OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Officials monitoring Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services have said the agency’s child-welfare system has had its best performance to date but have also warned it needs to increase the number of foster homes for children who require therapeutic care.
The Tulsa World reports that the biannual assessment released Friday says the department made “good faith efforts” in 29 of the 31 criteria measuring child welfare.
The oversight panel also says the department has seen a 77% decline in specialized foster homes for children in state custody who need therapeutic care.
The reports are issued twice a year by monitors as part of a 2012 settlement that alleged foster children were victimized in state care.
Last August , the monitors downgraded the agency’s progress, passing it only in 19 measures.
