Why some kids may be more at risk

Abused and neglected children are taken from parents in Oklahoma County at a rate more than double that of Tulsa County.

The monthly average number of foster care children in Oklahoma County was 2,261 last fiscal year, compared with 843 for Tulsa County, state statistics reveal.

That raises some interesting questions: Are Oklahoma County children taken away too often? Are Tulsa County children not removed often enough?

Are there more than twice as many bad parents in Oklahoma County as Tulsa County?

Opinions vary.

"There are a lot of differences between Oklahoma County and Tulsa County,” said Howard Hendrick, director of the state Department of Human Services.

Poverty is a strain, and Tulsa County has a better community network in place to assist the poor than Oklahoma County, he said.

Richard Kirby, head Oklahoma County juvenile court judge, said he hasn't noticed police officers and Oklahoma County DHS employees intervening in families without justification.

"Frankly, I can't say I've heard a case that DHS didn't need to have some involvement in,” Kirby said.

Bar association group finds problems with agency

Taking a far more critical view of Oklahoma County's high removal rate is the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, a group of outside attorneys brought in by DHS to take a look at the system.

"A disproportionately high number of children are entering and remaining in care in Oklahoma County,” the group said in a draft report.

Law enforcement officers execute most emergency removals in Oklahoma County and the training and removal standards used by various police departments in the county vary greatly, the report said.

Page 1 of 2

1 2 Next