Sandy Hamilton

Sandy Hamilton serves as a Part-time Seminar Instructor in the Department of Social Work within California State University, Dominguez Hills' College of Health, Human Services and Nursing. Her 33-year frontline career as a Supervising Children's Social Worker at Los Angeles County DCFS—the nation's largest child welfare agency—provides unparalleled practical expertise for training future social workers.

Her professional focus centers on trauma-informed child welfare systems with specialized mastery in high-risk family interventions involving abuse, substance disorders, and psychological crises. Key contributions include:

• Pioneering specialized programs like the Paramount Conferencing Center and Community Based Placement models
• Committee leadership for Los Angeles County's Eliminating Racial Disparity & Disproportionality (ERDD) initiative targeting systemic bias against African American youth
• Direct implementation of Critical Race Theory principles in dependency court processes

Dr. Hamilton's teaching methodology leverages her experience mentoring hundreds of BSW/MSW interns across CSULB, CSUDH, USC, and CSULA. She structures field education around real-world crisis response protocols while emphasizing ethical client advocacy in high-volume government systems. Her current role bridges academic theory with street-level practice through curated DCFS field placements and committee-based policy work that shapes regional child welfare standards.