Okdhs Child Welfare Assessment Recommendations - Oklahoma ...

OKDHS Child Welfare Assessment Recommendations
Performance
Areas
Overall
Child Protective
Services
Prevention
Services
Child and Abuse
Neglect in Care
Viola Miller
Recommendations ==>
Oklahoma should initiate a comprehensive
business process analysis and redesign of the
child welfare system with the ultimate
“product” being the safety, permanency, and
well-being of children. Restructuring without
systemic culture change is no more than
logistics. In contrast, a product-based business
process analysis will be founded on a
thoughtful outcomes-based approach to
service delivery.
DHS should carefully monitor and refine the
implementation of its dual-track CPS system in
accordance with best practice standards.
DHS should develop an integrated,
comprehensive system of reporting, tracking,
and monitoring outcomes, in particular the
abuse and neglect of all children in care.
CPS should begin joint investigations with
the Office of Client Advocacy for all abuse
and neglect reports involving custody
children in congregate care. The findings
of these investigations should be included
in KIDS and reported to the federal
government.
Number of
Available Foster
Homes
DHS should develop and implement a dual
certification program for foster and adoptive
families to support a network of family-based
placement services that are most likely to
result in permanency, and to minimize
placement instability.
DHS should implement a continuous
state, county, and community-based
resource home needs assessment,
including generic, targeted, and childspecific
goals and strategies.
DHS should develop,
implement and monitor a plan
for recruitment and retention
of resource homes based on
goals established from the
needs assessment and should
engage current resource
families in this work.
Frequency and
continuity with
which child
welfare case
workers visit
children
Number of
placements that
children
experience
DHS should develop and implement a dual
certification program for foster and adoptive
families to support a network of family-based
placement services that are most likely to
result in permanency, and to minimize
placement instability.
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