Think Out Loud

Broadcast: Wednesday, June 26

People who've been through foster care systems, like the Oregon Department of Human Services, are more likely to suffer from chronic health conditions later in life, according to a new study.

In this OPB file photo, the Oregon Department of Human Services building is pictured in Salem. In May, the state settled a five-year class action lawsuit that sought changes to the child welfare system on behalf of children and youth in foster care.

Bradley W. Parks / OPB

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 upon in the settlement couldn’t move forward until a “neutral expert” 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 he 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.

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