Sharlynn E. Bobo, the director of D.C. Child and Family Services, resigned today, in the wake of a massive backlog of cases during which a 6-month-old boy and a 5-month-old boy died.
"I accepted Dr. Bobo's resignation today and would like to personally thank her for her dedication to public service and for working to turn our troubled child welfare agency around," Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said in a release late tonight. "The protection of the District's children is paramount and we will continue the work started by Dr. Bobo."
But Bobo and CFSA had many questions to answer.
Isiah had not been seen by a social worker though the agency had received a call alleging he was being neglected. The second boy, whose identity has not be disclosed, had been seen by a social worker. Bobo praised the worker for having done everything right in that case. The boy may have died when his teenage mother may have rolled over on him while the two were sleeping. Neither boy's cause of death has been released.
It is no surprise that Bobo resigned and that the mayor accepted her decision. He has wasted no time firing workers involved in the agency's missteps, including the social worker handling Isiah's case.
Fenty also fired six social workers after the badly decomposing bodies of four sisters were found in their Southeast home In January. Their mother, Banita Jacks, believed to be mentally ill, has been charged with their murders. CFSA had closed the case on the girls despite a school social worker's pleas that she feared the girls were being held hostage by their mother.
Fenty, known for his many press conferences, handled Bobo's departure quietly, announcing it in a news released after 9 p.m.
Bobo testified at a D.C. Council hearing on Monday. Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) called for the hearing after learning of Isiah's June 25 death. Wells also wanted to discuss how the agency was handling its backlog. Later on Monday, CFSA released the news of the second boy's death.
Bobo said all the controversy and attention had distracted the CFSA from its work.
"It has a been a pleasure to serve the residents of the District of Columbia and an honor to work with so many talented and dedicated social workers and employees at CFSA," Bobo said in the statment released by the Fenty administration. "It is my sincere hope that the reforms and improvements we worked on together will continue."
Dr. Roque Gerald will take over as the agency's interim director. Gerald has served as a CFSA deputy director.
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