© 2026 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Oregon Governor Orders Independent Review Of State's Foster Care Oversight

NWNews | By Chris Lehman,
Chris Lehman
Published November 16, 2015 at 5:06 PM MST
Matt Howry
/
Flickr

Oregon Governor Kate Brown wants an independent review of the state's foster care system. It comes after the Willamette Week newspaper reported that the Oregon Department of Human Services ignored warning signs at a prominent foster care provider in Portland.

The problems ranged from squalid conditions to poor financial management. Brown removed the leader of the agency this month and appointed Clyde Saiki in his place.

Saiki told a panel of Oregon lawmakers Monday that the agency will double down on its efforts.

"This commitment is the only way we can hope to provide the best service possible and ensure the safety of our foster children,” he said. “We must do better. The children of Oregon deserve no less."

Saiki said he supports the governor's call for an independent review. Some lawmakers say they'll introduce legislation next year aimed at increasing transparency at the Department.

Copyright 2021 Northwest News Network. To see more, visit Northwest News Network.

Northwest News Network
Chris Lehman
Chris Lehman graduated from Temple University with a journalism degree in 1997. He landed his first job less than a month later, producing arts stories for Red River Public Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Three years later he headed north to DeKalb, Illinois, where he worked as a reporter and announcer for NPR–affiliate WNIJ–FM. In 2006 he headed west to become the Salem Correspondent for the Northwest News Network.
See stories by Chris Lehman
Chris Lehman
Chris Lehman graduated from Temple University with a journalism degree in 1997. He landed his first job less than a month later, producing arts stories for Red River Public Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Three years later he headed north to DeKalb, Illinois, where he worked as a reporter and announcer for NPR–affiliate WNIJ–FM. In 2006 he headed west to become the Salem Correspondent for the Northwest News Network.

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.

Donate