Agency calls for the community to join in these efforts toward continued positive reform

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (June 30, 2022) – Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) has received the latest co-neutrals commentary for progress on the Pinnacle Plan, the state's foster care reform plan. During this reporting period, spanning from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2021, the co-neutrals determined OKDHS continued to display positive performance and achieve good faith efforts to improve Oklahoma’s child welfare system.

As reported in January, the agency worked collaboratively with the Plaintiffs and co-neutrals during the last reporting period to develop a COVID Recovery Period Agreement to pause the assessment of seven COVID-impacted measures where performance had been significantly affected by the pandemic. This pause will continue through the June 30, 2022 reporting period, which the co-neutrals will issue near the end of the calendar year.

For the remaining 23 performance measures, the co-neutrals determined that OKDHS made good faith efforts to achieve substantial and sustained progress recognizing Oklahoma’s investment and OKDHS’ efforts to create a safer and more effective child welfare system. The co-neutrals also noted that the agency is well-positioned to continue in its good faith achievements by remaining focused on its performance and nimble in advancing any practice changes necessary to continue that performance.

Like the rest of the country, OKDHS has experienced issues hiring new staff. The co-neutrals praised the agency’s creation of several new initiatives to recruit and retain child welfare staff to ensure manageable workloads. The co-neutrals also commented on OKDHS’ continued focus on quality, intentional worker visits to help families during unprecedented societal stressors and the progress made to improve placement stability so children experience as few moves as possible while in care.

“OKDHS has worked incredibly hard to build a nimble, self-correcting child welfare system that can provide hope and positive generational impacts for the children and families of our state,” said Secretary of Human Services and OKDHS Director Justin Brown. “We recognize that our work will never be done and has certainly been made more difficult as COVID continues to affect our communities. At the same time, we celebrate the co-neutral’s assessment of our system’s good faith efforts, as well as the dedication and tireless effort of our incredible workforce. They are the lifeblood of this work.”

Dr. Deborah Shropshire, Director of Child Welfare Services, as well as the OKDHS’ senior management team were praised by the co-neutrals for their skill and experience, saying they are focused, transparent and deeply engaged in and committed to this work.

“We know when we work together with our communities to build upon the strengths that are inherent in all Oklahoma families, those families can be successful even in the face of great adversity,” said Dr. Shropshire. “COVID has created unprecedented stress and strain for families, and we certainly feel that in the child welfare system. What we also feel are partners and communities rallying to support their neighbors, whether that be stepping into foster care or joining our incredible workforce to lend their hearts in service to our families. We are building a system to serve the needs of all families and will never cease our dedication to this work. We hope even more in the community will continue to raise their hands in service to our state’s families.”

This work would not be possible without the continued support of Governor J. Kevin Stitt and the agency’s legislative and community partners who remain steadfast in their commitments to Oklahoma families.

“Governor Stitt and our friends in the legislature and local communities have continued to stay engaged in this important work,” said Secretary Brown. “We are grateful for their advocacy for our state’s families and match that with our own dedication to continue improving and evolving our systems to bring hope and healing for all families engaged with the child welfare system.”

OKDHS continues to need more foster families to serve children who enter the child welfare system through no fault of their own, particularly foster families who are willing to serve children with significant behavioral health needs. For more information about becoming a foster parent, visit https://okfosters.org/ or call 1-800-376-9729.

Interested Oklahomans may also visit https://www.ourokdhs.org/s/ to raise their hand and join the agency's efforts to better serve the community through innovation and collaborative partnerships.

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About the Pinnacle Plan

In January 2012, OKDHS settled a class-action lawsuit filed against its foster care system by a child advocacy group. As a result of this settlement, OKDHS created, and in SFY 2013 began to implement, the Oklahoma Pinnacle Plan which was a measurable plan to improve the foster care system. The three out-of-state child welfare experts referred to as "co-neutrals," issue reports every six months on OKDHS' progress and determine whether the agency has made good faith efforts to make improvements in the state's foster care system. This latest report covers a period of time ending Dec. 31, 2021. The 18 co-neutral commentaries can be found on the OKDHS website.