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. 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.
Daphne Billingsley is the Chief Deputy Ombudsperson with the DC Office of the Ombudsperson for Children (OFC). started her public service career in the mid-1990s as a case worker caring for children in the State of Tennessee foster care system. She has served as an adoption counselor, monitored placement and contract compliance, provided staff training, has been responsible for child welfare policy development as well as state and federal reporting. Daphne served as the policy development director for the Tennessee Department of Human Services where she and her team supported leadership staff in several of public welfare programs. Most recently she worked at the Middle Tennessee Community Foundation where she helped childcare providers across the state of TN receive program improvement grants. Daphne holds a Master of Science degree in public service management from Cumberland University and a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Austin Peay State university. She has collaborated with multiple agencies successfully engaging staff at all levels of leadership and has a deep commitment to the success of children and families.
William Thomas is the Deputy CFSA Ombudsperson with the DC Office of the Ombudsperson for Children (OFC). William brings 28 years of child welfare experience to the position of Deputy CFSA Ombudsperson, beginning his career as a Child Protective Services Investigator in North Carolina. He has served in various child welfare leadership positions with the Gaston County Department of Social Services and the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services in North Carolina, and the Division of Family and Children Services in Georgia. William has served in professional leadership roles as a Supervisor, Field Program Specialist/Consultant, Social Services Administrator, Deputy Director, and County Director. He comes to the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children from Georgia, after serving as the Deputy Director for the Fulton County Department of Family & Children Services in Atlanta, GA. William is a graduate of the Howard University School of Social Work.
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.
Mr. Smith is an Ombuds Analyst with the DC Office of the Ombudsperson for Children (OFC). Mr. Smith is an empathetic advocate for constituents and is experienced in working with diverse stakeholders to identify facts, increase communication, promote transparency, better utilize crucial resources, and amplify concerns. Mr. Smith is a passionate advocate for children and recently worked with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to combat child sexual exploitation. Before his current role, Mr. Smith conducted multifarious investigations into misconduct allegations and worked with crucial partners to implement strategies and recommendations to prevent future incidents. Mr. Smith has also worked with male and female victims of domestic violence to end the cycle of domestic violence and better utilize resources provided by the District of Columbia. Mr. Smith obtained a Master of Science in Administration of Justice and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management.