ok-1164: Department of Human Services — Child Welfare Services

Summary

The proposed amendment to Chapter 75 Subchapter 6 adds requirements for Child Welfare (CW) specialists when reporting children who are in the custody of Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) missing from care, per SB 1638 (2024) and establishes requirements for when a child in Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) custody is placed in a Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP), per HB 1072 (2023). The proposed amendments to Chapter 75 Subchapter 7 include: (1) adding definitions and legal basis to differentiate between traditional and kinship foster care; (2) clearly differentiating application processes for traditional and kinship foster care; (3) clearly differentiating training requirements for traditional and kinship foster care applicants; (4) providing updated guidance for background check procedures with traditional and kinship foster care applicants; (5) updating guidance for the assessment of resource families specific to traditional foster care; (6) updating process for joint approval of foster home resources specific to traditional and kinship foster homes; (7) updating guidance for the assessment of resource families specific to kinship foster care; (8) specifying discipline policies apply for all placement providers and are not unique to foster family care; (9) providing legal and policy basis for final approval of kinship foster homes; (10) differentiating policy basis for final approval and receiving of foster care maintenance payments specific to traditional and kinship care, respectively; (11) updating child care center star status requirements consistent with current procedure; and (12) updating guidance to differentiate process for annual updates specific to traditional and kinship foster homes.

The agency’s own summary, as published.