{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-1-1-102","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 10A, § 10A-1-1-102","heading":"Recognition of duties, rights and interests –","body":"Legislative intent.\n\nA. For the purposes of the Oklahoma Children's Code, the\n\nLegislature recognizes that:\n\n1. Parents have a natural, legal, and moral right, as well as a\n\nduty, to care for and support their children and such rights are\n\nprotected by state and federal laws as well as the Constitution. To\n\nthat end, it is presumed that the best interests of a child are\n\nordinarily served by leaving the child in the custody of the\n\nparents, who are expected to have the strongest bond of love and\n\naffection and to be best able to provide a child those needed\n\nqualities that make a child's life safe and secure. Nevertheless,\n\nthis presumption may be rebutted where there is evidence of abuse\n\nand neglect or threat of harm;\n\n2. A child has a right to be raised by the mother and father of\n\nthe child as well as a right to be raised free from physical and\n\nemotional abuse or neglect. When it is necessary to remove a child\n\nfrom a parent, the child is entitled to a permanent home and to be\n\nplaced in the least restrictive environment to meet the needs of the\n\nchild; and\n\n3. Because the state has an interest in its present and future\n\ncitizens as well as a duty to protect those who, because of age, are\n\nunable to protect themselves, it is the policy of this state to\n\nprovide for the protection of children who have been abused or\n\nneglected and who may be further threatened by the conduct of\n\npersons responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of such\n\nchildren. To this end, where family circumstances threaten the\n\nsafety of a child, the state's interest in the welfare of the child\n\ntakes precedence over the natural right and authority of the parent\n\nto the extent that it is necessary to protect the child and assure\n\nthat the best interests of the child are met.\n\nB. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Oklahoma\n\nChildren's Code provide the foundation and process for state\n\nintervention into the parent-child relationship whenever the\n\ncircumstances of a family threaten the safety of a child and to\n\nproperly balance the interests of the parties stated herein. To\n\nthis end, it is the purpose of the laws relating to children alleged\n\nor found to be deprived to:\n\n1. Intervene in the family only when necessary to protect a\n\nchild from harm or threatened harm;\n\n2. Provide expeditious and timely judicial and agency\n\nprocedures for the protection of the child;\n\n3. Preserve, unify, and strengthen the family ties of the child\n\nwhenever possible when in the best interests of the child to do so;\n\n4. Recognize that the right to family integrity, preservation\n\nor reunification is limited by the right of the child to be\n\nprotected from abuse and neglect;\n\n5. Make reasonable efforts to prevent or eliminate the need for\n\nthe removal of a child from the home and make reasonable efforts to\n\nreturn the child to the home unless otherwise prescribed by the\n\nOklahoma Children's Code;\n\n6. Recognize that permanency is in the best interests of the\n\nchild;\n\n7. Ensure that when family rehabilitation and reunification are\n\nnot possible, the child will be placed in an adoptive home or other\n\npermanent living arrangement in a timely fashion; and\n\n8. Secure for each child the permanency, care, education, and\n\nguidance as will best serve the spiritual, emotional, mental and\n\nphysical health, safety, and welfare of the child.\n\nC. Whenever it is necessary for a child to be placed outside\n\nthe home pursuant to the Oklahoma Children's Code, it is the intent\n\nof the Legislature that:\n\n1. Each child shall be assured the care, guidance, and\n\nsupervision in a permanent home or foster home that will serve the\n\nbest interests of the child including, but not limited to, the\n\ndevelopment of the moral, emotional, spiritual, mental, social,\n\neducational, and physical well-being of the child;\n\n2. When a child is placed in foster care, the foster parent\ne intent\n\nof the Legislature that:\n\n1. Each child shall be assured the care, guidance, and\n\nsupervision in a permanent home or foster home that will serve the\n\nbest interests of the child including, but not limited to, the\n\ndevelopment of the moral, emotional, spiritual, mental, social,\n\neducational, and physical well-being of the child;\n\n2. When a child is placed in foster care, the foster parent\n\nshall be allowed to consider the child as part of the family;\n\n3. Whenever possible siblings shall be placed together and when\n\nit is not possible efforts shall be made to preserve the\n\nrelationships through visitation and other methods of communication;\n\nand\n\n4. Permanent placement is achieved as soon as possible.\n\nD. A foster parent or group home where a child is placed has a\n\nrecognizable interest in the familial relationship that the foster\n\nparent or group home establishes with a foster child and shall\n\ntherefore be considered an essential participant with regard to\n\ndecisions related to the care, supervision, guidance, rearing, and\n\nother foster care services to the child.\n\nE. It is the intent of the Legislature that the paramount\n\nconsideration in all proceedings within the Oklahoma Children's Code\n\nis the best interests of the child.","path":["OK Code","Title 10A"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os10A.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"10585be865cc33846f8fd35045a226166452949e987b309591c8e4d565495af8","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-1-1-101","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-1-1-104"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}