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True North

The ‘True North’ is intended to be the compass and the guardrails to provide:

  1. Motivation to the team to achieve our goals,
  2. Empowerment to our workforce to know the direction that we are heading and to see the guardrails to make sure that we are heading there together,
  3. Direction and guidance in making decisions and setting time and budget priorities, and
  4. Transparency in communicating the goals of our agency to our stakeholders to allow for feedback and collaboration to reach the goals of the agency with our partners.

True North is intentionally broad enough to allow divisions to be truly innovative in how they serve. The next step in the True North process is to identify a small number of critical metrics that drive value for each True North goal. This process will allow the agency to evaluate opportunities to measure progress on each True North value.

"Every discussion we have, every decision we make, and every priority we set should be tied measurably to our True North goals."

The Adult and Family Services goals are to work with all agency divisions and with their community partners and other stakeholders to:
 
  • AFS1 – Refine our customer’s experience by listening, improving accessibility and streamlining the application an approval process so Oklahomans receive benefits timely and accurately. 
  • AFS2 – Engage Oklahomans to increase hope and connect them with resources, beyond their request for benefits, so they are empowered to create pathways to gain self-sufficiency and economic independence. 
  • AFS3 – Identify and implement innovative and sustainable strategies that build family capacity by engaging with and listening to local communities as we solve for economic hardships and other social challenges. 
  • AFS4 – Engage the workforce at every level to improve two-way communication, teamwork and performance while managing change and clearly identifying roles within the agency and community. 

The Community Living, Aging and Protective Services goals are to work with all agency divisions and with their community partners and other stakeholders to:
 
  • CAP1 – Foster strong relationships with families, agencies, and community partners to improve the independence and well-being of vulnerable adults. 
  • CAP2 – Promote the safety and protect the quality of life of vulnerable adults. 
  • CAP3 – Empower independence and client choice through person-centered thinking and planning for the delivery of services. 
  • CAP4 – Drive workforce innovation and engagement by fostering purpose, autonomy, and mastery.

The Child Care Services goals are to work with all agency divisions and with their community partners and other stakeholders to:
 
  • CCS1 – Improve the quality of, and access to, child care programs in the state. 
  • CCS2 – Enhance a high-quality workforce. 
  • CCS3 – Improve collaboration with child care providers, communities, DHS divisions, and other state agencies. 

The Child Support Services goals are to work with all agency divisions and with their community partners and other stakeholders to:
 
  • CSS1 – Improve the economic stability of Oklahoma families by increasing the number of children receiving support from non-custodial parents. 
  • CSS2 – Improve children’s access to health care. 
  • CSS3 – Improve non-custodial parents’ ability to satisfy their child support obligation by promoting financial stability. 
  • CSS4 – Contribute to collaborative efforts to connect families with services and resources to meet their needs holistically. 

The Child Welfare Services goals are to work with all agency divisions and with their community partners and other stakeholders to:
 
  • CWS1 – Continue to build pathways to support, liberate, empower and celebrate staff to allow them to have a creative and innovative voice in how we serve Oklahoma families. 
  • CWS2 – Champion the development of a collaborative family strengthening system that equips and empowers families to provide a safe home for their children. 
  • CWS3 – Work to understand and meet the specific needs of each child we serve, including their need for safety and well-being, connections with family, community and culture. 
  • CWS4 – Tirelessly pursue every child’s right to connect to a stable and loving family and the supports they need to grow and develop into healthy adults. 

The Developmental Disabilities Services goals are to work with all agency divisions and with their community partners and other stakeholders to:
 
  • DDS1 – Empower and support Oklahomans with developmental and intellectual disabilities to live independently and work in competitive integrated employment within their communities. 
  • DDS2 – Advocate for elimination of the Developmental Disabilities Services Waiting List while providing resource navigation and services to Oklahomans and their families while they wait. 
  • DDS3 – Improve the well-being and independence of individuals receiving home and community based services and state funded supports. 
  • DDS4 – Work with stakeholders to build a contemporary system and rate structure with the intent of transforming the service array and strengthening the work force to provide meaningful services to Oklahomans with developmental disabilities. 

Oklahoma Human Services' Executive Strategies are to work with all agency divisions and with their community partners and other stakeholders to:
 
  • E1 – Become a ‘Hope Centered Organization,’ recognizing trauma that we all bring, and building hope and resiliency in ourselves, our customers and our communities. 
  • E2 – Remove systemic barriers that keep our families from being successful by meeting our customers where they are to provide needed resources in a more effective manner. 
  • E3 – Become an ‘Elite Employer’ by improving work/life balance, cultivating talent, improving retention rates, providing for the health and mental health needs of our team, and receiving formal outside recognition as a Best Place to Work. 
  • E4 – Become the model of efficiency, effectiveness and transparency, serving our community free from fraud, waste or abuse.
  • E5 – Innovation – Become a national thought leader and program innovator, embracing new ideas from internal and external sources.
  • E6 – Introducing ourOKDHS to the public and to our partners in the community through strategic engagement, effectively communicating our desire for deeper relationships and collaborative efforts. 
  • E7 – Move the agency to a space of prevention, going ‘upstream’ to build a system that supports families with services and resources before they are in crisis. 
  • E8 – Create a World Class Customer Experience illustrating the value that we place in the people we serve and the workforce that is critical to our communities.
Last Modified on Apr 09, 2024
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Oklahoma Human Services 
2400 N Lincoln Boulevard
Oklahoma City, Ok  73105
(405) 522-5050