Dan Marble, John Steinfirst and Robert Kelleher offer expert witness services to plaintiff and defense attorneys and training/consultation services to child welfare agencies providing out-of-home care for children

Daniel M. Marble has worked with the Western Child Welfare Law Center since retirement in 1999-first as an expert witness and later as director of the Expert Witness recruitment.

In the course of that work it became clear that there was a need for trained, knowledgeable experts to consult with either attorneys for the defense or the plaintiff. There was a need for an expert who could evaluate agency practices with regard to the claim that a child had been injured while in their care. An expert was needed who could evaluate the child's complaint and consult with the attorney as to whether the agency had met the applicable standard of care, and been compliant with applicable regulations so that the attorney could evaluate the case.

It has become evident to Mr. Marble that such experts were difficult to find. As a result he has recruited and trained a couple of the best minds in the field. An attorney now has several experts from which to choose.

John Steinfirst, LCSW has been CEO of the well respected residential and community based Fred Finch Youth Center in Oakland, CA. for 20 year, with programs throughout California.

As such, he has experience with an array of services for a variety of institutions, government and private agencies, clients, including but not limited to abused and neglected children, programs for the developmentally disabled and mentally disabled, co-occurring disordered, children, youth, and families, and those with substance abuse problems.

As a licensed and experienced mental health therapist he can also assist in cases where suits have been brought against therapists for malpractice.

As Director of Accreditation Services for the California Alliance, Bob Kelleher developed and implemented accreditation standards for Group Homes, Foster Family Agencies, Adoption Agencies, Non-public Schools and Mental Health Programs, while providing training on standards of care to executives and clinicians.

Most recently, Bob was the Director of Quality and the Compliance Officer for one of the largest private mental health providers in California. He continues as a consultant in quality and compliance.

Cheryle Roberts has worked in the foster care and adoptions field for over fifteen years. She has worked at every position from social worker to program director for a private non-profit treatment FFA and Adoption Agency in Northern California. Currently, she is tutoring BSW and MSW students and is a registered Adoption Services Provider providing support for birth mothers who have relinquished their children to adoption.

While your agency may never have had a suit filed against it, this information provides you and your attorney with an important resource in the event that a problem does arise.

A proactive approach to risk management can be very cost effective over the long term. Dan Marble offers training to agency CEOs and staff.

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