2026 Child Welfare Law Update

SHARON ADRIC is the Administrator for the Department of Human Services (DHS), Social Services Division (SSD), Staff Development Office.
She began her social work career with the DHS Child Welfare Services Branch, where she served from 2003 to 2016 as a Social Worker Investigator, Case Manager, and Supervisor. In 2016, Sharon transitioned to the Department of Health’s Developmental Disabilities Division (DDD), where she served as the Compliance Section Supervisor. In this role, she oversaw the Adult Foster Home Program and managed the Division’s Complaints and Informal Reviews
Office, ensuring compliance with state regulations and quality standards for services supporting
vulnerable adults.

Sharon returned to the Department of Human Services in February 2020 as the lead trainer for the Adult Protective and Community Services (APCS) Branch. In her current role as Administrator of the Staff Development Office, Sharon leads workforce development initiatives, oversees statewide training programs, and supports the professional growth of social service staff dedicated to protecting Hawaiʻi’s most vulnerable children and adults.

ERIKA CANDELARIO is the Team Captain of the Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Felony Unit at the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, where she has been employed since 2005, first as a Victim Advocate in the Felony Trials Division, and now as a Deputy Prosecutor. Erika handles all domestic violence and child abuse offenses ranging in severity from misdemeanor to murder cases. She earned her law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law in 2016.

JAMIE L. DEMELLO is a Senior Staff Attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii – Windward Oahu Branch. Jamie practices in all areas of poverty law and is a Guardian Ad Litem for youth in foster care. Jamie received her J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Hawaii Pacific University. Jamie is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and a lifelong resident of Kaneohe.

VALERIE J. GRAB co-founded The Children’s Law Project of Hawai‘i in 2017 and since the inception of this non-profit law firm dedicated to court-involved youth, has served as the organization’s Executive Director. Ms. Grab has devoted her career to serving vulnerable and underrepresented populations, especially in the areas of Family and Juvenile Law. She was the Managing Attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i’s Hilo Office, and prior to that was a Staff Attorney at the Legal Aid Society of D.C. Ms. Grab was a Research Attorney for the Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court in Los Angeles, and started her legal career advocating for homeless individuals, families and runaway youth in Los Angeles and Hollywood at Public Counsel Law Center. She was the National Association of Counsel for Children’s State Coordinator for Hawai‘i, and received the prestigious Rhoda Lewis Award in 2022 from the Hawai‘i Women’s Legal Foundation. Ms. Grab received her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law where she earned a certificate from the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy

HONORABLE JESSI L.K. HALL has been a District Family Court Judge of the First Circuit, State of Hawai`i since December 2017. She has been the lead judge in all divisions, sat in all subject areas within the Family Court, and has presided over most of the Family Court specialty courts. She is the presiding judge of Nā Kama Lei, a child welfare specialty court working with families involved in the child welfare system with children from birth to five years of age. Currently, Judge Hall sits in the Juvenile Division, which addresses juvenile criminal cases as well as child welfare cases. Judge Hall has been involved in the development of an elementary level truancy pilot program, has assisted in the development of a culturally based diversion program for juveniles, and has taken the lead in updating the Uniform Parentage statute. Looking towards the future Judge Hall seeks to develop culturally based programs within the juvenile justice system as well as the child welfare system, with the hope of breaking the cycle of court involvement for families and in turn reducing the number of Native Hawaiians involved with the judicial system.

LIEUTENANT ROB IIDA has served with the Honolulu Police Department since 2015. He began his career with five years of patrol duty in the Waikiki District before earning a promotion to Detective. In that role, he spent five years with the Professional Standards Office, investigating officer misconduct. Following his promotion to Lieutenant, he was assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division, where he currently supervises the Child Abuse Detail.

APRIL LUM is an Institutional Analyst with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education’s Office of Student Support Services, where she serves as the state lead for foster care and supports the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program. A licensed social worker, April previously managed programs and services supporting children and families involved in the child welfare system. April has also been a resource caregiver for 15 years and is an adoptive mom, bringing both professional and lived experience to her work supporting children and families.

TIFFANY KAEO has been a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the City and County of Honolulu since 2010. Tiffany supervises the Family Prosecution Division, a division that prosecutes cases involving Domestic Violence, Child Abuse, and offenses committed by minors. For the last 15 years she has been dedicated to trying cases involving intimate partner violence and child abuse and has successfully prosecuted cases involving Abusive Head Trauma, child abuse, domestic violence, and firearms. In addition to trial work, Tiffany has been a presenter in various domestic violence and child abuse training events in the State as well as at the bi-annual Alaska Conference on Child Maltreatment.

MARK MORIKAWA is the Program Director of the Children’s Justice Center of Oahu. He oversees daily operations of the center, strengthens multidisciplinary teamwork, and promotes child-centered investigations and services. Mark entered the social work field in 2008 as an adolescent substance abuse counselor. Prior to joining the CJC, he was with the Department of Human Services for nine years as a Child Welfare Services case manager and supervisor in East Hawaii

ALBERT PACHECO JR. is currently the TA Section Administrator East Hawaii Child Welfare Services in Hilo. He currently oversees East Hawaii Section and believes in emphasizing strong case work with a commitment to what is in the best interest of the child/children. Albert started in the social services field as a mental health care coordinator at Department of Health Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division in East Hawaii for seven years. He started at Child Welfare Services East Hawaii in 2005, as a social worker. He continues to work at CWS with the commitment to bettering our community and State, with the vision and dedication to keep children safe and in a healthy nurturing environment

HONORABLE ANDREW PARK was appointed to the District Court of the First Circuit and assigned to Family Court on November 16, 2020, where he currently serves as the lead judge of the Domestic and Special Divisions as well as Presiding Judge of the Family Treatment Court. Judge Park has presided over Family Court cases of all types. Prior to his appointment, he served as a per diem judge of the District Family Court, was an attorney in private practice handling criminal cases, and was a deputy prosecuting attorney for the City & County of Honolulu. Outside of court, Judge Park serves as the President of the Hawaii State Trial Judges Association, a member of the Juvenile Justice State Advisory Council, and sits on the board of directors for Mental Health of America of Hawaii. Judge Park is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the William S. Richardson School of Law.

DEREK D. PETERSON is a deputy attorney general in the Family Law Division (FLD) of the Department of the Attorney General, where he advises and represents state agencies in family court matters, including child protection, adoption, minor guardianship, juvenile offender, truancy, adult protection, adult guardianship, involuntary hospitalization, and Assisted Community Treatment cases. Derek joined the FLD in 2023 and has served as one of its lead deputies since 2026. Prior to his current role, Derek served in other public interest capacities, including serving as: a deputy prosecuting attorney with the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu; a staff attorney and guardian ad litem with the Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi; and a staff attorney with the Northwest Justice Project, Washington State’s statewide civil legal aid organization. Outside of work, Derek serves on the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi. Derek earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Washington and is licensed to practice law in Washington State and Hawaiʻi.

TRISTA SPEER is a Deputy Director at the Hawaii Department of Human Services. She has more than a decade of experience in a variety of critical public service and legal roles and combines this expertise to make a difference for people and communities, leveraging innovative strategies and driving meaningful change.

Prior her current role, Trista served as a Deputy Attorney General for the Department of the Attorney General, where she advised multiple state agencies on various legal and policy matters and represented the state in both state and federal litigation cases. Before serving at the department to the Attorney General, Trista gained extensive experience in complex civil litigation in the private sector and spent nearly a decade serving as a prosecutor specializing in a trauma-informed approach in handling child welfare matters, as well as major crimes, including human trafficking and sexual assault cases. She also serves as a lecturer at the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law