Child-Placement Process beginning Feb. 1.
Resource Parents,
OKDHS is excited to announce the rollout of a new child placement process. The new process is intended to provide foster parents more complete information about children needing placement and promote placement stability. It also allows OKDHS the opportunity to provide foster parents specific areas of support that better meet their needs, as well as those of the child.
What can you expect?
Beginning Feb. 1, OKDHS will have established placement teams for each region of the state called Regional Placement Teams (RPTs). RPTs are comprised of Foster Care and Adoption staff across the state.
Starting with Region 3 (Oklahoma County), OKDHS will begin to complete live Child Placement Interviews (CPIs) with Child Welfare Specialists for children needing placement. Youth will be encouraged to be a part of the interview. During the interview, specialists will provide detailed information that includes child demographics, education, behavior/mental health information, sexual health and/or behavior, medical/dental/vision needs, developmental needs, daycare, and visitation with the biological family (family time). This information will be detailed on the CPI form.
The regional rollout dates for the CPIs are outlined below
- Region 3 (Oklahoma County) - Feb. 1
- Region 2 (Southwestern Oklahoma) - Feb. 8
- Region 4 (Southeastern Oklahoma) - Feb. 23
- Region 5 (Tulsa and Northeastern Oklahoma) - March 8
The RPTs and foster care agencies will be responsible for contacting foster parents to find placements during business hours. After business hours processes will remain the same at this time.
- RPTs will process placement requests and contact foster care agencies and OKDHS foster parents who appear to be a good placement match. The youth’s worker is responsible for determining which home is the best fit for the youth.
- RPTs and foster care agencies will contact foster parents for consideration of placement. If a foster parent considers placement, then the CPI form will be provided via secure email.
- Note: Until the CPI rollout dates listed above, current processes remain the same. CPIs will be provided on or after the rollout dates listed for your region above.
Questions?
For any additional information please contact your resource specialist.
How does this process improve outcomes for children, youth and foster parents? Youth testimonials:
- “I feel like I came with a warning label. They (prospective foster parents) would know about my behaviors and previous foster parents’ concerns before they would know anything good about me.”
- “I wish I could’ve given input for my last placements after kinship. I was in a total of 13 placements, including shelters. The last three years, I was in 8 placements. Since I couldn’t participate in the interview, I think no foster parent was prepared for the kind of PTSD I was experiencing. It’s better to be part of the interview process so we could both be more prepared, and maybe I could have stayed longer.”
- “I was just another foster kid who wanted a home and unconditional love. I never had stability and wanted that more than anything.”
