Children; providing access to certain counseling services for foster parents and certain children subject to specified condition. Effective date. Emergency.
Summary
SB 187 creates a new provision in Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes giving foster parents, and children living in the foster home who are not foster children, access to at least six hours per year of counseling services, subject to available funding. The counseling must be provided by licensed mental health providers contracted with the Department of Human Services (DHS), and the services are to be offered at no cost to the foster parent or child. DHS would pay the contracted providers at a rate set by the department.
The bill states that the purpose of the counseling benefit is to help retain safe, loving, and supportive foster homes for children in state custody. Participation is optional, and foster parents may not be penalized or discriminated against for seeking or receiving the counseling. The bill also directs DHS to establish provider qualifications, including training in the Flash Technique, and to give foster parents information about the counseling services at or before placement of a child in the home.
Impact
SB 187 would add a new foster-care support service to Oklahoma law by requiring DHS to make counseling available to foster families and other children in the home, contingent on funding. It would affect DHS contracting and provider qualification standards, create a no-cost counseling benefit for eligible households, and impose a notice obligation on the department when a child is placed in a foster home. The bill also protects foster parents from adverse treatment for using the service.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of legislative debate or formal support/opposition in the available materials. Based on the bill text, the measure appears intended as a supportive child-welfare and foster-family retention policy, with an emphasis on voluntary access to mental health services rather than a mandate.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are the bill’s dependence on available funding, which could limit implementation, and the requirement that providers meet qualifications set by the DHS director, including training in the Flash Technique. Some stakeholders may also focus on whether the counseling benefit should extend to children in the home who are not foster children, and on how DHS will set reimbursement rates and administer the program. Because no discussion or vote history is available, no specific opponents or supporters can be identified from the record.