Oklahoma Senate Bill 1570 is in essence a proposal to take anything relating to child services off of the DHS (Department of Human Services) caseload and move it to an entirely new state department, the Department of Child Safety and Wellbeing.
Within the bill it outlines a timeline for the transition of the services with July 1, 2027 being the main date of transfer. All employees within the Child Welfare Department of DHS would be moved to the new department alongside all services. Equipment, supplies, recordsandmorewillbe movedtothenewdepartment and alongside that, the Office of Juvenile Affairs and all duties relating to it will also be moved to the Department ofChildSafetyandWellbeing on July 1, 202.
Additionally, within the bill it states that on September 1, 2026, the administrative rules related to any programs or services provided by the Department ofChildSafetyandWellbeing previously promulgated by the Director of Human Services or the Board of Juvenile Affairs shall be transferred to and become a part of the administrative rules of the Department of Child Safety and Wellbeing.
The Office of Administrative Rules in the Office of the Secretary of State shall provide adequate notice in “The Oklahoma Register” of the transferred rules and shall place the transferred rules under the Oklahoma Administrative Code section of the Department of Child Safety and Wellbeing.”