HONOLULU (KHON2) -- The embattled Department of Human Services, which oversees Child Welfare Services, has a new director. KHON2 sat down with Ryan Yamane to discuss the new program that he believes will help them provide more oversight and assistance to keiki in foster care. Officials ca ll on DHS to take action amid disturbing child abuse cases "I learned a lot in regards to being grounded and focused on listening to people, determining what was in their best interest and trying to find creative ways to address those needs," said Yamane. Child Welfare Services has come under fire in recent years after six-year-old Isabella 'Ariel' Khlua was allegedly tortured and murdered by her adoptive parents in 2021. In 2024, police arrested the legal guardians of nine-year-old Geanna Bradley for allegedly torturing and starving her to death. Both little girls were placed in the homes by CWS. Yamane said what happened is disturbing and unacceptable and he hopes to re-establish the public's trust and prevent anything from ever happening like this again. Last week, DHS launched a brand new statewide program called Kakoo. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You "That program is focused on supporting our foster kids and our foster parents. They're actually going to go out during nights and weekends to check in on our kids. It's a wellness visit," Yamane explained. He added that the step comes after Governor Green asked DHS to make sure they make priorities for our keiki. The kakoo visits will be unannounced and will be in addition to the regularly scheduled monthly visits. "It's not an investigation. It's a 'Hey, wellness, how you doing?' and talk with the kids so the kids know that we are around. That they can reach out to us at any time." Yamane said DHS is still short-staffed and is actively trying to recruit trained social workers. Check out more news from around Hawaii "With this program, I asked for staff to volunteer outside their work hours. I'm very proud to say that we've had over 60 staff statewide volunteering," he said. This is the first phase of Kakoo. DHS plans to expand it to include visits to kids that are adopted and said everyone is eager to be part of the program because they believe in the mission and protecting Hawaii's keiki. ...read more read less