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2008 Children's
Agenda
Item 9. CHILD ABUSE: INTERVENTION and TREATMENT
| POLICY RECOMMENDATION: The 2008 Children's
Agenda supports providing sufficient funding for Oklahoma to meet
national standards regarding: statewide child welfare caseloads, foster
care and out-of-home placement reimbursement rates and paid, trained respite
care for resource parents. |
Meet National Standards in Child Welfare
CHILD WELFARE CASELOADS
Child welfare is a labor-intensive, hands-on profession,
requiring professional commitment and experience, education and
maturity to address the complex needs of children and their
families. The work is challenging and multifaceted. Though
workers need to spend sufficient quality time with children and
families to achieve the best possible outcomes, high caseloads
can limit their capacity to perform critical functions. Burnout
is high.
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) is currently
engaged in a comprehensive review of child protection best
practice models. Part of this review will include identification
of caseload levels that support the implementation of those
national models. OKDHS is requesting funds to hire 68 new child
welfare workers as a first step in addressing this issue.
FOSTER CARE RATES
The inadequacy of current reimbursement rates is taking a heavy
toll on foster parent recruitment and retention. Almost 11,400
Oklahoma children are in foster care, with only 2,600 licensed
foster homes to care for them. When a child welfare system
cannot maintain an adequate pool of foster homes, children are
more likely to be kept in shelters, or shuttled from placement
to placement, creating an unstable situation for children.
A national research study has established Foster Care Minimum
Adequate Rates for Children (Foster Care MARC) for all 50
states. According to MARC, Oklahoma’s foster care rates must be
increased by up to 53% in order to cover the real costs of
providing care for children.
Oklahoma's Currently Monthly Foster
Care Rates |
Foster Care MARC for Oklahoma |
Percent Increase Needed |
| Age 2: $365 |
$557 + travel/child
care expenses |
53% |
| Age 9: $430 |
$639 + travel/child
care expenses |
49% |
| Age 16: $498 |
$700 + travel/child
care expenses |
41% |
FISCAL NOTE
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services has requested
$6,697,000 to increase foster care rates to $18/day
($558/month); $9,439,000 to increase adoption assistance rates
to $18/day. OKDHS is further requesting $3,297,000 to hire 68
new child welfare workers in order to bring case loads closer to
the national average. Total request: $19,433,000.
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