Oklahoma § 10-601.6 - Office of Juvenile System Oversight - Powers, duties and

§ 10-601.6. Office of Juvenile System Oversight - Powers, duties and

authority.

A. For purposes of this section, the term "children and youth

service system" shall have the same meaning as it is defined in

Section 600 of this title.

B. The Office of Juvenile System Oversight shall have the

responsibility of inspecting and investigating misfeasance and

malfeasance within the children and youth service system, as

directed by the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, to

ascertain compliance with established responsibilities.

C. The Office shall conduct not less than one but not more than

two regular, periodic, unannounced inspections of state-operated

children's institutions and facilities annually. The Office is

further authorized to inspect privately operated children's

institutions and facilities that receive state or federal funding,

on a periodic basis or as needed.

D. The Office shall investigate complaints filed with the

Office regarding the children and youth service system.

E. The Office of Juvenile System Oversight shall have the

authority to:

1. Access all facilities within the children and youth service

system for the purpose of conducting inspections and investigations;

2. Examine and copy all records and budgets pertaining to the

children and youth service system and to review inspection reports

of the State Fire Marshal, State Department of Health, and any other

agency that accredits such institutions and facilities;

3. Interview the residents of institutions and facilities

within the children and youth service system;

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 10. Children

4. Subpoena witnesses and hold public hearings;

5. Establish, in accordance with the Dispute Resolution Act,

Sections 1801 through 1813 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes, a

voluntary program for foster parents to mediate complaints

concerning the rights of foster parents, as provided for in Section

1-9-119 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes, that relate to

certain actions, inactions or decisions of the Department of Human

Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice, or child-placing

agencies that may adversely affect the safety and well-being of

children in the custody of the state;

6. Receive any complaint alleging that an employee of the

Department of Human Services or a child-placing agency has

threatened a foster parent with removal of a child from the foster

parent, harassed a foster parent, or refused to place a child in a

licensed or certified foster home, or disrupted a child placement as

retaliation or discrimination towards a foster parent who has:

a.

filed a grievance pursuant to Section 1-9-120 of Title

10A of the Oklahoma Statutes,

b.

provided information to any state official or

Department employee, or

c.

testified, assisted, or otherwise participated in an

investigation, proceeding, or hearing against the

Department or child-placing agency.

The Office of Juvenile System Oversight shall forward the

complaints to the Office of Client Advocacy for investigation

pursuant to subsection D of Section 1-9-112 of Title 10A of the

Oklahoma Statutes. The Office of Juvenile System Oversight shall

work with the Office of Client Advocacy to ensure the complaints are

investigated and resolved in accordance with the grievance

procedures provided in Section 1-9-120 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma

Statutes. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to any

complaint by a foster parent regarding the result of a criminal,

administrative, or civil proceeding for a violation of any law,

rule, or contract provision by that foster parent, or the action

taken by the Department or a child-placing agency in conformity with

the result of any such proceeding;

7. Issue reports to the Governor, Speaker of the House of

Representatives, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Chief Justice

of the Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma, any appropriate

prosecutorial agency, the director of the agency under

consideration, and other persons as necessary and appropriate; and

8. Provide recommendations to the Oklahoma Commission on

Children and Youth on or before May 1 of each year.

F. The Office of Juvenile System Oversight shall not release

information that would identify a person who makes a complaint to

the Office, unless a court of competent jurisdiction orders release

of the information for good cause shown.

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 10. Children

Added by Laws 1982, c. 312, § 6, operative July 1, 1982. Amended by

Laws 1990, c. 288, § 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1990; Laws 1998, c. 364, § 1,

emerg. eff. June 8, 1998; Laws 2000, c. 302, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 2000;

Laws 2006, c. 205, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2006; Laws 2008, c. 293, § 1,

emerg. eff. June 2, 2008; Laws 2009, c. 104, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2009;

Laws 2014, c. 257, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2014; Laws 2025, c. 178, § 1,

emerg. eff. May 14, 2025.

§10-601.6a. Office of Planning and Coordination for Services to

Children and Youth - Duties.

The Office of Planning and Coordination for Services to Children

and Youth shall:

1. Convene meetings of public and private agencies that provide

services to children and youth for the purpose of facilitating and

implementing joint planning and service coordination among said

agencies;

2. Prepare, with input from the Parent Partnership Board and

affected public and private agencies, a State Plan for Services to

Children and Youth for the upcoming three (3) years for the approval

of the Commission;

3. Make recommendations, to be included in the State Plan, for

the development and improvement of services provided to children and

youth, including homeless children and youth and youth at risk of

homelessness; and

4. Issue reports to the Governor, Speaker of the House of

Representatives, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Chief Justice

of the Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma, public and private

agencies, and such other persons as necessary and appropriate.

Added by Laws 1990, c. 288, § 8, eff. Sept. 1, 1990. Amended by

Laws 2007, c. 8, § 1, eff. July 1, 2007; Laws 2024, c. 347, § 4,

emerg. eff. May 28, 2024.

§10-601.6b. State Plan for Services to Children and Youth – Topicspecific reports.

A. On or before July 1, 2024, and on or before July 1 of every

third year thereafter, the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth

shall transmit to the Director of the Office of Management and

Enterprise Services, the director of each affected agency, the

President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of

Representatives, and the Governor a copy of the State Plan for

Services to Children and Youth for the next three (3) fiscal years.

B. The Office of Planning and Coordination, with the assistance

of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services and affected

agencies, may assemble topic-specific reports regarding services to

children, youth, and families to include program descriptions, past

and current expenditures, future budget requests, and a description

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 10. Children

of program outcomes as directed by the Legislature or the

Commission.

Added by Laws 1990, c. 288, § 9, eff. Sept. 1, 1990. Amended by

Laws 2004, c. 421, § 2, emerg. eff. June 4, 2004; Laws 2007, c. 8, §

2, eff. July 1, 2007; Laws 2012, c. 304, § 34; Laws 2024, c. 347, §

5, emerg. eff. May 28, 2024.

§10-601.6c. Office of Planning and Coordination for Services to

Children and Youth – Report on child homelessness.

A. The Office of Planning and Coordination for Services to

Children and Youth Steering Committee shall:

1. Review data and propose policy solutions relating to the

issue of child homelessness; and

2. Update the Oklahoma State Legislature on existing programs

to reduce child homelessness including, but not limited to, programs

administered or financed in whole or in part by any agency of this

state, nonprofit organizations or private-sector entities.

B. The Steering Committee shall include an examination of the

following in its assessment and recommendations:

1. State trends in the number of children who are homeless or

are at risk of becoming homeless;

2. The state's role in providing services to children and youth

who are homeless or at risk for becoming homeless;

3. State policy regarding homeless children and youth; and

4. Existing services, resources, and capacity including, but

not limited to, the availability of publicly or privately provided

resources to children and youth who are homeless or at risk of

becoming homeless.

C. The Steering Committee shall submit a report to the

President Pro Tempore of the Senate and Speaker of the House of

Representatives by December 31, 2015, and annually thereafter,

describing assessment and recommendations provided for by this act.

Added by Laws 2015, c. 90, § 2, eff. July 1, 2015.

§10-601.6d. Verification of homeless children and youth.

A. Persons who are believed to be homeless children and youth

as defined in Section 600 of Title 10 of the Oklahoma Statutes may

be verified as being homeless by:

1. The director, or designee, of a homeless shelter;

2. The director, or designee, of a transitional living program;

3. The McKinney-Vento homeless liaison of a public school; or

4. A continuum of care lead agency or its designee.

B. Verification that a child or youth is homeless shall

consist, at a minimum, of the following steps:

1. The child or youth shall be known to the person verifying

his or her housing status; and

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 10. Children

2. If verifying the status of a child or youth under eighteen

(18) years of age, the person verifying shall:

a.

check the National Missing and Unidentified Persons

System (NamUs) referenced in Section 151.3 of Title 74

of the Oklahoma Statutes for the name of the child or

youth,

b.

send a letter by return receipt mail to the last-known

address of the parent or legal guardian of the child

or youth informing the parent or legal guardian that

the person verifying is assisting the child or youth

in obtaining a REAL ID Noncompliant Identification

Card, which shall be valid for a period of four (4)

years from the month of issuance, and

c.

if no response from the parent or legal guardian

objecting to the child or youth obtaining a REAL ID

Noncompliant Identification Card is received within

fifteen (15) business days, the person may prepare

written verification stating that the child or youth

is homeless.

The written verification shall be printed on the letterhead of

the entity authorized to verify the housing status of the child or

youth and shall be dated, signed by the person verifying, and

notarized.

Added by Laws 2024, c. 315, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2024.