Neutral overseer chosen for Oregon foster care class action settlement

Think Out Loud

Oregon’s foster care class action lawsuit against the state's Department of Human Services was settled in May after five years. But the improvements to the foster care system agreed in the settlement couldn’t move forward until a “neutral” was chosen to oversee the system. This week the court picked outside expert Kevin Ryan to oversee the changes. He previously played a similar role in child welfare cases in Texas, Michigan and Oklahoma, and also served as New Jersey’s first State Child Advocate.

We talk with Fariborz Pakseresht, director of the Oregon Department of Human Services and Aprille Flint-Gerner, director of Child Welfare. They discuss the settlement and what they think this will mean for foster children and youth in Oregon.