Rhode Island To Settle Civil Lawsuit Alleging Systematic Child Welfare System Failures

On January 8, 2018, the State of Rhode Island settled a lawsuit that alleged systemic failures in the state’s child welfare system. In the settlement agreement for Andrew C. v. Raimondo, the state agreed to implement changes and meet specific commitments to improve the foster care system. The Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) progress on the changes and required improvements will be evaluated, reported on, and monitored by the Office of the Rhode Island Child Advocate and an independent data validator who will review and validate the data that DCYF provides as part of this . . .