OPEA

Director Howard Hendrick expressed his appreciation for the last ten years of support at the DHS Commission meeting July 22.  The meeting marked ten years of Commission meetings for the Director.

“I would also like to say thank you to our staff for the incredible job they do every day throughout the state,” said Hendrick. 

As part of his good news sharing, the Director commended the staff on a new record for adoptions.  The program authorized 1,676 adoptions from foster care, with the first net reduction in children in out-of-home care in at least four years.

Another important announcement at the meeting was the moving of some of the administrative program of the Advantage Waiver from a private vendor to new state employees.  The function that approves authorizations on the plans of care and monitors vendor compliance has now moved from the Long Term Care Authority of Tulsa to DHS.

Recently, the vendor received negative publicity for the misuse of state funds.

As part of the report from human service centers, Marq Youngblood announced that child welfare FTEs have increased significantly since September 2007, when the agency had only 982 child welfare workers.  Currently, the number is 1,086.

“While we are pleased to see the additional staff in child welfare, family support workers also need help,” said OPEA Policy and Research Director Trish Frazier.  “With the economic downturn, more people will be unable to make ends meet on their paychecks and will be applying for services.”