On April 21, 2026, Governor Mike Braun announced that Jennifer Dorfmeyer would take over as the Director of the Indiana Department of Child Services.
Leslie Dunn, Director of the Children & Families Division of the Indiana Office of Court Services, connected with Dorfmeyer for a discussion about her new role and how DCS and the courts can work together to help Hoosier kids in need.
How long have you been in child welfare and what roles have you played?
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and I began my career at The Salvation Army, serving individuals with substance use disorders, before dedicating ten years to DCS in various roles. I also worked in the private sector in various roles from national child welfare consulting to residential treatment. Most recently, I served as Vice President of Midwest Operations at Choices Coordinated Care Solutions, overseeing day-to-day operations in Indiana and Ohio.
In 2025, I returned to DCS as the Chief Deputy Director, leading the agency’s child protection and welfare efforts, and the governor appointed me to be the director of Indiana’s Department of Child Services in April 2026. On a personal level, I am a former foster parent and adopted my son from the child welfare system. I am married and the proud mother of five children and two stepchildren, bringing a deep personal commitment and understanding to our work with children and families in Indiana.
What were you most excited about returning to DCS and serving as the Director?
The chance to direct policy, focus on prevention, and make positive changes for families and children using all my personal and professional experience. Also, importantly, an opportunity to incorporate compassion but also better practice.
What are your priorities for the agency?
Ensuring we are offering the right intervention at the right time, better coordination with stakeholders, including the judiciary.
How can DCS and the judicial branch collaborate more effectively?
Overall, the main goal is improved communication and collaboration between DCS, the Indiana Office of Court Services (IOCS), and the judicial officers on the state and local levels to improve outcomes for families and children in these cases.
Some ways we can do that:
- Sharing our goals, plans, and initiatives. For example, I recently spoke at the Juvenile and Family Court Judges Conference to meet the judges and provide updates on DCS. Participating in each other’s training and doing joint training is always helpful. The Chief Justice recently spoke to DCS attorneys and so did several IOCS staff. The Children and Families Division and DCS are already planning additional joint training with DCS attorneys and staff, including a judges panel that will have an open discussion with DCS attorneys about how we can better collaborate to improve court processes and permanency for children. We would like this to be the beginning of ongoing dialogue and joint training between DCS and the judiciary.
- IOCS staff were very involved in the DCS Court and Families Services Review (CFSR) and Program Improvement Plan (PIP) and helped DCS by both leading and participating in many different workgroups. Several trial judges and Judge Dana Kenworthy of the Indiana Court of Appeals also shared their expertise from the judicial perspective by serving on workgroups and on the State PIP Task Force. The Court Improvement Program and DCS further collaborated with trial court judges in several counties across the state to pilot initiatives focused on improving the quality of CHINS hearings, timeliness of court hearings, and increasing local stakeholder collaboration.
- Work together on new initiatives from DCS or the courts; ensure both are involved in the planning and implementation process.
- Communicate to ensure we are on the same page about our overall goals as a state; having a shared vision, common goals so we are all aligned on prevention efforts, reunification, permanency, and improving timelines. Each part of the system is integral to the success of the system and if we are not working together, we are doing a disservice to Indiana families and children.
- Remind stakeholders that we should all feel a sense of urgency in moving these cases forward. Make efforts to drive a timely, forward trajectory by setting case management orders with timelines early on in a case and minimizing continuances and delays.
- This work is hard! Building and improving relationships is a critical component of a well-functioning system. While everyone will not always agree with how to approach a case or systemic issue, it is important for all system partners to model respect, professionalism, empathy, and kindness. This, in turn, will help build and sustain an experienced and committed child welfare workforce and allow us all to better serve Indiana’s children and families.
- Implement a local model of collaborative meetings with key stakeholders to use data to identify and address systemic issues, timelines, and challenges and encourage open communication. There are great models out there in counties like Henry, Allen, Ripley, and Marion. DCS and CIP are collaborating to help facilitate this; reach out to Jamie Devine, CIP Administrator at IOCS, for technical assistance in establishing the collaborative meetings in your county.
What are your final words to judges and members of the judicial branch?
Our ability to serve Indiana’s children well depends on how well we work together. When DCS and the courts communicate openly, align our goals, and approach this work as true partners, families experience better outcomes, and that is the standard we should always strive for!
For more information on Indiana Department of Child Services visit in.gov/dcs