{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-1-9-111","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 10A, § 10A-1-9-111","heading":"Management, operation and use of children’s shelters","body":"A. 1. The Department of Human Services is authorized to manage\n\nand operate and may contract with designated youth services agencies\n\nor designated child-placing agencies for the management and\n\noperation of the children's shelter located in Oklahoma City, known\n\nand designated as the Pauline Mayer Children's Shelter, and the\n\nchildren's shelter located in Tulsa, known and designated as the\n\nLaura Dester Children's Shelter. The Department shall implement a\n\nplan to transition the use of shelters from a placement for children\n\ntaken into custody into an alternative purpose to be determined by\n\nthe Department. Kinship care homes and emergency foster care homes\n\nshall be utilized for the care of children instead of a shelter\n\nwhenever possible. The Department shall monitor and report to the\n\nLegislature and Governor on a monthly basis the daily average\n\nshelter population and the number of kinship care homes utilized and\n\nthe total number of emergency foster care homes available by county.\n\n2. Subject to the availability of suitable placements, no child\n\nin the custody of the Department of Human Services:\n\na. six (6) years of age or younger shall be placed in\n\nshelter care after June 30, 2013, or\n\nb. thirteen (13) years of age or younger shall be placed\n\nin shelter care after June 30, 2014.\n\n3. The Department is authorized to manage and operate, to the\n\nextent of funds available, and may contract with designated youth\n\nservices agencies or child-placing agencies for the management and\n\noperation of such group homes as may be necessary to provide a\n\ndiversity of placement alternatives for children adjudicated\n\ndeprived and placed in the custody of the Department. The\n\nDepartment shall, prior to awarding a contract to a facility for the\n\npurposes of this paragraph, ensure that such facility provides\n\ncontinuing education to its employees in the area of cultural\n\ncompetency. Such continuing education shall include, at a minimum,\n\ninstruction on the problems of race and gender-based disparities\n\nfaced by youths in group homes.\n\nB. The Commission for Human Services shall establish and\n\nmaintain methods of administration, including those necessary to\n\nestablish and maintain a merit system of personnel administration,\n\nand shall prescribe rules necessary for the efficient and effective\n\noperation of the children's facilities operated by the Department.\n\nC. 1. The Director of the Department shall employ and fix the\n\nduties and compensation of a director or supervisor, and other\n\npersonnel necessary, for each of the children's facilities operated\n\nby the Department.\n\n2. The Department shall promulgate, and in its hiring and\n\nemployment practices, the Department shall adhere to, written\n\nminimum qualifications by position for personnel working with or\n\naround children in such facilities. Minimum qualifications shall be\n\ndesigned to assure that:\n\na. personnel possess sufficient education, training,\n\nexperience, and background to provide adequate and\n\nsafe professional care and services to children, and\n\nb. children will not be exposed to abuse, deprivation,\n\ncriminal conduct, or other unwholesome conditions\n\nattributable to employee incompetence or misconduct.\n\nD. 1. It shall be the duty of the State Fire Marshal and the\n\nState Commissioner of Health to cause annual unannounced inspections\n\nof children's facilities operated by the Department, utilizing\n\nadequately trained and qualified inspection personnel, to determine\n\nand evaluate conditions in their respective areas of agency\n\njurisdiction.\n\n2. Inspections shall include, but not be limited to, compliance\n\nwith:\n\na. minimum fire, life, and health safety standards, and\n\nb. minimum standards governing general sanitation of the\n\ninstitution.\n\n3. Reports of inspections shall be made in writing, itemizing\n\nand identifying any deficiencies, and recommending corrective\nnd evaluate conditions in their respective areas of agency\n\njurisdiction.\n\n2. Inspections shall include, but not be limited to, compliance\n\nwith:\n\na. minimum fire, life, and health safety standards, and\n\nb. minimum standards governing general sanitation of the\n\ninstitution.\n\n3. Reports of inspections shall be made in writing, itemizing\n\nand identifying any deficiencies, and recommending corrective\n\nmeasures, and shall be filed with the Department, the Office of\n\nJuvenile System Oversight, and the Commission on Children and Youth.\n\n4. The Department shall file copies of the reports of the\n\ninspections and recommendations of the accrediting agencies with the\n\nOffice of Juvenile System Oversight.\n\nE. 1. The Department may:\n\na. give assistance to local school districts in providing\n\nan education to children in facilities operated by the\n\nDepartment,\n\nb. supplement the education, and\n\nc. provide facilities for such purposes.\n\n2. It shall be the duty of the Department to assure that\n\nchildren in the facilities receive educational services which will\n\nstress basic literacy skills including, but not limited to,\n\ncurricula requirements stressing reading, writing, mathematics,\n\nscience, and vocational-technical education.","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":"a9e3e964da72b10264277fd790c38fafe2cbcc3c97f50c2b210e0f95b5a895b1","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-1-9-110","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-1-9-112"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}