Oklahoma child welfare law pleases author
BY JULIE BISBEE
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Published: September 23, 2009
The author of a child welfare reform bill signed into law last legislative session says he’s pleased with how quickly provisions of the bill have been acted upon and the improvements they have made to children’s lives.
Rep. Ron Peters, R-Tulsa, and other lawmakers met Tuesday with juvenile court judges, district attorneys and state Department of Human Services officials to discuss House Bill 1734 and the implementation of the bill that was signed into law by Gov. Brad Henry in May. "I’m shocked,” said Peters. "I never thought we’d get here this fast, especially when everybody said it couldn’t be done.” By working with law enforcement, DHS officials have been able to cut down on the number of children in youth shelters. The population of children in Oklahoma City’s youth shelter was 19 on Tuesday. It was 26 in Tulsa. In the past, law enforcement was allowed to remove from a home a child they believed to be at risk, without the involvement of a DHS caseworker or a judge. In many cases, the children were placed in shelters and eventually returned home within two to five days, Peters said. Before the reforms, the number of children in Oklahoma City’s shelter was often between 65 and 70 and 75 to 80 in Tulsa. Throughout September, the number of children in Tulsa and Oklahoma City’s shelters combined was lower than during any previous month this year, according to DHS figures. "It shows us that we were traumatizing a lot of kids that we didn’t need to,” Peters said. An independent audit of DHS that cost the state $420,000 showed Oklahoma took nearly twice as many children into DHS custody compared to the national average. Based on the audit, HB 1734 called for using public shelters less, putting the oversight of the shelters under the Commission of Children and Youth and starting a statewide child abuse hot line, among other things. The law took effect July 1.
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