The Braam Oversight Panel was created in 2004 to oversee a settlement agreement regarding improvements in Washington State's foster care system. The settlement agreement was reached after a six-year period of litigation. The named plaintiff, Jessica Braam, is an adult who lived in 34 foster homes by the time the suit was filed in 1998.

The original Braam Settlement Agreement (2004) outlined goals in the areas of placement stability, mental health, foster parent training and information, unsafe and inappropriate placements, sibling separation, and services to adolescents. Between 2004 and 2011, the independent Panel worked collaboratively with the Washington Department of Social and Health Services and plaintiffs' attorneys (representing children in foster care) to develop and monitor compliance with outcomes, benchmarks and action steps related to the 2004 Braam Settlement Agreement, as well as to develop professional standards related to the agreement.

In 2011, the DSHS and plaintiffs' attorneys reached a Revised Exit and Settlement Agreement (2011) , which modifies the Braam Settlement Agreement and extends the Braam Settlement for 26 months, with an end date of December 31, 2013. The Agreement details 21 enforceable outcomes. Under the Revised Agreement, the Braam Oversight Panel will continue monitoring the Department's progress through 2012. The Revised Exit and Settlement Agreement calls for the panel to issue monitoring reports twice in 2012 and once in early 2013.

Panel members were selected by the Department and the plaintiffs; they are national experts on children?s mental health, foster care and government oversight. Individual member biographies are included in the Members section.

The plaintiffs' attorneys include Tim Farris, a Bellingham lawyer who initiated the case, Casey Trupin and Erin Shea McCann with Columbia Legal Services, and William Grimm with the National Center for Youth Law.

NOTE: The panel does not become involved in individual cases in the child protection/child welfare system. Persons with concerns about these matters are urged to contact the Office of the Family and Children's Ombudsman. This office investigates complaints about agency actions or inaction that involve:

• Any child at risk of abuse, neglect, or other harm.
• A child or parent involved with child protection or child welfare services.