OCEA Delivers CFS Survey Results to County CEO and Board of Supervisors

Dear OCEA member,

For years, CFS executive managers have gaslit and ignored you, as documented in volumes by 225 of you who took OCEA’s CFS Social Worker Survey. While your executive managers may not have listened to your voices, the County CEO and Orange County Board of Supervisors are listening now.

As you may have seen, last week we sent a communication detailing our recent membership meeting and delving into the results of that survey. Based on your survey results, we evaluated the CFS executive management on several qualities: Leadership Effectiveness & Accountability; Communication & Transparency; Employee Engagement & Workplace Culture; Decision-Making & Responsiveness; and Performance Metrics & Expectations.

The message was loud and clear—amid severe mismanagement, the creation of a toxic work environment, and even allegations of sexual misconduct and nepotism within executive management—55 percent of respondents strongly oppose the mandatory rotation policy; 72 percent of respondents have considered leaving or transferring; and 73 percent of respondents do not have confidence in executive management.

If any of you received an evaluation like this, you’d be put on a Performance Improvement Plan—at the very least—and that’s exactly what we’re going to ask the Board of Supervisors to do for the CFS executive managers who remain.

On Friday, the day after we informed you of the survey results, OCEA gave that information to the County CEO and all five members of the Board of Supervisors. Their response has been swift. Plans are already in the works for us to meet and discuss these issues at the CEO level in the coming weeks.

However, that will not deter us from going to the Board of Supervisors next public meeting—where SSA social workers will be recognized during a presentation for Social Worker Appreciation Month—to tell them that the time is now to make significant, meaningful change within CFS.

Members of the OCEA Board of Directors, Stewards and OCEA Staff will take our survey results to the Orange County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, March 11, during the Public Comment portion of the meeting. This will take place AFTER the regular business of the Board. As the agenda is fluid, we expect this to occur at or after the lunch hour.

If you want to join us, you can park at OCEA Headquarters, at 830 N. Ross St. in Santa Ana, for free and walk across the street to the Hall of Administration, which is in the County Administration North building, at 400 W. Civic Center Dr. in Santa Ana. OCEA leadership will be present to help coordinate CFS membership the day of the event. 

Stay tuned for more updates. 

In Solidarity,

Charles Barfield
OCEA General Manager

P.S.— For a summary of all correspondence related to this issue, visit ocea.org/fightforCFS.

Publication Date: March 5, 2025