Oklahoma Human Services continues to achieve good faith efforts in Pinnacle Plan measures
OKLAHOMA CITY (April 29, 2024) – After being dismissed last fall from 23 of 30 performance measures due to continued good faith efforts in foster care reform, Oklahoma Human Services has again received a favorable progress report in the latest Co-Neutrals commentary measuring the agency’s remaining reform efforts impacted by the COVID pandemic.
Every six months, three out-of-state child welfare experts, the Co-Neutrals, submit their findings on Oklahoma Human Services performance under the Pinnacle Plan, the state's comprehensive foster care reform effort. This latest report covers Jan. 1 through June 30, 2023, and focuses on seven performance measures looking at Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) and timely permanency for children after removal from their biological homes.
“We’re making Oklahoma the most pro-family state in the nation,” Governor Kevin Stitt said in response to the findings. “While we want every kid to grow up at home with their mom and dad, we also need to guarantee that kids who are living outside of their home with a foster family have the resources and opportunities to thrive. The team at the Department of Human Services has made huge strides to make sure every kid in Oklahoma has the opportunity to succeed.”
For many years, the agency has kept a keen focus on providing preventative services to help families with a risk of child welfare involvement safely keep their children at home. These efforts have culminated in historic lows of children entering state custody, from a peak of over 11,000 children in Oklahoma Human Services’ custody on June 30, 2014, to one of the lowest numbers in nearly a decade, just over 6,300 children on June 30, 2023. The Co-Neutrals noted, “The long-term decline in the population of children in care is the result of more children exiting care than entering care each year,” and represents a 44 percent reduction.
When children can’t be kept safely at home, that often means they have experienced more trauma and have greater behavioral and mental health needs when entering state custody. Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) and Oklahoma Human Services’ self-designed Enhanced Foster Care (EFC) programs improve outcomes for children and youth in foster care and have been critical in improving Oklahoma's Child Welfare system.
In their latest commentary, the Co-Neutrals noted, “[Oklahoma Human Services’] decision to develop its EFC program to provide family-based therapeutic care beyond Oklahoma’s privately operated TFC program represents a much-needed paradigm shift in the department’s
commitment and approach to ensure children in custody receive the therapeutic supports and treatment they need to achieve stability, permanency, and well-being.” The agency continues to seek additional TFC/EFC families to support Oklahoma children who need it most.
“True success for our system reform will not be measured by the number of favorable commentaries, but by the number of families whose needs are fully met by a system thoughtfully designed to strengthen their skills and supports,” said Director of Oklahoma Human Services, Dr. Deborah Shropshire. “I’m incredibly proud of our agency’s efforts so far but am relentless in my pursuit of a family wellbeing network that creates a complete continuum of care for Oklahoma’s families and pathways for their lasting success. This success is only possible when we work together to overcome the obstacles that our families face, and I am incredibly grateful for the supportive efforts of our Governor, Legislators, sister agencies and community partners who help us dream big for our state.”
The Co-Neutrals noted, “One of the most innovative features of the EFC program is that services can be established in a kinship or traditional foster home where a child is already placed (to support placement stability and permanency).” This means that any foster parent, including new foster parents, can receive appropriate training, skills and support from the agency and partners to offer therapeutic parenting that successfully meets the needs of children in state custody. Additionally, the co-neutrals found, “[Oklahoma Human Services] is building a system that assesses the therapeutic and mental health needs of children in custody and identifies many of these children, of all ages, as early as possible.”
“Whether it’s our biological families or foster families, we want the families we serve to be successful with their children,” said Director of Child Welfare Services, Tricia Howell. “We are committed to working with our partners to develop the resources our families and children need and in continuing to develop our workforce with the trauma-informed, person- and hope-centered tools they need to deliver excellent services to our families. A critical piece of all of this is access to adequate mental health resources for our families.”
This reporting period represents the third of four good faith determinations needed on the remaining seven performance measures in the Pinnacle Plan. Oklahoma Human Services is committed to improvement efforts even after monitoring has concluded and will continue to engage our partners to ensure Oklahoma’s families have the resources they need for lifelong success.
Foster families play a vital role in the child welfare system, offering a safe place for children while their families work to improve safety concerns. Oklahoma Human Services continues to need more foster families in every community to serve children in state custody, particularly 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.
To learn about career opportunities where you can bring hope to your community, click the Careers tab at https://oklahoma.gov/okdhs.html.
Additionally, children and families across the state, whether they are involved with the child welfare system or not, need access to critical mental health resources. Individuals who are interested in making a difference in their community are urged to consider a career in mental health services. Visit your local college or the Oklahoma State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure to learn about the academic requirements to become a mental health practitioner for your community.
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About the Pinnacle Plan
In January 2012, Oklahoma Human Services settled a class-action lawsuit filed against its foster care system by a child advocacy group. As a result of this settlement, the agency created, and in SFY 2013 began to implement, the Oklahoma Pinnacle Plan which was a measurable plan to improve the foster care system. Three out-of-state child welfare experts, referred to as "co-neutrals," issue reports every six months on Oklahoma Human Services’ 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 Jan. 1 through June 30, 2023, and represents the Department’s efforts to address seven remaining COVID-impacted performance measures. The Co-Neutrals found the agency had achieved substantial and sustained progress toward the 23 Performance Area Measures not impacted by COVID in March of 2023 and dismissed the agency from those measures for all future reports. However, the agency remains committed to report publicly on its performance. The 20 previous co-neutral commentaries along with the agency’s reports can be found on the Oklahoma Human Services website.
About Oklahoma Human Services
Oklahoma Human Services offers help and hope to more than one million Oklahomans each year through a wide range of services and support that promote their safety, independence and wellbeing. Learn more at https://oklahoma.gov/okdhs.html and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
