Oklahoma kids at risk of going into foster care could benefit from changes to federal funding for child welfare.
With passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act, more funding will be available starting next year for things like in-home parenting classes, mental health and substance abuse treatment. That includes paying room and board for kids staying with parents at inpatient addiction treatment centers designed for families.
"The children receive a lot of services in addition to the treatment that the parents are receiving. So, they receive physical health treatment, dental treatment, mental health treatment themselves to deal with the trauma of their parents’ substance abuse, family counseling, high-quality child care," said Casey Family Programs Director of State Relations Susan Robison.
Kevin Haddock with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services said to get that funding, however, the state must move away from its use of group homes. That could mean Oklahoma telling the federal government it will participate in 2021.
"I’m looking at it from strictly a revenue maximization as to when we flip which switch. But right now, yes, we must delay, or we would lose millions in federal funding," Haddock said.
Oklahoma gets significant federal funding right now for what’s called congregate care.
Dr. Laura Boyd, a former state representative now with Family Focus Treatment Association, said state lawmakers will have to choose to adopt the new preventive approach or keep doing the same things.
"Do we want to structure our system going forward that will rely more and more on state and local dollars? Or do we want to build on what new federal funding is available and maximize that?" Boyd said.
