Report Child Abuse
1-800-522-3511
Contact DHS:
OICA is a preventive organization that works with lawmakers, state agencies, and community partners to create policy that benefits Oklahoma's children and families. We have no oversight over the Department of Human Services or other state agencies. If you are having an issue with DHS, please file a grievance here.
Or contact the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth (OCCY).
The OCCY is the state agency charged with oversight of child well-being issues conducted by other state agencies. If you have a concern regarding an issue with a child being served currently by a state agency, please contact OCCY at 1-866-335-9288.
The mission of the OCCY is to improve services to children by: Planning, coordinating and communicating with communities and between public and private agencies; independent monitoring of the children and youth service system; testing models and demonstration programs for effective services.
This award is named for Laura Choate who has served as a lifelong advocate for Oklahoma children and was the first recipient of the Resilience Award. Choate has worked with the OICA to reform the state’s child welfare and juvenile justice system to better serve and protect Oklahoma children. As a youth, Choate served as a plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit that resulted in dramatic changes to Oklahoma’s juvenile justice system and was used as a model by many other states to establish higher standards.
Steven A. Novick served as the legal counsel for the children who brought forth the "Terry D" lawsuit against the State of Oklahoma. Through his effort to represent these children and the thousands of others who benefited from this case, reforms were brought about to improve the conditions of Oklahoma youth in state care.
The awards are named after Melvin and Jasmine Moran, philanthropists in their own right, who have spent their lives celebrating opportunities for the youth of Oklahoma. Though most well-known as the founders of the Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum in Seminole, Oklahoma, the Moran Family has spent decades dedicated to the improvement of lives of children all across our state.
