Collaboration
Families involved with the child welfare agency are often involved with other agencies. We strongly believe that coordinated collaboration across the child and family serving system leads to lasting and improved outcomes for children and families.
Service
Children, youth and families receiving services deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Services provided should be consistent with standards of good practice, equitable, responsive to individual strengths and needs and in accordance with governing law, regulation and policy.
Accountability
The Office of the Ombudsperson for Children will partner with agencies, youth, families and community stakeholders to continually assess the child and family serving system of the District of Columbia in order to address practice areas in need of improvement and respond to concerns from constituents served.
Our Mission:
The Office of the Ombudsperson for Children (OFC) is committed to working collaboratively across systems that impact CFSA children to foster improved outcomes, strengthen service delivery and increase accountability.
Staff:
Petrina Jones-Jesz serves as the Ombudsperson for the District of Columbia’s Office of the Ombudsperson for Children (OFC). Ms. Jones-Jesz brings over 20 years of experience in child welfare and social services programs. She has served in the leadership of the Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS) as an Assistant Commissioner and a Deputy Commissioner. In these roles, Ms. Jones-Jesz had organizational leadership responsibilities for social services programs, administration, and performance and quality improvement. Petrina has also held positions in the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS), providing leadership as the Director of the Policy, Planning and Research division; management of federal programs and reporting; and State lead for the Tennessee Community Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) program and Children’s Trust Fund. Ms. Jones-Jesz serves as one of three-chapter chairpersons for the United States Ombudsman Association (USOA)’s Children and Families chapter. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Middle Tennessee State University, Master of Education degree from Vanderbilt University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Oberlin College.
Richard Dempsey is the Deputy CFSA Ombudsperson with the District of Columbia's Office of the Ombudsperson for Children (OFC). Mr. Dempsey spent eight years working in the mental health and substance use programs for the state of West Virginia. In these roles, Mr. Dempsey served two years as a supportive counselor, crisis worker and case manager. Mr. Dempsey then served three years as a substance abuse therapist/correctional counselor for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (WVDCR) for their RSAT program. Mr. Dempsey then served three years as the Mental Health Ombudsman for the Office of Inspector General (OIG), where he was also a former Board Director for the United States Ombudsman Association (USOA). He holds a Master of Education in Counseling and Human Development from Lindsey Wilson College, and Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Psychology from the University of Pikeville.
Raeshonda Swales is an Ombuds Analyst with the DC Office of the Ombudsperson for Children (OFC). Prior to this role, Raeshonda spent 10 years working in the social work field for the Core Service Agencies (CSA) in the District of Columbia. Raeshonda’ s last four years was with Hillcrest Children & Family Services where she served dual roles as a community support worker and team housing specialist. The roles she held allowed for collaboration with public agencies, government agencies, law enforcement and people in the local community. She worked with individuals to promote optimum mental health stability and address behavioral health issues, with the goal of reducing hospitalizations and sustaining independent living in the community. Raeshonda’ s years of work experience include crisis intervention and assertive community treatment/case management for youth and adults who struggle with mental health and community living. Ms. Swales is a graduate of Lincoln University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology, and a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice, with a focus on Juvenile Justice from the University of Baltimore.
Daphne Billingsley is an Ombuds Analyst with the DC Office of the Ombudsperson for Children (OFC). She is an accomplished public servant with three decades of child welfare and social services experience. Having started her career in direct service as a group home counselor and foster/adoptive case manager, she has also trained resource parents, child welfare staff and held field level supervisory positions. Ms. Billingsley applied her best practice knowledge, collaboration and engagement skills in state level manager and director policy and planning development roles at the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) and Department of Human Services (DHS) central offices. She holds a Master of Public Service Management degree from Cumberland University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Austin Peay State University. Ms. Billingsley continues her commitment to advocacy and systemic improvement in child welfare with her work with the OFC.