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June 25, 2024
Good morning,
Last month, ODHS reached a settlement in the Wyatt B. et al. vs. Kotek et al. lawsuit. This class-action lawsuit was filed in 2019 by Disability Rights Oregon and a national advocacy group, A Better Childhood.
Today, we are pleased to announce that Kevin Ryan will serve as the “Neutral” required by the settlement. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the state agreed to hire an outside subject matter expert to act as a “Neutral” and assist the state in continuing to improve outcomes for children and families.
Centering the parties’ settlement around a neutral subject matter expert is a positive outcome of this litigation. Child welfare is a complex policy area. As an expert with prior child welfare system experience, Mr. Ryan will be well-positioned to examine ODHS Child Welfare’s practices, policies and procedures and work side by side with us to determine how to best continue to improve outcomes for children and families. At the same time, the settlement allows ODHS to continue the significant progress Oregon has made around prevention and family preservation, with the goal of keeping families together whenever safely possible.
Mr. Ryan will conduct a comprehensive review of Oregon’s child welfare system and will annually evaluate ODHS’s progress toward improving the foster care outcome areas outlined in the settlement. In doing so, he will draw on his extensive experience working in similar roles in child welfare cases in states such as Texas, Michigan and Oklahoma, where he has assessed progress in child welfare systems and reported findings to the court. He was the first State Child Advocate in New Jersey before overseeing New Jersey’s child welfare agency as Commissioner of Children and Families from 2006 to 2008. His tenure leading the agency also coincided with the state being under federal monitorship. He also served many years as president and CEO of the Covenant House, a charitable organization that helps children, youth and young families experiencing houselessness, hunger, human trafficking and exploitation.
ODHS looks forward to collaborating with Mr. Ryan in the coming months. The first deliverable for the Neutral is to conduct an initial review of Oregon’s child welfare system, by April 30, 2025. We will keep you updated as this work moves forward.
Thank you for all of the work you do on behalf of Oregon's children and families.
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