O'Hara welcomes new social worker to the township

Kayla Somerville has found herself in a new community with the same goal of helping people.

The Butler resident and University of Pittsburgh grad was recently hired as O’Hara’s human services coordinator and leads the township’s social worker program.

She works closely with the police department to help residents with various needs, including mental health, housing assistance, drug and alcohol abuse and access to related services.

“I’ve always been interested in helping others,” Somerville said. “As a youth, I was involved in 4-H and did a lot of community service through 4-H. In college, I also was involved in a military service fraternity at IUP and we did a lot of community service through that fraternity because it was a co-ed fraternity. My family’s always been one to be big in (helping) people and (social work) seemed like a path to keep going.”

Police Superintendent Jay Davis said Somerville was selected out of 60 applicants and 10 interviewed finalists.

Her extensive experience in various fields, including law enforcement and assisting people through trauma and crisis, set her apart.

“Kayla has a lot of background,” Davis said. “A lot of the things we’re looking at are drug and alcohol experience, experience with the elderly, experience with juveniles, experience with a lot of trauma-based issues.”

Having a social worker has made police work a lot easier. Not just going on certain calls but being available for officers to talk and debrief after emergencies.

“Just keep things normal and try to keep them in a good place,” Somerville said.

Somerville, 43, formally started with the township on May 19 and has had dozens of public interactions, including some in Blawnox.

“She has jumped in with both feet and she jumped in the deep end of the pool,” Davis said. “She’s very well received. I’m extremely happy. Our guys are very receptive to the whole social worker aspect of this. They’ve come to recognize how much easier it makes their job. They’re 100% on board. … She’s an asset to the township as a whole, not just the police department.”

The township council and administration have also been very supportive of the social worker program and the police department, Davis said.

Building on success

O’Hara first launched its social worker program with Robinson resident Jalen Byrd in October 2022.

The Geneva College grad specialized in helping people with depression, drug and alcohol issues, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and mood disorders. Byrd left at the end of March.

Somerville said there was a big gap between Byrd’s departure and her arrival and he was not able to directly help in the transition; however, there were some resources left behind to give her a good start.

Davis thanked Byrd for his service and for showing how effective it is to have a social worker. He declined to discuss Byrd’s departure further, calling it a personnel matter.

“The entire experience since 2022 has been positive,” Davis said. “A lot of success stories. That’s why council and the township manager were so adamant about making sure this program continued.”

Hampton Social Services coordinator Angela Kenbok, who was involved in O’Hara’s social worker program development, was also a part of its latest hiring process.

“Council is very excited to have Kayla join our staff,” township manager Julie Jakubec said. “They believe her experience in police work and social work is a great fit for the Township of O’Hara.”

Somerville’s salary is $82,000.

Look at the resume

Somerville graduated from Riverside High School in Ellwood City in 2000.

She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in criminology and a minor in psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and graduated from its police academy in 2004.

She briefly served as a police officer for Jackson Township and and Slippery Rock before focusing on social work.

Somerville served as a child protective specialist for Butler County Children & Youth Services for more than 14 years. She said she loved the investigative aspect of the job as well as helping families without the badge and uniform.

She also served as a clinical social worker for UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for nearly six years before coming to O’Hara. She helped many families go through bereavement at the hospital.

Somerville also has some personal experience in dealing with someone recovering from drug addiction.

She said the relationship with her older sister, Kristina, has improved tremendously as the sibling closes in on her eighth year of sobriety.

“I know both sides of loving someone with addiction and trying to help someone with addiction,” Somerville said. “I have a good understanding of the hardships that go along with that. It was a very trying time.”

She said there was a long time during which they did not speak. The turning point was when Kristina became incarcerated.

Somerville said her sister has made great strides and done some amazing things since then, and they talk every day.

Lucky dog

Somerville credits her 9-year-old Great Dane, Persy, with helping her find the job just in time.

“My dog had gotten me up really early one morning, he kicked me out of bed,” she said. “I just happened to be flipping through (the job site) Indeed to see what’s going on and found the posting for O’Hara that resumes needed to be in on Monday. This was a Saturday. I found it by chance. Police social work like this just seems to encompass a large portion of my background … I had two days to get my resume together and go from there.”

Somerville and her husband, Greg Carraher, recently celebrated 11 years together and are coming up on their sixth wedding anniversary. They have three children, Olivia, 17, Connor, 16, and Ian, 15.

When not working or with the family, Somerville is volunteering at the Child Advocacy Center of Butler County.

She is part of a group that involves law enforcement, case workers, social workers and other professionals who observe forensic interviews of child abuse victims. The goal is to minimize having victims repeat their stories and ensure they get the support they need.