DPSS_2022-23_Annual-Report-DPSS_INTERACTIVE_vF1

R I VERS I DE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLI C SOC I AL SERV I CES

Children's Services Social Worker of the Year Wendy Wilson, SSP III

Breaking Barriers for Children and Families

When she was just 10 years old, Wendy Wilson went to her school career day dressed as a “social worker.” Even back then, the 2023 Social Worker of the Year for Children’s Services Division knew what she wanted to be when she grew up. Wendy says she was inspired to this work by her dad, a district attorney’s investigator for Riverside County in the 1980s, who sometimes handled difficult child abuse cases. Now serving in the Diamond Valley Region, Wendy says respect is her key to working with children and families who might be struggling with abuse and neglect. “You have to have respect,” Wendy says. “Everyone, no matter what they’ve done or what people have done to them – they're human beings. Listen to them. Give them respect and compassion. It goes a long way.”

CSD 2023 Social Workers of the Year By Region

Hannan Salem....................Resource Family Approval Melissa Nayotl...................................................Mid County Smitha Jetti............ Special Operations & Adoptions Karla Rubio.....................................................................Metro Arlena Avina.................................................................Desert Silvia Alvarez................................Special Investigations Erin Ellis............................................................................Valley Wendy Ingram................................ Policy & Technology

Anel Trevino................................................ Court Services Kylie Padilla................................................... West Corridor Sydney Woodfield.............................................Southwest Chandra Hejduk.....Youth & Community Resources Leia Neitzel................................................ Command Post Cristal Ramirez...................................................Placement Quonteisha Wymbs....................... Child Intake Center

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Annual Report 2022/2023