Improved tone after child welfare report
THE latest report from experts overseeing reform of Oklahoma’s child welfare system is a mixed bag — some positive reviews, some not so positive. On the whole it’s an improvement from the previous report, though, and that’s a good sign.
During the summer, the three court-appointed experts, called “co-neutrals,” said the Department of Human Services had made “sustained progress” in some areas but that in nine of the 31 target metrics, DHS wasn’t making “good-faith efforts” to improve.
The co-neutrals said in August that continued high incidence of maltreatment “raises serious concerns about the rigor, focus and urgency of the state’s efforts to ensure the safety and well-being” of children in DHS custody. The review prompted a strong rebuttal from DHS Director Ed Lake, who said some of the comments were misleading, lacked context and apparently were meant to place “as unfavorable a light as possible” on DHS’s efforts.
The August report was particularly surprising to DHS officials because in January 2018, the co-neutrals had given the agency more good-faith ratings than ever.
In their latest report, which looked at efforts during the first half of 2018, the co-neutrals credit DHS for making “marked improvement” in how it cares for foster children, but says good-faith efforts are lacking in areas. Those include the percentage of children in foster care who weren’t victims of confirmed or reported maltreatment, the number of new therapeutic foster homes reported by DHS as approved, and the number of caseworkers.
Lake’s reaction to this report was far different than last time.
He said the agency continues to get positive feedback, particularly regarding DHS’s efforts to dramatically reduce the use of shelter care, produce manageable caseloads for caseworkers and prevent maltreatment of kids.
Lake also says data from the last six months of 2018 appears to show further improvement.
“Based upon our ongoing consultations and work with the co-neutrals, we have every reason to believe our progress will continue and are optimistic that this will be reflected in their next commentary,” Lake said.
The monitors are charged with ensuring the state complies with the conditions outlined in the 2012 settlement of a class-action lawsuit, and with providing guidance and technical assistance. It’s important that these experts call it as they see it. Their reviews can be discouraging for DHS, whose phones never stop ringing — during the 2017 fiscal year, it received an average of 217 child welfare calls per day.
Lake said in August that regular communication with the co-neutrals had been lacking for a time. Reaction to this report indicates the relationship has improved. If so, that’s encouraging because it’s important to the mission both sides share — trying to protect Oklahoma’s abused and neglected kids.