Suffolk DSS needs thoughtful change

For the second time in less than three years, Suffolk County officials are searching for someone to lead the Department of Social Services, an enormous role that includes oversight of the embattled Child Protective Services, which investigates reports of child abuse and neglect.

This is a time for thoughtful, significant change.

The county’s search must be broad and deep, moving beyond existing local social services staff and advocates to seek department leaders from other jurisdictions who have creative, new strategies and can seek and bring best practices from elsewhere.

This has been a tragic, troubling time for the county’s child protection efforts. In the wake of the horrific death of 8-year-old Thomas Valva, new leadership, including well-regarded John Imhof as DSS commissioner, entered in 2024. But last December’s alleged torture and death of 7-year-old Jor’Dynn Duncan, allegedly at the hands of her guardian, Emily Kelly, and Kelly’s mother and daughter, brought renewed attention, even though a state report found CPS was not at fault in Duncan’s death.

The two top officials at DSS — Imhof and chief deputy commissioner Anne Marie Sexton — both announced their departures late last month.

As County Executive Edward P. Romaine fills the top spot again, he must act expeditiously but choose carefully. His selection for the next DSS commissioner will go before the county legislature, which must give the pick intense, public scrutiny. Romaine said he prioritizes experience — and that’s important. But the new commissioner also must be willing and able to make enormous changes to the department’s structure, operations and culture. Nothing should be off the table. A new leader should combine the use of technology with finding better ways to train, utilize and manage both longtime staff and more recent hires.

For any new commissioner to succeed, employees within the department must participate in that change. They must not stand in the way of policy and procedural shifts that can help them do their jobs better. While protecting at-risk children is the agency’s primary goal, and it should not hesitate in removing those children, like Valva, who were in danger, its scope must also include helping families access supportive services.

Once a new commissioner is in place that person must take time to develop relationships with key players, including employees, nonprofits, advocates and schools. School administrators must become deeply familiar with and connect to Suffolk’s CPS operations so they know when and how to report relevant information to the agency, something that doesn’t appear to have happened in the Duncan case. And they must feel comfortable making such reports, and trust they will be heard and addressed. Nonprofit administrators who handle food insecurity, housing and other critical social issues must be able to work with DSS leaders, too.

The county’s social services and child protection work isn’t easy. Reforming it won’t be easy either. But if Romaine chooses the right person, and that person is given the tools and freedom to change what needs changing, the people — and especially the children — of Suffolk County could greatly benefit.