Joseph P. Ryan
Associate Professor, Faculty Fellow Child and Family Research Center
Office location: Suite 2080
Phone number: 217-244-5235
Email: jpryan@illinois.edu
Educational Background
Joseph Ryan earned an MSW from the University of Michigan and a PhD from the University of Chicago.
Research and Practice Interests
Dr. Ryan’s research and scholarship focuses on the experiences and outcomes of families entangled with the public child welfare system and at least one other social service context. He is particularly interested in (1) public policy and clinical interventions to address the needs of children and families with co-occurring problems (e.g., neglect, delinquency, substance abuse, mental health), (2) how children and families navigate and experience multiple service systems and (3) how such experiences impact critical developmental outcomes.
Current Research
Dr. Ryan is currently the Principal Investigator for two studies that focus on children and families involved with multiple service systems. The first focuses on the etiology and trajectories of juvenile delinquency within the context of foster care, and on understanding how child welfare systems contribute to the overrepresentation of African American and Native American youth in juvenile justice. This is a multi-state study involving California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania and is part of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change Research Initiative. The second project focuses on substance abuse in child welfare and is the Illinois Title IV-E (Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse) Waiver Demonstration. The AODA demonstration utilizes a classic experimental design in the field. Families in the demonstration project are randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions (treatment as usual vs. recovery coach model). The recovery coach model is intended to improve substance abuse treatment outcomes and increase permanency rates for substance abusing caregivers in child welfare.
Recent Publications
Ryan, J. P., & Testa, M. F. (2005) Child Maltreatment and Juvenile Delinquency: Investigating the Role of Placement and Placement Instability. Children and Youth Services Review, 27, 227 – 249.
Ryan, J. P., Marsh, J., Testa, M.F., & Louderman, R. (2006) Integrating Substance Abuse Treatment and Child Welfare Services: Findings from the Illinois AODA Waiver Demonstration. Social Work Research, 30, 95-107.
Marsh, J., Ryan, J. P., Choi, S. & Testa, M. (2006) Integrated Services for Families with Multiple Problems: Obstacles to Family Reunification. Children and Youth Services Review, 28, 1074-1087
Ryan, J. P., Garnier, P., Zyphur, M. & Zhai, F. (2006) Testing the Effects of Caseworker Characteristics in Child Welfare. Children and Youth Services Review, 28, 993-1006.
Ryan, J. P., Hernandez, P. M., & Herz, D. (2007) Developmental Trajectories of Offending for Adolescents Aging out of Foster Care. Social Work Research, 31, 83-93.
Ryan, J. P., Herz, D., Hernandez, P. & Marshall, J. (2007). Maltreatment and Delinquency: Investigating Child Welfare Bias in Juvenile Justice Processing. Children and Youth Services Review, 29, 1035-1050.
Ryan, J. P., Testa, M. F., & Zhai, F. (2008) African American Youth in Foster Care and the Risk of Delinquency: The Value of Social Bonds and Permanence. Child Welfare, 87, 115-140.
Ryan, J. P., Marshall, J. M., Herz, D., & Hernandez, P. (2008) Juvenile Delinquency in Child Welfare: Investigating Group Home Effects. Children and Youth Services Review, 30, 1088-1099.
Ryan, J. P., Choi, S., Hong, J., Hernandez, P. & Larrison, C. (2008). Recovery Coaches and Substance Exposure at Birth. Child Abuse and Neglect.