Child Advocate nominee praised for commitment to improving the child welfare system

Maybe it’s counterintuitive to testify on behalf of the agency charged with keeping tabs on your employer. But that’s what Matthew Gunnip —  a caseworker for the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) and president of its union, SEIU Local 580 — did at a Thursday evening hearing of the Senate Committee on Judiciary.

Gunnip praised the Office of the Child Advocate for its work in protecting the rights of children under DCYF care, highlighting the office’s work investigating abusive practices at St. Mary’s Home for Children in North Providence, a DCYF contractor. 

“During that St. Mary’s investigation, they’re the ones witnessing the videos,” Gunnip told senators. “They’re the ones digging through these documents, reading and reading and reading. I can only imagine working at [that] office, like the trauma secondary trauma [that] comes from getting into those details, and then having to do a 100-page report.”

The union man was one of numerous colleagues, friends and family who showed up to testify in support of the oversight office’s leader, Katelyn Medeiros, who has been nominated for its next permanent leader after serving as acting child advocate since July 2022.

It turns out the committee was supportive too, and voted unanimously to affirm Gov. Dan McKee’s nomination of Medeiros. The nomination is now scheduled for a Senate floor vote on Thursday, May 30. If approved, Medeiros will serve a five-year term that expires in May 2029. 

After the hearing, Medeiros said she was “humbled” by the outpouring of support from her office’s colleagues and DCYF. 

“We really have the right mindset and focus on collaboration to get the necessary change that we need,” she said. 

The child advocate is the state’s lead attorney and ombudsman for issues related to child welfare in Rhode Island including foster care, child protective services and an assortment of behavioral health services. State law empowers the advocate to act on behalf of what are likely the state’s most vulnerable children and adolescents through legal action, advocacy and independent investigation into DCYF practices and placements. 

Medeiros was named OCA’s acting director — one of many temporary leaders in the McKee administration — when predecessor Jennifer Griffith left for medical reasons nearly two years ago. Griffith eventually left her post in July 2023 for a new gig with the Office of the Secretary of State. Medeiros began working at the child advocate’s office in 2012 as an intern.

‘Destined to work in this field’

Kathryn R. Cortes has worked at the Office of the Child Advocate even longer: 17 years. She remembers sharing her caseload and experiences with a still-fledgling Medeiros upon her arrival to the office in 2012. Cortes told the committee that Medeiros’ nomination was not only judicious — it may even be fate.

“It was immediately evident she was destined to work in this field and be a strong advocate for the state’s most vulnerable children,” Cortes said.

Medeiros also identified her internship as a formative one: “I knew this was the work I wanted to dedicate my legal career to.” 

Former DCYF administrator Ken Fandetti said he was familiar with the Office of the Child Advocate since its creation in 1979. He’s also worked with the child advocate’s office on fatality review panels, and has seen DCYF from perspectives both inside and out.

“I suppose the highest praise I could give Katelyn is when the going gets tough, and there are difficult decisions to be made, she will do the right thing — no matter what the consequences are for her professionally or personally,” Fandetti said to the committee.

Medeiros seemed to agree in her own testimony: “I was able to learn a lot about my ability to be collaborative but know that I am not afraid to take a difficult stance if it’s necessary to protect the children that we serve.”

Still, Medeiros emphasized collaboration in her own testimony, and noted that recurrent issues in the state’s child welfare system can’t be solved by her office alone. She noted a positive relationship with DCYF director Ashley Deckert.  

“I really appreciate the direction in the vision of director Deckert, and I really do have a good working relationship, which I think is going to be important in really driving systemic reform forward,” Medeiros said. “It’s not a small undertaking, and it’s not going to happen overnight.”

While Medeiros has spent years in Rhode Island government, and received her law degree from Roger Williams University, Deckert assumed her leadership role at DCYF in 2023, after the departure of former acting director Kevin Aucoin.

Medeiros also pointed to the less-publicized work of her office, like ensuring foster kids can recover from childhood trauma — something reflected in high school graduation rates. 

“Youth experiencing the child welfare system are graduating at a rate significantly lower than their peers,” Medeiros told the Judiciary Committee, a datapoint backed up by a recent report from KIDS COUNT. “This illustrates a desperate need for improvements so we can ensure the success of our youth and pave the way for bright futures. One of my main priorities will be the improvement of educational outcomes for these youth.” 

After the hearing, Medeiros told Rhode Island Current her office’s mission hasn’t changed, media attention or not.

“I believe that our office has been and will continue to fulfill and uphold the mission to serve the best interests of children,” she said. “I know some other matters are more publicized as of late. I think the issues remain the same, and my sole focus is serving the best interests of kids and ensuring that we make the necessary change so they can have the positive outcomes they deserve.”

Senators still wanted to talk about the ongoing troubles at St. Mary’s Home and U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha’s recent investigation of DCYF regarding over-hospitalization of children at Bradley Hospital. 

The committee’s first questions came from Sen. Mark McKenney, a Warwick Democrat, who asked about St. Mary’s Home.

“Do you feel optimistic? Tell me you do,” McKenney said.

“That’s a big question, senator,” Medeiros said and smiled. But she broke it down for McKenney, and pointed to the state’s need for “an appropriate continuum of care,” something which may be helped by recent legislation that would require “a comprehensive needs assessment of our entire system to truly get at the issue of what is it that we need.” 

“I do think that we can get there. I have to remain hopeful. Otherwise, I’d be crazy to be sitting here before you,” Medeiros said. But I think we have a lot of work to do and really need to seriously look at restructuring our service array and our continuum, and also ensuring that that’s appropriately funded.”

That answer satisfied McKenney: “I think you’re gonna find that the committee’s behind you. I think you’ll probably find the Senate is behind you.”

The senator paused.

“I think the state of Rhode Island is behind you,” McKenney continued. “Because if we don’t get this right, I don’t even want to think about the consequences. If we do get this right, I think it could be historic, if we could finally get the system straightened out.”