From the Desk of Rep. John Talley, District 33
(Oklahoma House of Representatives) –This week, the House committee I chair, Children, Youth, and Family Services, held five interim studies on numerous topics. I want to recap the main takeaways if you were unable to join us or listen in.
We started the week with a study on behaviors in adolescents.
The first speaker on Monday morning, Toshina Ototivo, shared her personal story of growing up in multiple homes while her mother struggled with substance abuse. She was primarily raised by her grandparents and church community, and she attributed much of her success to their support. Another speaker, Mandy Reed, provided statistics showing that many people who become perpetrators in adulthood suffered abuse in childhood. She emphasized the need for better reporting mechanisms in schools and the necessity of holding parents accountable for abuse.
Judge Lydia Green at the Oklahoma County Juvenile Justice Center spoke about the dire conditions in Oklahoma’s child welfare system. She told attendees about the high turnover rate of DHS workers and the lack of placements for children. She stressed that children often rotate between temporary shelters and respite homes and that a lack of a stable home severely impacts their psychological well-being.
That afternoon, we heard Rep. Ross Ford’s interim study on challenges facing Oklahoma’s foster care system.
Jessica Clayton, a former foster parent, described the difficulty of receiving incomplete or delayed information about the children in her care—often critical medical or legal documentation—that hindered her ability to provide proper support.
She told the committee about a couple of girls in their home they would have done anything to help, but they couldn’t get proper support to deal with the girls’ past trauma. They tried every possible avenue until the situation escalated and the girls were eventually moved to a different living situation. Jessica said she still wished they had better communication from DHS so they had a stronger chance of supporting the girls and helping them heal.
Miranda Groves, who works in DHS, discussed the challenges they face in rural communities. She explained that rural areas often have fewer resources available to support foster families and fewer workers to manage an overwhelming caseload.
Interim studies continued on Tuesday. We started that morning with Rep. Mark Vancuren’s study on the increasing costs of childcare within the state. Speakers discussed the advantages of moving to an enrollment-based system compared to an attendance-based system.
The Tuesday afternoon study covered the Annie E. Casey Grant and was led by Rep. Daniel Pae. The Annie E. Casey Foundation supplies grants to address child welfare, community development, economic opportunity and juvenile justice.
Speakers talked about the importance of community safety, crisis support, and cross systems collaboration. They also discussed the value of increased access to quality mental health supports and family services plans. One thing a speaker said that really stuck with me was “true prevention is people helping people.”
The last study of the week was on Thursday afternoon. Rep. Ajay Pittman held a study on the closing of multiple community action Head Start centers.
Speakers explained current criteria for federal and state-funded facilities that allow families to seek childcare services and social programs for early childhood development. They also discussed options to increase access to similar programs for underserved populations and the effects on the surrounding community when these programs are not readily available.
As always, please call my office at (405) 557-7304 or email me at [email protected] if there’s anything I can help with. Thank you for the honor of representing House District 33.
