Child Advocate Chosen

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday named a social services administrator from Minnesota to head the county’s child welfare agency.

David Sanders will leave his position as a head of the Hennepin County Children, Family and Adult Services Department in Minneapolis.

County officials and child welfare advocates praised his leadership qualities and grasp of the issues facing the department, which is responsible for protecting from abuse and neglect about 42,000 children under its supervision.

Marge Kelly, the department’s interim director, called Sanders “an outstanding choice.” She said he has the skills to make the leap from Minneapolis, where he headed a department with a $350-million budget, to Los Angeles, where he will manage a $1.4-billion agency.

“It’s not possible to hire someone who came from a bigger system, but good managers are good managers whether the system is large or small,” Kelly said.

The Department of Child and Family Services has not been kind to its directors -- three out of four have been fired since the department was created in 1984.

Sanders was a finalist for the position two years ago but was passed over in favor of Anita Bock, who was fired in July.