New head appointed for Child and Family Services Division

Saturday, Nov. 19, 2005 | 7:54 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A juvenile probation officer has been named administrator of the state Child and Family Services Division that oversees 6,000 youngsters and has a budget of more than $160 million a year.

Fernando Serrano, who has been chief juvenile probation officer for Humboldt, Lander and Pershing counties since 1988, will take over the $106,000 job in January. He replaces Jone Bosworth, who resigned to take a job in Missouri.

The appointment was announced Wednesday by Health and Human Services Director Mike Willden, who said Serrano has dealt with the issues relevant to the state agency, including mental health, substance abuse and detention of juveniles.

Willden said Serrano faces major challenges in providing adequate mental health care for juveniles in Clark and Washoe counties; curing the problems of child welfare that were found in a federal report; overseeing the integration of child welfare programs in Clark and Washoe counties; and making sure the civil rights of children in the state reformatories are protected.

Serrano was picked from five finalists.

Before going to work in his present job, Serrano was a social worker in Washoe County and a juvenile probation officer in rural Nevada.

He earned a degree in social service and corrections at UNR, where he attended on a football scholarship. In 2002 he was recognized for "outstanding career accomplishment" by a UNR graduate.

Willden said Serrano has been a member of the state Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Advisory Board, is now vice chairman of the Block Grant Advisory Committee that allocates $30 million a year to nonprofit organizations, and serves on the advisory council for "Kids Count," reviewing the condition of programs for children.

Cy Ryan can be reached at (775) 687-5032 or at cy@lasvegassun.com.