Oklahoma Children in Foster Care Drops Below 7,000

OKLAHOMA CAPITOL --  The average daily population of Oklahoma children in out-of-home foster care dropped below 7,000 in September according to a management report released by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services this week.
Average daily foster care numbers for September fell to 6,902 according to the foster care population report. The average daily numbers had peaked at 7,883 in May 2007 – numbers that had been on a slow increase over the years.

“We are very pleased to see these numbers falling and are working to help these numbers move to lower levels while making sure that children coming into state custody remain safe,” said OKDHS Children and Family Services Division Director Gary Miller. “There are only two things that can happen when a child comes into custody: The child can be reunified with the family after the criteria set by the courts have been met. When a family cannot meet all criteria for reunification, the parental rights are terminated and the child becomes available for adoption, should that option be in the best interest of the child.”

Each year, four of five children coming into foster care are returned home through family reunification.

Child Welfare specialists, under the direction of OKDHS Field Operations Division Director Larry Johnson, rely on local resources on behalf of Oklahoma families.

“Our staff works hard to help families so that children don’t have to come into custody,” said Johnson. “When children are in custody, staff work with the families so that children return to their families sooner instead of remaining in foster care."

The length of stay in custody has been dropping for the last 10 years, said Miller. Today, the average length of stay in state foster care is 21.6 months, compared to nearly 37 months in 1998.

“There is a real focus on the best interest of the child across the Department and all staff are working on our mission of helping families help themselves lead safer, healthier, more independent and productive lives,” Johnson said.

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