| Advisory opinion request from a former DCFS employee, Evelyn Jenkins, asking if post-employment restrictions would apply to her acceptance of a subcontract with Northwestern University as a mentor/coach at her previous agency. |
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Evelyn Jenkins states that she retired from the Department of Family and Children Services on March 2, 2012. Prior to retiring, she worked as administrator of the Child Welfare Program. In this position she provided oversight and guidance to the Child Welfare Program Section within DCFS. The duties were administrative with little to no direct contact with the field staff around the state who provide the actual services to children and families. Staff under her supervision were unit administrators and program managers with responsibility for working with federal staff, implementing federal and state laws, writing policy, and developing programs and assisting with implementation of best practices and interventions. She was supervised by the DCFS Deputy Secretary of Programs. DCFS child welfare field staff around the state are supervised under the DCFS Deputy Secretary of Field Operations.
DCFS has a contract with Northwestern State University to provide mentoring and coaching services to newly hired DCFS child welfare field staff. This contract was negotiated between the university and the DCFS Training Section. She did not have a role or give any input in the DCFS /university contract agreement. The role of the mentor /coach is to collaborate and coordinate with the supervisors of new child welfare workers to create and implement a professional development plan for the new workers.
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Section 1121B of the Code prohibits a former public employee from rendering, on a contractual basis, regardless of the parties to the contract, to or for the agency with which she was formerly employed, any service which such former public employee had rendered to the agency during the term of her public employment.
Section 1102(16) of the Code defines a person as an individual or legal entity other than a governmental entity, or an agency thereof.
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Adopt the advisory opinion.
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| Assigned Attorney: |
Aneatra Boykin |
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