget needs justification. And that comes directly on the back of the poor, not your race. The DCFS is the largest children trafficking network in the world. And it is armed with the lowest standard’s of proof in a court of law. Hearsay is admissible in Dependency court. That mean’s anyone at anytime can call the DCFS and make false statements about you , and a Dependency case can and will be filed on you. The DCFS has an array of corrupt Judges, Doctors, Lawyers, dependency Lawyers , social workers that will lie and cheat (pencil whip) you to death. Just a little bit of advice for everyone. Do not open your door to DCFS! Do Not speak to them without a lawyer present! Do Not take your Child to Children’s hospital of Los Angeles!!! Invest in a personal body camera for all interactions with anyone you come into contact with during hospital visits, school teach conferences, ANYTHING. If they do open up a case on you. Communicate with them via email only and again audio and video record everything!!! If your reading this and thinking,( this will not happen to me for any reason), Well your wrong!!! Do your research on how much these people get paid with your tax money to take and adopt kids out. And always stand on the 14 Admin meant to the United States constitution that gives you right to raise your children in this country how you see fit!!!! AND THOSE RIGHTS SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED!!!