Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services Director Brandon Nichols is leaving his post after four years, the Imprint has learned.
He has told the county’s board of supervisors that he will be departing by Aug. 1.
In a letter he sent to his staff on Tuesday, Nichols gave no reason for his departure other than it was time to make “space for the next generation of leaders.” But he hailed some successes during his tenure.
“Together, we’ve accomplished remarkable feats — including thousands of children safely reunified with their parents; far fewer children of color unnecessarily entering care; and social work practice at its peak thanks to historically low caseloads,” Nichols wrote.
In a phone interview Thursday, Supervisor Kathryn Barger said she had “nothing but incredible things to say” about Nichol’s time as the county’s child welfare leader.
“He came with a sense of urgency as it relates to righting the ship after the pandemic, but he also has compassion and empathy for the youth that are under our care,” Barger said.
During his tenure as head of the nation’s largest local child welfare system, Nichols dealt with fallout from the pandemic, including a lack of placements for dozens of young adults in foster care with serious mental health needs. Last year, the agency faced new challenges when devastating wildfires tore through Altadena and Pacific Palisades, hundreds of foster youth were displaced, and several caregivers and social workers lost their homes.
