{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10-10-22.2","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 10, § 10-22.2","heading":"Investing in Stronger Oklahoma Families Act – Purpose –","body":"Comprehensive strategic plan – Information database – Family\n\nresource assistance – Partnerships – Brochure.\n\nA. This section shall be known and may be cited as the\n\n“Investing in Stronger Oklahoma Families Act”.\n\nB. It is the intent of the Oklahoma Legislature in enacting the\n\nInvesting in Stronger Oklahoma Families Act to provide assistance to\n\nguardians of children, adoptive parents and other “created\n\nfamilies”, to assist such guardians, adoptive parents and families\n\nto assume permanent custody of children in need of safe and\n\npermanent homes, and to enhance family preservation and the\n\nstability of these homes.\n\nC. For purposes of implementing the Investing in Stronger\n\nOklahoma Families Act, the Department of Human Services shall\n\ncollaborate with appropriate local, state and federal agencies and\n\nprivate entities to develop by December 31, 2001, a comprehensive\n\nstrategic state plan for investing in stronger families.\n\nD. The comprehensive strategic state plan shall:\n\n1. Set a goal to annually increase the number of programs for\n\n“created families” which will increase safe and permanent homes for\n\nchildren who are not in the custody of the Department but unable to\n\nreside with their biological parents and encourage and preserve the\n\nadoption or guardianship of and other legal custody arrangements for\n\nsuch children;\n\n2. Develop and implement a statewide public awareness campaign\n\nwhich will inform preadoptive homes, adoptive homes and other\n\npersons desiring to obtain guardianship or other legal custody of a\n\nchild, of the programs, grants and other assistance available to\n\nthem;\n\n3. Identify public and private resources, both within the\n\nagencies subject to the provisions of this section and within the\n\nstate and within the communities;\n\n4. Provide for coordination and collaboration among related\n\nefforts and programs;\n\n5. Provide for contracts or agreements with public and private\n\nentities for utilization of identifiable financial resources from\n\nfederal, state, local and private resources and coordinate those\n\nresources to fund-related services; and\n\n6. Apply for grants and matching monies to assist in the\n\nimplementation of the Investing in Stronger Oklahoma Families Act\n\nincluding, but not limited to, funds derived from the “Respect Life\n\n- Support Adoption” license plates.\n\nE. As part of the development and implementation of the\n\ncomprehensive strategic plan, the Department shall, as funds are\n\navailable and using existing available state resources, develop an\n\ninformation database consisting of data on existing programs serving\n\nfamilies who have taken on the responsibility of providing children\n\nwith safe and permanent homes. In developing the information\n\ndatabase, the Department shall coordinate with the Children's\n\nCoordinated Data System developed by the Oklahoma Commission on\n\nChildren and Youth.\n\nF. The Legislature hereby encourages the establishment of\n\nfamily resource assistance that links federal, state and local\n\nresources and programs and that creates collaborative and\n\ninterorganizational partnerships between state governmental agencies\n\nand private and nonprofit entities and attorneys. Such agencies and\n\nprivate and nonprofit entities shall include, but not be limited to:\n\n1. The Department of Human Services;\n\n2. The State Department of Education;\n\n3. The Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education;\n\n4. The Oklahoma Department of Commerce;\n\n5. The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission;\n\n6. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority;\n\n7. The State Department of Health;\n\n8. The Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth;\n\n9. The State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse\n\nServices;\n\n10. The Department of Corrections;\n\n11. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education;\n\n12. Community action agencies;\n\n13. Local and municipal groups;\n\n14. Substate planning groups;\nty Commission;\n\n6. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority;\n\n7. The State Department of Health;\n\n8. The Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth;\n\n9. The State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse\n\nServices;\n\n10. The Department of Corrections;\n\n11. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education;\n\n12. Community action agencies;\n\n13. Local and municipal groups;\n\n14. Substate planning groups;\n\n15. Religious and charitable organizations;\n\n16. Private child placement entities;\n\n17. Public or private foundations; and\n\n18. Representatives of the courts and attorneys who practice in\n\nadoption.\n\nG. The Department shall enter into collaborative and\n\ninterorganizational partnerships as necessary to provide assistance\n\nto guardians, adoptive parents and other “created families”.\n\nH. Within available funding specified by this section, the\n\nDepartment may provide created families with:\n\n1. Case management services;\n\n2. Flexible funds to enable the relatives, guardians, adoptive\n\nparents and other created families to meet unusual or crisis\n\nexpenditures, including but not limited to, making housing deposits,\n\nutility deposits, or purchasing beds, clothing and food;\n\n3. Child care and after school care;\n\n4. Respite care;\n\n5. Transportation;\n\n6. Counseling;\n\n7. Support groups;\n\n8. Assistance in accessing parental child support payments;\n\n9. Aid in accessing food stamps, Social Security and other\n\npublic benefits;\n\n10. Assistance for establishing a guardianship, adopting or\n\nobtaining custody of the child;\n\n11. Available volunteer attorney services;\n\n12. Mediation/family group conferencing; and\n\n13. Community-based services and state or federal programs\n\nserving guardians of children, adoptive families and other created\n\nfamilies.\n\nI. The Department of Human Services may provide any services\n\nnecessary to effectuate the purposes of this section by contract\n\nwith any person or with any public or private entity.\n\nJ. The Department shall, pursuant to the provisions of the\n\nAdministrative Procedures Act, promulgate any rules necessary to\n\nimplement the provisions of this section.\n\nK. For purposes of the Investing in Stronger Oklahoma Families\n\nAct, the Department shall, from funds available, develop, publish,\n\nand distribute an informational brochure for guardians, adoptive\n\nparents and other created families who provide full-time care for\n\nchildren. The information provided under the program authorized by\n\nthis section may include, but is not limited to, the following:\n\n1. The benefits that may be available to children and created\n\nfamilies pursuant to this section providing full-time care;\n\n2. The procedures to access the created families program;\n\n3. A list of support groups and resources located throughout\n\nthe state; and\n\n4. Such other information deemed necessary by the Department.","path":["OK Code","Title 10"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os10.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"ee0e817f33987d8872efbb827ec3aa26d8de936857f2d25229efdd771881fc75","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10-10-22.1","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10-10-24.1"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}