Lawmakers fund parent representation program
Oklahoma doesn’t have the funding or systems in place to ensure families get well-trained lawyers quickly during a child welfare case. Many hope a new statewide program will help.
For those too sick for the homeless shelter, few options in Oklahoma City
People experiencing homelessness must be able to do basic tasks like bathing or eating on their own to get a bed in the state’s only respite center. But many can’t, and the need is growing.
After Oklahoma’s sweeping abortion ban, many bills to improve maternal health still failed
Lawmakers said earlier this year they believed there would be momentum this session to pass bills addressing Oklahoma’s maternal health care problems and expanding family supports after the state enacted a near-total ban on abortions last year.
Stitt dissolves statewide council on homelessness
A statewide, five-year plan to address homelessness will likely go unfinished. No other group exists to track homelessness across Oklahoma.
Oklahoma’s only secure-care facility for youth faces 42% staff vacancy rate, growing overtime costs
Administrators say staff are frequently working 12-hour shifts, and though they try to avoid them, 16-hour shifts are sometimes necessary. Forty-eight out of 115 front-line positions are currently open.
A good attorney can be hard to find for parents in the child welfare system. A new program could help
In Oklahoma, parents have a right to an attorney, but the state doesn’t currently have the funding or systems in place to ensure high-quality legal representation. Judges and lawyers say it contributes to fewer family reunifications and kids spending a longer time in state custody.
Here are the bills Oklahoma lawmakers have filed to expand social services and improve child welfare policies
Many of the bills are pulled directly from recommendations from the HELP task force Gov. Kevin Stitt created to study how to support women through unplanned or crisis pregnancies after abortion was banned in the state last year.
After banning abortion, Oklahoma lawmakers eye expanding maternal health care and other supports
Lawmakers filed dozens of bills to expand social services and improve child welfare policies. Advocates said these changes have been desperately needed for years.
