OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma is making positive strides in reducing the number of children in foster care and in improving the foster care system, a new report from the three experts charged with overseeing plan said.
Sparked by a class action lawsuit in 2012, the report – known as the Co-Neutral Commentary – outlines the state’s efforts to improve its foster care system, known as the Pinnacle Plan, and evaluates the how well the state has complied with the court-ordered settlement.
The experts’ most recent report was issued at the end of June.
Efforts to improve the state’s foster system have continued for close to a decade and though improvements have been made, that progress was slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During this report period, DHS confronted ongoing challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The continued presence of the virus (and its variants) limited some of the department’s ongoing practices, which can be observed in the performance outcomes reported for this review period, and particularly for the metrics related to timely permanency for children in DHS’ custody,” the report stated.
The report noted that the pandemic had significant impact on DHS’ efforts, yet experts said DHS’ effort continue to improve the system.
“For this report period, the Co-Neutrals’ collective judgment continues to be that DHS is on the right path,” the report noted. “The Co-Neutrals again commend the department’s leadership and staff at all levels for improving outcomes for children and families in Oklahoma.”
The report drew praise from state lawmakers. In a media statement, Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat, an Oklahoma City Republican, said he was proud of DHS’ work and the “monumental progress on the Pinnacle Plan.”
“This is an issue I have been involved in since very early in my time in the Senate and I couldn’t be more pleased in the strides our state has made to improve our foster care system and protect our most vulnerable children,” Treat said. “I commend Director Brown and his team at DHS, my legislative colleagues past and present, but especially Representative Jason Nelson, Senator Kim David, Senator AJ Griffin, and Chairman Paul Rosino, who have been laser focused on this issue.”
The Co-Neutral report comes at the same time the House of Representatives announced plans for a legislative study to support a more efficient foster care system.
Several years ago, more than 11,000 children were in the state’s foster care system, records show that number has dropped to about 7,000.
“I particularly am interested in studying ways to make our current foster and adoption system more efficient, reducing burdensome regulations and costs for people who want to help raise these children,” state Rep. Dick Lowe (R-Amber), said. “At the same time, it’s incredibly important to safeguard the kids entrusted to the state’s care. I'm interested to hear firsthand experiences and ideas from our study participants as we consider ways to better serve our children.”
That study, which hasn’t been scheduled yet, will be conducted by the House Children, Youth and Family Services Committee.