The mission of the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth is to improve services to children by: facilitating joint planning and coordination among public and private agencies; independent monitoring of the children and youth service system for compliance with established responsibilities; and entering into agreements to test models and demonstration programs for effective services.
Commissioners meet to consider proposals, approve budgets, hear staff reports, make appointments to councils and committees, and submit recommendations to the Governor, Legislature, Supreme Court, and agencies responsible for developing or improving services to the children and youth of the State of Oklahoma. The Commissioners of the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth have the responsibility for developing and approving the State Plans for Services to Children and Youth and the Office of Child Abuse Prevention State Plan. Appointments are approved for the Post Adjudication Review Boards, Child Abuse Training and Coordinating Council, and other councils and committees. For more information contact Debbie McCowan at (405) 606-4913 or toll free at 1-866-335-9288.
For a listing of current commissioners click here.The ICC and the SoonerStart programs are both models of interagency coordination for the delivery of services to infants and toddlers with disabilities ages birth through three. The State Department of Education is the lead agency, with the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth coordinating the ICC. The model used in Oklahoma was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as one of the three best programs in the nation. For more information contact (405) 606-4900 or toll free at 1-866-335-9288.
The Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth is a key planning agency in the development and implementation of the internet-accessible data sharing system. Twelve agencies have participated and signed an interagency agreement that will allow the sharing of data across agency boundaries for (1) information and referral; (2) single point of entry; and (3) policy analysis and research. For more information contact Richard Cook at (405) 606-4920 or toll free at 1-866-335-9288.
The OJSO has a statutory responsibility to conduct semiannual, unannounced inspections of state-operated facilities and periodic inspections of privately operated residential facilities and county-operated detention centers for children and adolescents up to age eighteen. This is in addition to inquiring into areas of concern and conducting complaint investigations of the children and youth service system. When conducting facility oversight, the OJSO is to ascertain compliance with established responsibilities, which includes applicable state and federal laws, accrediting and licensing standards, and each agency's and facility's policies and procedures. For more information contact Janice Sharp at (405) 606-4902 or toll free at 1-866-335-9288.
The Office of Planning and Coordination is responsible to assist the Commission in the establishment of Community Partnership Boards, development of guidelines for board membership, and to provide technical assistance and administrative support to the local boards. The Office of Planning and Coordination assists the Community Partnership Boards in developing the recommendations to the annual State Plan for Services to Children and Youth. For more information, contact Jack Chapman at (405) 606-4916. Toll free at 1-866-335-9288.
Oklahoma Statute 10 O.S. 1116.6 created the State PostAdjudication Review Advisory Board. The Advisory Board oversees the implementation of the Sate PostAdjudication Review program in coordination with the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth. The Advisory Board consists of twenty-one (21) members appointed by the Governor. The administrative heads of the divisions, which have foster care responsibilities within the Department of Human Services and the Office of Juvenile Affairs, or their designees, serve as ex officio members of the Board. The duties of the Board include 1) to assist in the training of PARB members; 2) to serve as a clearinghouse for information concerning the foster care review program; 3) to make recommendations to state officials and entities regarding children's services; 4) to work with public and private agencies regarding foster care issues; and 5) to submit a report of activities and recommendations of the local review boards. For more information, contact Mark James at (405) 606-4910 or toll free at 1-866-335-9288.
This multi-disciplinary board is responsible for reviewing the deaths of children in Oklahoma and providing statistical data and system failure information to develop recommendations to improve the policies, procedures, and practices within and among agencies that protect and serve children. For more information contact Ben Dunham at (405) 271-1292 x 42136.