Foster parents say agency doesn't follow own rules

"Now is the time to act,” said J.T. Shearer, an Oklahoma foster care parent. "I believe the system is broken. It is our responsibility to fix it.”

Speakers said they were encouraged by a federal lawsuit filed last week seeking reforms in the state's foster care system.

A lot of regulations for a good foster care program are in place in Oklahoma — they just aren't followed, Shearer told The Oklahoman.

Oklahoma caseworkers are supposed to visit children in foster care homes at least once a month, and the agency claims to have better than 90 percent compliance with that regulation.

"That's their documentation,” Shearer scoffed. "I wouldn't trust anything in their documentation. I've seen their documentation.”

Shearer said 16 foster children have gone through his home in the past six years, and there are probably no more than two or three of those cases where the monthly visits actually occurred.

"One of my kids went almost three years without being visited by the primary caseworker,” he said.

It is a common practice among many caseworkers to just write down something similar to what was written the month before regarding a "visit” and to add a little information gathered through a telephone call, he said.

Shearer said he and his wife considered not speaking out, because of fear of retaliation, but decided it would probably be OK because "we have a great caseworker now who is very supportive and does everything by the book.”

DHS officials said in a news release last week that "because of high levels of monitoring and self-reporting, OKDHS is able to document whether or not an incident involving child safety may be present.”