{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-1-9-112","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 10A, § 10A-1-9-112","heading":"Office of Client Advocacy","body":"A. 1. The State Commissioner of Health shall establish the\n\nOffice of Client Advocacy within the State Department of Health and\n\nshall employ personnel necessary to carry out the provisions of this\n\nsection.\n\n2. The head of the Office of Client Advocacy shall be the\n\nAdvocate General. The duties and responsibilities of the Advocate\n\nGeneral are to:\n\na. supervise personnel assigned to the Office of Client\n\nAdvocacy,\n\nb. monitor and review grievance procedures and hearings,\n\nc. establish and maintain a fair, simple, and expeditious\n\nsystem for resolution of grievances of:\n\n(1) all children in the custody of the Department of\n\nHuman Services regarding:\n\n(a) the substance or application of any written\n\nor unwritten policy or rule of the\n\nDepartment or agent of the Department, or\n\n(b) any decision or action by an employee or\n\nagent of the Department, or of any child in\n\nthe custody of the Department,\n\n(2) foster parents relating to the provision of\n\nfoster care services pursuant to this section and\n\nSection 1-9-117 of this title, and\n\n(3) all persons receiving services from the\n\nDevelopmental Disabilities Services Division of\n\nthe Department of Human Services,\n\nd. investigate allegations of abuse, neglect, sexual\n\nabuse, and sexual exploitation, as those terms are\n\ndefined in the Oklahoma Children’s Code, by a person\n\nresponsible for a child, regardless of custody:\n\n(1) residing outside his or her own home other than\n\nchildren in foster care or children in the\n\ncustody of the Office of Juvenile Affairs and\n\nplaced in an Office of Juvenile Affairs secure\n\nfacility,\n\n(2) in a day treatment program as defined in Section\n\n175.20 of Title 10 of the Oklahoma Statutes, and\n\nsubmit a report of the results of the\n\ninvestigation to the appropriate district\n\nattorney and to the State Department of Health,\n\n(3) receiving services from a community services\n\nworker as that term is defined in Section 1025.1\n\nof Title 56 of the Oklahoma Statutes, and\n\n(4) residing in a state institution listed in Section\n\n1406 of Title 10 of the Oklahoma Statutes,\n\ne. establish a system for investigating allegations of\n\nmisconduct, by a person responsible for a child, not\n\nrising to the level of abuse, neglect, sexual abuse,\n\nor sexual exploitation with regard to any child or\n\nresident listed in subparagraph d of this paragraph,\n\nf. coordinate any hearings or meetings of departmental\n\nadministrative review committees conducted as a result\n\nof unresolved grievances or as a result of\n\ninvestigations,\n\ng. make recommendations to the State Commissioner of\n\nHealth, who shall then make recommendations to the\n\nDirector of Human Services, and provide regular or\n\nspecial reports regarding grievance procedures,\n\nhearings and investigations to the Director, the\n\nCommissioner, the Office of Juvenile System Oversight,\n\nand other appropriate persons as necessary,\n\nh. forward to the Office of Juvenile System Oversight,\n\nfor the information of the Director of that office, a\n\ncopy of the final report of any grievance which is not\n\nresolved in the favor of the complainant,\n\ni. perform the duties imposed on the Office of Client\n\nAdvocacy under the Protective Services for Vulnerable\n\nAdults Act when the Office is the appropriate state\n\nentity as defined in Section 10-103 of Title 43A of\n\nthe Oklahoma Statutes,\n\nj. perform such other duties as required by the State\n\nCommissioner of Health, and\n\nk. develop policies and procedures as necessary to\n\nimplement the duties and responsibilities assigned to\n\nthe Office of Client Advocacy.\n\nB. The Office of Client Advocacy shall make a complete written\n\nreport of its investigations. The investigation report, together\n\nwith its recommendations, shall be submitted to the appropriate\n\ndistrict attorney’s office.\n\nC. 1. Except as otherwise provided by the Oklahoma Children’s\nprocedures as necessary to\n\nimplement the duties and responsibilities assigned to\n\nthe Office of Client Advocacy.\n\nB. The Office of Client Advocacy shall make a complete written\n\nreport of its investigations. The investigation report, together\n\nwith its recommendations, shall be submitted to the appropriate\n\ndistrict attorney’s office.\n\nC. 1. Except as otherwise provided by the Oklahoma Children’s\n\nCode, the reports required by Section 1-2-101 of this title or any\n\nother information acquired pursuant to the Oklahoma Children’s Code\n\nshall be confidential and may be disclosed only as provided in\n\nSection 1-2-108 of this title and the Oklahoma Children’s Code.\n\n2. Except as otherwise provided by the Oklahoma Children’s\n\nCode, any violation of the confidentiality requirements of the\n\nOklahoma Children’s Code shall, upon conviction, be a misdemeanor\n\npunishable by up to six (6) months in jail, by a fine of Five\n\nHundred Dollars ($500.00), or by both such fine and imprisonment.\n\n3. Any records or information disclosed as provided by this\n\nsubsection shall remain confidential. The use of any information\n\nshall be limited to the purpose for which disclosure is authorized.\n\nRules promulgated by the State Commissioner of Health shall provide\n\nfor disclosure of relevant information concerning Office of Client\n\nAdvocacy investigations to persons or entities acting in an official\n\ncapacity with regard to the subject of the investigation.\n\n4. Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting\n\nthe Office of Client Advocacy or the Department of Human Services\n\nfrom disclosing such confidential information as may be necessary to\n\nsecure appropriate care, treatment, or protection of a child alleged\n\nto be abused or neglected.\n\nD. 1. The Office of Client Advocacy shall investigate any\n\ncomplaint received by the Office of Juvenile System Oversight\n\nalleging that an employee of the Department of Human Services or a\n\nchild-placing agency has threatened a foster parent with removal of\n\na child from the foster parent, harassed a foster parent, or refused\n\nto place a child in a licensed or certified foster home, or\n\ndisrupted a child placement as retaliation or discrimination towards\n\na foster parent who has:\n\na. filed a grievance pursuant to Section 1-9-120 of this\n\ntitle,\n\nb. provided information to any state official or\n\nDepartment of Human Services employee, or\n\nc. testified, assisted, or otherwise participated in an\n\ninvestigation, proceeding, or hearing against the\n\nDepartment of Human Services or child-placing agency.\n\n2. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any\n\ncomplaint by a foster parent regarding the result of a criminal,\n\nadministrative, or civil proceeding for a violation of any law,\n\nrule, or contract provision by that foster parent, or the action\n\ntaken by the Department of Human Services or a child-placement\n\nagency in conformity with the result of any such proceeding.\n\n3. The Office of Client Advocacy shall at all times be granted\n\naccess to any foster home or any child-placing agency which is\n\ncertified, authorized, or funded by the Department of Human\n\nServices.","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":"e0cb4c782b19c19532315b1f51494dabd9eb1001d4983b64b7be3458698072c4","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-1-9-111","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-1-9-112.1"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}