Recommendations to Oklahoma agency are sent out

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – The Oklahoma Department of Human Services must review plans to develop new foster homes, prepare weekly caseload reports and develop a remediation plan to reduce a Child Protective Services backlog.

Those are among the improvements ordered by monitors supervising Oklahoma’s settlement of a class-action lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged DHS victimized foster children by failing to find safe homes for them and inadequately monitored their safety because employees were overworked and poorly managed.

The so-called Pinnacle Plan is Oklahoma’s $153 million blueprint for remaking the system.

A progress report issued last month by the monitors found that the department’s shortcomings included more than 1,000 child abuse and neglect investigations that were overdue.

A spokeswoman for the agency says the objectives in the order will be addressed.