The Oklahoma Pinnacle Plan - Oklahoma Department of Human ...

The Oklahoma Pinnacle Plan:
An Improvement Plan for Child Welfare Services
March 2012
Decision-Making
Too many case-specific decisions are currently made at higher levels of the agency. These
decisions need to be moved down to staff who work more closely with children and families.
Front-line staff and supervisors should be empowered to make decisions they believe are the
right decisions for children and families without seeking approval from higher authorities. Of
course, there are always exceptions; however, they should not be built into the practice as
routine. Each program area will be expected to thoughtfully examine policies, procedures, and
the actual practice in order to identify those decisions that should be made at the local level;
each program area will be expected to craft a plan for how this should be communicated. The
shifting of decision-making is not intended to put more work on front-line staff and
supervisors, but rather to empower them to make decisions and take action without being
bogged down in procedures and levels of approval. When decisions are made at higher levels,
there will be an expectation that program staff documents approval in the case file in a
consistent way.
Restructuring Child Welfare
OKDHS made the decision to vertically integrate all of its child welfare staff, meaning field
operations and policy will no longer be separated into two different divisions. This decision
was made as part of an overall commitment to improve outcomes for vulnerable adults and
children. Vertical integration will positively impact the work and strengthen the ability to
deliver a comprehensive continuum of services. The new structure will also improve the
capability of child welfare staff to access the direct support they need from program staff,
making combined efforts even more effective.
OKDHS realizes, however, that change is difficult, particularly when it is of this magnitude and
significance. With our collective wisdom, integrity, professionalism and commitment we will
successfully implement the changes needed to make OKDHS the best it can be.
The division director will be responsible for all aspects of the child welfare program and will
report directly to the OKDHS Director. Critical elements must be put in place from the front
line to support an effective organizational structure.
Child Welfare Specialists (CWS) I, II and III report directly to a child welfare supervisor.
There is one CWS III in each supervisory unit.
A CWS III is assigned one half of the standard caseload size and also serves as the field
training worker for that unit (Pinnacle Point 3 – Initiative 11).
Child Welfare supervisors manage a staff of five workers, including one CWS III. There
is a CWS to Child Welfare supervisor ratio of 5:1. A higher ratio will need to be
approved at a higher level.
District directors supervise Child Welfare supervisors and replace the current county
director role in child welfare. They will cover more than one county in non-metro
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