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Advisory opinion regarding whether Ms. Trudy Gosserand may become a contract employee with Northwestern State University (NSU) upon her retirement from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). |
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Ms. Gosserand was a Program Specialist on the Transformation Project in an unclassified position as a Child Welfare Subject Matter Expert with the Department of Children and Family Services. The Transformation Project is DCFS's project to streamline and automate the workflow processes and modernize the collection and use of information through technology. Ms. Gosserand's duties have included business process analysis of the work processes of DCFS' programs such as Economic Stability, Child Support Enforcement and Child Welfare Services. Ms. Gosserand was assigned to the Core CAFE' group, participating in Joint Application Design sessions, reviewing and providing comments on deliverables from contractor; participating in Child Welfare Streamlining work group; leading a Support Services group on policy, collections; LaCarte purchases and payments; worker reimbursements; quality assurance; training; Child Welfare legal policies; and Child Support Enforcement legal policies; assisting in researching and development of data governance for DCFS; and centralized intake for child protection.
For the past two years, Ms. Gosserand has had no involvement in Child Welfare matters in Pointe Coupee Parish.
Ms. Gosserand has been offered to contract with Northwestern State University to be a Child Welfare Coach assigned to the Baton Rouge Region, which includes East/West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, and East/West Feliciana Parishes. As a Child Welfare Coach with NSU, Ms. Gosserand will work with new Child Welfare staff to enhance their knowledge and skills through the use of structured activities, on the job training, observations and providing feedback. The Child Welfare Coach plays a key role in supporting and assisting the Child Welfare Trainee to improve the trainee's performance as they work with the children, families, providers, and other stakeholders with the child welfare system. According to the DCFS Training Director, coaching is not a service that DCFS has ever formally provided to Child Welfare Trainees.
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La. R.S. 42:1121B(1) provides that no former public employee shall, for a period of two years following the termination of his public employment assist another person, for compensation, in a transaction, or in an appearance in connection with a transaction in which such former public employee participated at any time during his public employment and involving the governmental entity by which he is formerly employed.
La. R.S. 42:1102 (16) of the Code defines person as an individual or legal entity other than a governmental entity or agency thereof.
La. R.S. 42:1121B(1) also provides that a former public employee, for a period of two years following the termination of his public employment may not render any service which such former public employee had rendered to the agency during the term of his public employment on a contractual basis, regardless of the parties to the contract, to for, or on behalf of the agency with which he was formerly employed.
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Adopt proposed advisory opinion.
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| Assigned Attorney: |
Tracy Barker |
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