Oklahoma struggles to handle rise in emergency foster care needs, By Ginnie Graham, March 31, 2014, Tulsa World: “There is plenty of blame to go around as Oklahoma struggles to understand why a significant number of children have entered foster care in the past two years. To improve the rate, social workers need to spend more individually tailored time with families. Judges and district attorneys need to trust the safety plans available to build family relationships, according to a 44-page analysis by the Casey Family Programs. Also, substance abuse is playing a significant role, and the causes of the foster-care growth ‘are complex and stretch beyond the boundaries of DHS.’ The Oklahoma Department of Human Services requested an independent look at the state’s 33 percent jump in children taken into custody due to abuse and neglect since the summer of 2012. The agency has requested $33 million in supplemental funding to handle foster care needs through the end of the fiscal year…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty