OICA Logo Color 002 OKLAHOMA CITY – Joe Dorman, CEO of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) responded to a news release announcing that Oklahoma Human Services has been released from the Pinnacle Plan and is no longer subject to the oversight of child welfare monitors.

“We at the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy welcome this news and applaud the improvement made at Oklahoma Human Services through the years under the Pinnacle Plan court order,” Dorman said. “And personally, as a lawmaker who supported the series of legislation which implemented the standards which DHS had to follow under this plan, I am extremely happy to see this come to successful culmination.”

“OICA was created to be an outside watchdog on state government in matters relating to child well-being due to an earlier court case, the Terry D. Lawsuit. We look forward to working with Oklahoma Human Services to assist with their promise to ‘continue working with community partners, legislators, and other stakeholders to maintain transparency and ensure Oklahoma families have the resources they need for lifelong success,” said Dorman.

“We never want to return to a place where another such action is needed to protect children placed in these systems. We remind officials that although progress has been made, we have a long way to go before we end the trauma experienced by Oklahoma’s children. We encourage lawmakers to continue to invest in education, healthcare, and family support programs that stabilize Oklahoma’s fragile families.”

About OICA: The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy was established in 1983 by a group of citizens seeking to create a strong advocacy network that would provide a voice for the needs of children and youth in Oklahoma, particularly those in the state’s care and those growing up amid poverty, violence, abuse and neglect, disparities, or other situations that put their lives and future at risk. Our mission statement: “Creating awareness, taking action and changing policy to improve the health, safety, and well-being of Oklahoma’s children.”

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