Report: DHS faltering in progress in foster care services, By Ginnie Graham, October 16, 2014, Tulsa World: “The Oklahoma Department of Human Services has not made a ‘good faith effort’ at attracting new foster homes, bringing down worker caseloads, reducing shelter use for children older than 6, staffing the hotline and finding permanent homes for foster children, according to a report issued Wednesday by an independent oversight panel. The report is the third commentary on the improvement plan, referred to as the Pinnacle Plan. It is the agreement made to settle a federal class-action lawsuit in 2012 filed four years earlier by the nonprofit group Children’s Rights…”
Tag: Oklahoma
Promise Zones
Programs target poverty in Obama’s 5 ‘Promise Zones’, By NPR Staff, July 6, 2014, NPR: Five areas across the country have been designated as ‘Promise Zones’ by the federal government. These zones, announced by President Obama in January, are intended to tackle poverty by focusing on individual urban neighborhoods and rural areas. In the five Promise Zones — located in Philadelphia, San Antonio, southeastern Kentucky, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and Los Angeles — the idea is to basically carpet-bomb the neighborhoods with programs like after-school classes, GED courses and job training to turn those areas around. . .”
Foster Care System – Oklahoma
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…”