Mitch Mason – Mitch has 35 plus years’ experience in public child welfare.  He has a MA in Clinical                                                                                               Psychology from California State University, Los Angeles and a Master of Social Work from California                                                                                         State University, Long Beach.  In addition to 4 years direct practice and 6 years as a Supervising Children’s                                                                                 Social Worker with Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (LA DCFS), Mitch provided                                                                         program expertise for the Los Angeles County Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (ICAN) and                                                                               was a training manager for DCFS, coordinating training services provided by USC, UCLA and Cal State Long                                                                               Beach. In 2004-05, Mitch led implementation of Structured Decision Making (SDM) for L.A. County and was a                                                                           critical member of the Title IVE Waiver Demonstration Project Planning Team for Los Angeles County. 

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                                                                       In 2006, Mitch was named Di vision Chief of Government Relations for LA DCFS, leading efforts for legislativ  e                                                                         change at the State level, attending County Welfare Director’s Association Children’s Committee for DCFS and co-chairing Southern Counties CWDA Children’s Committee for 4 years.  He also oversaw Policy Development, Training, Education and Licensing Supervision and Strategic Planning efforts for the Department.  He was the lead manager for the federal Round 2 Child and Family Services Review in 2008 and participated as a cross-state reviewer for US DHHS.  He oversaw L.A. staff responsible for participation in the California Child and Family Services process for six years. 

 

In 2013, Mitch was named Director for Los Angeles County’s Child Protection Hotline and Out of County Services Division. He was responsible for overseeing the State’s largest child abuse hotline, staff supervising Interstate Compact for Placement of Children (ICPC) cases and for the County’s Special Immigrant Services Section which handles relations with CPS and Child Welfare agencies around the world.

 

Upon his retirement from LA DCFS in 2015, Mitch has served on the Board of Directors for the California Social Welfare Archives (CSWA). As Vice President, Mitch works with the University of Southern California and other universities throughout California to collect, manage and maintain records of the development and progress in social work services delivery across the Golden State. He also volunteers at the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert and consults to California’s counties through Shared Vision Consultants.

 

Mitch joined the Board of Directors for Sanctuary Palm Springs in March 2019.  He is married to Logan Duncan and has two adult children, Andrew and Rob.  He also has one grandson.