With more than 25 years of experience in dependency court systems and public child protection agencies, this social work expert provides litigation consultation and expert testimony in matters involving child protection investigations, foster care practices, adoption services, and court-related child welfare procedures, including cases concerning sexual abuse, physical abuse, and severe neglect. She has testified in deposition and at trial as an expert in multiple civil cases involving county child welfare agencies and related entities.

She holds a Master of Arts degree in Counseling and Educational Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, academic training that supports her work in child welfare investigations and dependency court proceedings. Her professional background includes service as a Forensic Social Worker and Social Work Investigator, where she consults with attorneys on dependency court matters and provides written and verbal testimony in court proceedings. She previously held positions as Supervising Children’s Social Worker, Children’s Social Worker, and Dependency Investigator/Court Officer within a county child protection agency. In those roles, she conducted emergency referral investigations, provided case management to families with histories of sexual abuse, physical abuse, and severe neglect, made recommendations to the court, testified in dependency proceedings, served as liaison between the agency and the court, assisted in mediating petition language, facilitated Family Group Decision Making meetings, and supervised social work staff and caseloads.

Additional experience includes leadership within a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, where she trained and supervised staff and volunteers advocating for children in court and in the community, prepared and edited court reports, and instructed classes on the dependency court system and cultural awareness. She also has foster family agency casework experience serving high-risk youth, including coordination with mental health providers and law enforcement. Through documented testimony experience and long-standing involvement in dependency court systems, she provides analysis regarding child welfare investigations, foster care services, and court-related child protection procedures.