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

The Oklahoma Pinnacle Plan:
An Improvement Plan for Child Welfare Services
March 2012
Critical incident review committee: An internal multi-disciplinary review of child death, neardeath,
or critical incident alleging child abuse and/or neglect. Those routine cases scheduled
are those child deaths, near death, and critical incidents in which resulting from suspected
abuse or neglect in which:
(A) there is an ongoing permanency planning or voluntary family-centered services case
with siblings;
(B) there are siblings named in a substantiated child death or near-death investigation
and there is no related ongoing permanency planning or voluntary Family-Centered
Services case;
(C) a report of suspected child abuse or neglect has been received within the previous
two years;
(D) there have been more than one child death or near-death in the family; and
(E) there is an identified concern about the investigative process or ongoing
permanency planning or voluntary family-centered services case.
Family team meeting: A structured, facilitated meeting among all possible family members
and a case specific multidisciplinary team including tribes, as applicable, to collaboratively
create plans that effectively address safety, permanency, and well-being; also referred to as
family group decision making, family group conferencing, or team decision making.
Fidelity Reviews: In the field of program evaluation, the term fidelity denotes how closely a set
of procedures were implemented as they were supposed or intended to have been, which can
be determined by a "fidelity review".
Finalized adoptions: Adoptions that have been legally finalized.
Group home: A placement setting designed to meet the specific needs of children with
physical or behavioral needs that require structure and services of a residential or group setting
“Hit the Marc” Standards: The Foster Care MARC sets a basic foster care rate. It was
calculated by analyzing consumer expenditure data reflecting the costs of caring for a child;
and applying a geographic cost-of-living adjustment, in order to develop specific rates for each
of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Foster Care MARC includes adequate funds
to meet a child’s basic physical needs and cover the costs of “normalizing” childhood activities,
such as after-school sports and arts programs, which are particularly important for children
who have been traumatized or isolated by their experiences of abuse and neglect and
placement in foster care.
Home studies/ home assessments: An assessment of a family interested in becoming a
Bridge resource family for OKDHS that is completed by OKDHS staff or by a contractor of
OKDHS. The assessment consists of an evaluation of the family’s ability to foster and adopt.
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