09/24/2026
In celebration of Child Welfare Workforce Appreciation Month, we are proud to spotlight Dr. Brandynicole Brooks:
Dr. Brandynicole Brooks, Deputy Director at DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) in the Office of Planning, Policy, and Program Support (OPPPS), is a passionate child welfare leader who advocates for co-design with those who have firsthand system experience. Her dedication to authentic relationships ensures lived experts are central to strategic planning and program development.
Driven by a desire to help others, Dr. Brooks majored in psychology and soon found her calling through social work. Her early child welfare field placement sparked a lifelong commitment to serving and listening, shaping her identity and inspiring her work at every level, micro, mezzo, and macro.
Balancing the urge to “save the world” with the reality of burnout, Dr. Brooks stresses the importance of focusing on what can be changed, including oneself, and recognizing the value of incremental impact.
She is optimistic about child welfare’s shift toward family inclusion, moving from prescribed tasks to asking families where they need support. Dr. Brooks celebrates the increasing leadership of people with lived experience in shaping programs and policies, regardless of their background. Her proudest work centers on the OPPPS team’s commitment to listening and elevating voices of those served.
For those entering child welfare, Dr. Brooks advises, “find your people,” emphasizing the importance of reciprocal relationships and having a supportive community when the work gets tough. She balances her own well-being with the emotional demands of the job through therapy, advocating for healing without shame.
Dr. Brooks recalls helping a teen rejected by her mother for being a le***an, connecting her with support and affirming her identity. As the first Black professional le***an the teen had met, Dr. Brooks connected her with a chosen family, therapeutic support, and encouraged her to embrace her identity. Years later, the young woman remains in touch, sharing life updates, she is now in graduate school and has fostered children herself.
Advocacy is at the heart of Dr. Brooks’s approach, whether for staff resources, wellness opportunities, or ensuring every voice is heard, she uses her influence to help others realize their potential.
She invites community members and organizations to join co-design efforts and share feedback, urging people to connect potential resource parents or supportive friends to youth in care.
Above all, relationships motivate Dr. Brooks. “I couldn’t do this work without my team or without the relationships we have cultivated,” she affirms.
Dr. Brooks’s commitment to co-design, advocacy, and honoring lived experience continues to inspire her colleagues and community, demonstrating the transformative power of listening, serving, and collaboration in child welfare.
