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Written by OICA
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The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy creates
awareness, takes action and changes policy on behalf of children.
Legislative session is a busy time for The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy. Legislators convene Feb. 6 and meet regularly through May 25; this is the time we, as child advocates, must step up to the plate and be the voice for our state’s children. We believe children need to be Safe, be Healthy and be HEARD. It is up to us to ensure those needs are met, but we need your help too. Please plan on staying informed about bills that will affect you and your family throughout the process by making us your resource. Sign up for weekly legislative updates.
Click HERE for a brief summary about how and why Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy works to improve the lives of Oklahoma's children.
Here is a look at our top legislative priorities during the 2012 legislative session:
The Serenity Project: DHS Child Welfare Reform
Click the title to read more in a fact sheet format.
As Co-Chair of The Foster Care System Improvement Task Force, we have worked tirelessly with other child advocates and law enforcement officials across the state to investigate and evaluate the broken parts of Oklahoma’s child welfare system. In our view, there is no acceptable level of abuse of children and we have no greater obligation than to protect the safety of Oklahoma’s children. OICA supports the following DHS reforms to ensure no child ever dies while in the custody of the state.
- Privatization of the placement and support services for foster care families, which will allow child welfare workers to focus on keeping Oklahoma children safe.
- The Legislature should direct DHS to increase the pay of child welfare workers and tie the increases to performance in order to attract and retain high quality, professional and compassionate advocates for children.
- Every child welfare worker should receive additional trauma training so they are better prepared to keep our children safe.
- Public-private partnerships should be allowed and encouraged to provide services for at-risk families so fewer children are placed into the foster care system - lessening the case load of child welfare workers.
The Opportunity Initiative: Children of Incarcerated Parents
Click the title to read more in a fact sheet format.
Every child in Oklahoma deserves the opportunity to succeed – even if one or both of their parents are incarcerated. Our children should not be punished along with their offending parent.
More than 26,000 children on any given day in Oklahoma have a parent in prison. Many of these children suffer trauma from the loss of a parent who have been incarcerated and are no longer able to be the primary caregiver for their child.
These invisible victims and the trauma they endure are the unintended consequences of an incarcerated parent. Such children are more likely to perform poorly in school, more likely to end up in prison and less likely to enter the workforce – creating an economic development nightmare for Oklahoma’s future prosperity. OICA supports these common sense justice reforms, as recommended from a statewide task force of child advocates and law enforcement officials, aimed at protecting the lives of these children and improving Oklahoma’s economic prosperity.
- We should support and promote interaction between a child and an incarcerated parent when it is in the best interests of the child.
- The legislature should eliminate barriers that prevent children of incarcerated parents from accessing quality healthcare.
- The use of alternative sentencing using evidence-based intervention strategies and services targeted to reduce criminal risk factors is a positive first step in keeping more children in the care of their parents.
- The Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth should be designated as a clearinghouse for research and services for children with an incarcerated parent so we have accurate data to keep track of these kids.
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Last Updated on Monday, 13 February 2012 18:50 |
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Read more...
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Written by Gabrielle Wallace
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Tuesday, 17 January 2012 10:30 |
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Join us for our Eggs & Issues Legislative Forum
The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, the only statewide advocacy group for children’s issues, will be conducting its first “Eggs and Issues” legislative forum at the Ardmore Convention Center Friday, January 27, from 7-9 a.m.
The Oklahoma Legislature is slated to convene for session at noon on Monday, February 6, and this will be an opportunity for child and family advocates and professionals to get a preview of the issues that will affect Oklahoma families--particularly Oklahoma’s children.
A light breakfast will be served beginning at 7 a.m. OICA’s Executive Director, Linda Terrell is expected to begin the forum at promptly 7:30 a.m. with a snapshot of Oklahoma--a candid look at some statistics concerning Oklahoma’s children and families.
Amber England who heads up OICA’s policy work at the state capitol as a lobbyist and is the Director of the Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition--our statewide initiative to end the childhood obesity epidemic, will lead the group in sharing tips on how to connect with local legislators and ensure your voice is heard in the legislative process. She also will give a brief overview of the issues OICA will be working on this session and introduce any local elected officials who have been invited to attend.
Legislative officials present will be given the opportunity to address the group; Senator Frank Simpson (R- Ardmore) is one of several invited who has made plans to attend. The forum will wrap up with an important listening session. The listening session will be a chance for OICA to hear from local child and family advocates about issues specific to the local community. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 01 February 2012 15:52 |
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Written by Gabrielle Wallace
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Sunday, 15 January 2012 23:57 |
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OKLAHOMA CITY – Rodney Timms, a child abuse survivor and the president of Western Flyers Express trucking company, presented to Governor Mary Fallin a replica of one of his trucks wrapped in the “Protect Kids” design of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy on Friday, Jan. 13, in appreciation for the governor’s work to help the state of Oklahoma and specifically children.
Timms of Oklahoma City had been physically abused since the age of four until the age of fifteen when he was almost beaten to death. During this time, he recalled the helpless feeling of having no where to go for help, no one intervening on his behalf and no laws like today that “protect kids”.
Now Timms is determined to support child abuse prevention efforts as much as possible. He has served as a member of the board of directors for the Child Abuse Response & Evaluation Center (C.A.R.E. Center) in Oklahoma City and has supported the Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Action committee efforts with CAP Day at the Capitol.
During CAP Day in 2011, Timms had one of his trucks wrapped in the “Protect Kids” graphic of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) with Governor Mary Fallin’s signature on it. He parked it in front of the State Capitol all day for the event.
A replica of this truck was given to Governor Fallin, along with a poem written by Timms to her, in thanks for her support with such efforts.
“Ensuring the safety and security of Oklahoma’s families and children is an important priority” said Governor Fallin. “I want to commend OICA and Rodney Timms for their efforts to raise awareness through the ‘Protect Kids’ campaign. It takes great courage to come forward, and I appreciate Rodney, a child abuse survivor, using his experience to protect children from abuse.”
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 17 January 2012 14:40 |
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Read more to see what our Executive Director had to say.
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Written by OICA
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Thursday, 12 January 2012 12:37 |
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STATEMENT FROM OICA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LINDA TERRELL ON POSSIBLE LEGISLATIVE SOLUTION TO ENSURE OKLAHOMA FAMILIES CAN FIND INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR THEIR NEWBORN BABIES
OKLAHOMA CITY -- “We’ve been concerned from the moment we heard of the rule change that affected Oklahoma’s families’ ability to provide health insurance for their newborn babies.
“It’s truly not an exaggeration to say that most Oklahoma families are one illness away from bankruptcy so the financial devastation a family could face, if they don’t have the ability to buy health insurance for their newborn baby, is truly frightening.
“Our goal from day one has been to find a solution, to find coverage for all Oklahoma children, and we’ve met with Insurance Commission officials to talk about possible solutions for finding coverage for these newborns without leaving other children out in the cold and have always been hopeful we could get there.
“Today’s news that legislators are coming to the table with solutions puts us one step closer to ensuring no newborn in Oklahoma goes without health insurance in such a critical time of development in that child’s life.”
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 18 January 2012 15:32 |
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OICA Executive Director Issues Statement on DHS Lawsuit Vote by Gov. Fallin and Legislative Leaders |
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Written by OICA
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Thursday, 29 December 2011 17:33 |
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Statement from Linda Terrell, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) on today’s vote by Gov. Fallin and Legislative Leaders on the terms of the DHS lawsuit settlement.
OKLAHOMA CITY-- “We are optimistic today’s vote by legislative leaders and Gov. Fallin on the DHS lawsuit settlement indicates they are willing to aggressively tackle DHS reform this upcoming session to protect Oklahoma’s children.
“As the lawsuit settlement discussions progress, we believe significant reform including greater accountability at the Department of Human Services, privatization of certain pieces of foster care and wise investments of taxpayer dollars will be required to ensure Oklahoma’s children are protected.
“As such, we will be watching the tax debate and budget process closely throughout the session to ensure lawmakers aren’t cutting taxes for the wealthiest among us at the expense of the safety of Oklahoma’s most vulnerable children.
“As the only legislative advocates and voice of Oklahoma’s children at the state Capitol, we look forward to working closely with legislative leaders and Gov. Fallin to ensure these much needed reforms will keep Oklahoma’s children safe.”
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Last Updated on Thursday, 12 January 2012 12:59 |
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