OK
Oklahoma Senate Bill SB455

Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB455 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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5353 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
5454
5555 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
5656
5757 SENATE BILL 455 By: Pederson
5858
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6363 AS INTRODUCED
6464
6565 An Act relating to the Oklahoma Children ’s Code;
6666 amending 10A O.S. 2021, Section 1 -1-105, which
6767 relates to definitions; modifying defin itions;
6868 updating statutory language ; and providing an
6969 effective date.
7070
7171
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7373 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
7474 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 10A O.S. 2021, Section 1 -1-105, is
7575 amended to read as follows:
7676 Section 1-1-105. When used in the Oklahoma Children ’s Code,
7777 unless the context otherwis e requires:
7878 1. “Abandonment” means:
7979 a. the willful intent by words, actions, or omissions not
8080 to return for a child, or
8181 b. the failure to maintain a significant parental
8282 relationship with a child through visitation or
8383 communication in which incidental or token visits or
8484 communication are not considered significant, or
8585 c. the failure to respond to notice of deprived
8686 proceedings;
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138138 2. “Abuse” means harm or threatened harm to the hea lth, safety,
139139 or welfare of a child by a person responsible for the child ’s
140140 health, safety, or welfare, including , but not limited to,
141141 nonaccidental physical or mental injury, sexual abuse, or sexual
142142 exploitation. Provided, however, that nothing contained in the
143143 Oklahoma Children’s Code shall prohibit any parent from using
144144 ordinary force as a means of discipline including, but not limited
145145 to, spanking, switching, or paddling.
146146 a. “Harm or threatened harm to the health or, safety, or
147147 welfare of a child” means any real or threatened
148148 physical, mental, or emotional injury or damage to the
149149 body or mind that is not accidental including , but not
150150 limited to, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation,
151151 neglect, or dependency.
152152 b. “Sexual abuse” includes, but is not limited to , rape,
153153 incest, and lewd or indecent acts or proposals made to
154154 a child, as defined by law, by a person responsible
155155 for the health, safety, or welfare of the child.
156156 c. “Sexual exploitation” includes, but is not limited to ,
157157 allowing, permitting, encouraging, o r forcing a child
158158 to engage in prostitution, as defined by law, by any
159159 person eighteen (18) years of age or older or by a
160160 person responsible for the health, safety, or welfare
161161 of a child, or allowing, permitting, encouraging, or
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213213 engaging in the lewd, obsce ne, or pornographic, as
214214 defined by law, photographing, filming, or depicting
215215 of a child in those acts by a person responsible for
216216 the health, safety, and welfare of the child;
217217 3. “Adjudication” means a finding by the court that the
218218 allegations in a petiti on alleging that a child is deprived are
219219 supported by a preponderance of the e vidence;
220220 4. “Adjudicatory hearing ” means a hearing by the court as
221221 provided by Section 1 -4-601 of this title;
222222 5. “Age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate ” means:
223223 a. activities or items that are generally accepted as
224224 suitable for children of the same age or level of
225225 maturity or that are determined to be developmentally
226226 appropriate for a child, based on the development of
227227 cognitive, emotional, physical, and behavioral
228228 capacities that are typical for an age or age group,
229229 and
230230 b. in the case of a specif ic child, activities or items
231231 that are suitable for that child based on the
232232 developmental stages attained by the child with
233233 respect to the cognitive, emotional, physical, and
234234 behavioral capacities of the specific child.
235235 In the event that any age -related activities have implications
236236 relative to the academic curriculum of a child, nothing in this
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288288 paragraph shall be construed to authorize an officer or employee of
289289 the federal government to mandate, direct, or control a state or
290290 local educational agency, or the specific instructional content,
291291 academic achievement standards and assessments, curriculum, or
292292 program of instruction of a school;
293293 6. “Assessment” means a comprehensive review of child safety
294294 and evaluation of family functioning and protective capacities that
295295 is conducted in response to a child abuse or neglect referral that
296296 does not allege a serious and immediate safety threat to a child;
297297 7. “Behavioral health” means mental health, substance abuse, or
298298 co-occurring mental health and substance abuse diagn oses, and the
299299 continuum of mental health, substance abuse, or co -occurring mental
300300 health and substance abuse treatment;
301301 8. “Child” means any unmarried person under eighteen (18) years
302302 of age;
303303 9. “Child advocacy center ” means a center and the
304304 multidisciplinary child abuse team of which it is a member that is
305305 accredited by the National Children ’s Alliance or that is completing
306306 a sixth year of reaccreditation. Child advocacy cente rs shall be
307307 classified, based on the child population of a district attorney ’s
308308 district, as follows:
309309 a. nonurban centers in districts with child populations
310310 that are less than sixty thousand (60,000), and
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362362 b. midlevel mid-level nonurban centers in districts with
363363 child populations equal to or greater than sixty
364364 thousand (60,000), but not including Oklahoma and
365365 Tulsa Counties;
366366 10. “Child with a disability ” means any child who has a
367367 physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more
368368 of the major life activities of the child, or who is regarded as
369369 having such an impairm ent by a competent medical professional;
370370 11. “Child-placing agency” means an agency that arranges for or
371371 places a child in a foster family home, family -style living program,
372372 group home, adoptive home, or a successful adulthood program;
373373 12. “Children’s emergency resource center ” means a community-
374374 based program that may provide emergency care and a safe and
375375 structured homelike environment or a host home for children
376376 providing food, clothing, shelter, and hygiene products to each
377377 child served; after-school tutoring; counseling services; life -
378378 skills training; transition services; assessments; family
379379 reunification; respite care; transportation to or from school,
380380 doctors’ appointments, visitations, and other social, school, court ,
381381 or other activities when necessary; and a stable environment for
382382 children in crisis who are in custody of the Department of Human
383383 Services if permitted under the Department ’s policies and
384384 regulations, or who h ave been voluntarily placed by a parent or
385385 custodian during a temporary crisis ;
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437437 13. “Community-based services” or “community-based programs”
438438 means services or programs which maintain community participation or
439439 supervision in their planning, operation, and evaluation.
440440 Community-based services and programs may include, but are not
441441 limited to, emergency shelter, crisis intervention, group work, case
442442 supervision, job placement, recruitment and training of volunteers,
443443 consultation, medical, educational, home -based services, vocational,
444444 social, preventive and psychological guidance, trai ning, counseling,
445445 early intervention and diversionary substance abuse treatment,
446446 sexual abuse treatment, transitional living, independent living, and
447447 other related services and p rograms;
448448 14. “Concurrent permanency planning ” means, when indicated, the
449449 implementation of two plans for a child entering foster care. One
450450 plan focuses on reuniting the parent and child; the other seeks to
451451 find a permanent out -of-home placement for the c hild with both plans
452452 being pursued simultaneously;
453453 15. “Court-appointed special advocate” or “CASA” means a
454454 responsible adult volunteer who has been trained and is supervised
455455 by a court-appointed special advocate program recognized by the
456456 court, and when appointed by the court, serves as an officer of the
457457 court in the capacity as a guardian ad litem;
458458 16. “Court-appointed special advocate program ” means an
459459 organized program, administered by either an independent, not -for-
460460 profit corporation, a dependent pro ject of an independent, not -for-
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512512 profit corporation, or a unit of local governm ent, which recruits,
513513 screens, trains, assigns, supervises , and supports volunteers to be
514514 available for appointment by the court as guardians ad litem;
515515 17. “Custodian” means an individual other than a parent, legal
516516 guardian, or Indian custodian, to whom legal custody of the child
517517 has been awarded by the court. As used in this title, the term
518518 “custodian” custodian shall not mean the Department of Human
519519 Services;
520520 18. “Day treatment” means a nonresidential program which
521521 provides intensive services to a child who resides in the child ’s
522522 own home, the home of a relative, a group home, a foster home , or a
523523 residential child care facility. Day treatment programs include,
524524 but are not limited to, educational services;
525525 19. “Department” means the Department of Human Services;
526526 20. “Dependency” means a child who is homeless or without
527527 proper care or guardianship through no fault of his or her parent,
528528 legal guardian, or custodian;
529529 21. “Deprived child” means a child:
530530 a. who is for any reason destitute, homeless, or
531531 abandoned,
532532 b. who does not have the proper parental care or
533533 guardianship,
534534 c. who has been abused, or neglected, or is dependent,
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586586 d. whose home is an unfit place for the child by reas on
587587 of depravity on the part of the parent or legal
588588 guardian of the child, or other person responsible for
589589 the health or welfare of the child,
590590 e. who is a child in need of special care and treatment
591591 because of the child ’s physical or mental condition,
592592 and the child’s parents, legal guardian, or other
593593 custodian is unable or willfully fails to provide such
594594 special care and treatment. As used in this
595595 paragraph, a child in need of special care and
596596 treatment includes, but is not limited to, a child who
597597 at birth tests positive for alcohol or a controlled
598598 dangerous substance and who, pursuant to a drug or
599599 alcohol screen of the child and an assessment of the
600600 parent, is determined to be at risk of harm or
601601 threatened harm to the health or, safety, or welfare
602602 of a child,
603603 f. who is a child with a disability deprived of the
604604 nutrition necessary to sustain life or of the medical
605605 treatment necessary to remedy or relieve a life -
606606 threatening medical condition in order to cause or
607607 allow the death of the child if such nutrition o r
608608 medical treatment is generally provided to similarly
609609 situated children without a disability or children
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661661 with disabilities; provided that no medical treatment
662662 shall be necessary if, in the reasonable medical
663663 judgment of the attending physician, such treat ment
664664 would be futile in saving the life of the child,
665665 g. who, due to improper parental care and guardianship,
666666 is absent from school as specified in Section 10 -106
667667 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes, if the child is
668668 subject to compulsory school attendance ,
669669 h. whose parent, legal guardian , or custodian for good
670670 cause desires to be relieved of custody,
671671 i. who has been born to a parent whose parental rights to
672672 another child have been involuntarily terminated by
673673 the court and the conditions which led to the ma king
674674 of the finding, which resulted in the termination of
675675 the parental rights of the parent to the other child,
676676 have not been corrected, or
677677 j. whose parent, legal guardian, or custodian has
678678 subjected another child to abuse or neglect or has
679679 allowed another child to be subjected to abuse or
680680 neglect and is currently a respondent in a deprived
681681 proceeding.
682682 Nothing in the Oklahoma Children ’s Code shall be construed to
683683 mean a child is deprived for the sole reason the parent, legal
684684 guardian, or person having custo dy or control of a child, in good
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736736 faith, selects and depends upon spiritual me ans alone through
737737 prayer, in accordance with the tenets and practice of a recognized
738738 church or religious denomination, for the treatment or cure of
739739 disease or remedial care of su ch child.
740740 Evidence of material, educational , or cultural disadvantage as
741741 compared to other children shall not be sufficient to prove that a
742742 child is deprived; the state shall prove that the child is deprived
743743 as defined pursuant to this title.
744744 Nothing contained in this paragraph shall prevent a court from
745745 immediately assuming custody of a child and ordering whatever action
746746 may be necessary, including medical treatment, to protect the
747747 child’s health or welfare;
748748 22. “Dispositional hearing ” means a hearing by the court as
749749 provided by Section 1 -4-706 of this title;
750750 23. “Drug-endangered child” means a child who is at risk of
751751 suffering physical, psychological , or sexual harm as a result of the
752752 use, possession, distribution, manufacture , or cultivation of
753753 controlled substances, or the attempt of any of these acts, by a
754754 person responsible fo r the health, safety , or welfare of the child,
755755 as defined in this section. This term includes circumstances
756756 wherein the substance abuse of the person responsible for the
757757 health, safety, or welfare of the child interferes with that
758758 person’s ability to parent and provide a safe and nurturing
759759 environment for the child;
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811811 24. “Emergency custody” means the custody of a child prior to
812812 adjudication of the child following issuance of an o rder of the
813813 district court pursuant to Section 1 -4-201 of this title or
814814 following issuance of an order of the district court pursuant to an
815815 emergency custody hearing, as specified by Section 1 -4-203 of this
816816 title;
817817 25. “Facility” means a place, an institut ion, a building or
818818 part thereof, a set of buildings, or an area whether or not
819819 enclosing a building or set of buildings used for the lawful custody
820820 and treatment of children;
821821 26. “Failure to protect” means failure to take reasonable
822822 action to remedy or pr event child abuse or neglect, and includes the
823823 conduct of a nonabusing parent or guardian who knows the identity of
824824 the abuser or the person neglecting the child, but lies, conceals ,
825825 or fails to report the child abuse or neglect or otherwise take
826826 reasonable action to end the abuse or neglect;
827827 27. “Family-style living program ” means a residential program
828828 providing sustained care and supervision to residents in a homelike
829829 environment not located in a building used for commercial activity;
830830 28. “Felt safety” means the individual experiences safety by
831831 not anticipating harm or hurt, emot ionally or physically, based on
832832 his or her present internal response and environment, and has
833833 relational security from his or her primary caregivers;
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885885 29. “Foster care” or “foster care services” means continuous
886886 twenty-four-hour care and supportive services provided for a child
887887 in foster placement including, but not limited to, the care,
888888 supervision, guidance, and rearing of a foster child by the foster
889889 parent;
890890 29. 30. “Foster family home” means the private residence of a
891891 foster parent who provides foster care services to a child. Such
892892 term shall include a nonkinship foster family home, a therapeutic
893893 foster family home, or the home of a relative or other kinship care
894894 home;
895895 30. 31. “Foster parent eligibility assessment ” includes a
896896 criminal background investigation including, but not limited to, a
897897 national criminal history records search based upon the submission
898898 of fingerprints, home assessments, and any other assessment required
899899 by the Department of Human Services, the Office of Juvenile Affairs,
900900 or any child-placing agency pursuant to the provisions of the
901901 Oklahoma Child Care Facilities Licensing Act;
902902 31. 32. “Group home” means a residential facility licensed by
903903 the Department to provide full-time care and community -based
904904 services for more than five but fewer than thirteen children;
905905 33. “Guardian ad litem” means a person appointed by the court
906906 pursuant to the provisions of Section 1 -4-306 of this title having
907907 those duties and responsibilities as set forth in that section. The
908908 term “guardian ad litem” guardian ad litem shall refer to a court -
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960960 appointed special advocate as well as to any other person appointed
961961 pursuant to the provisions of Section 1 -4-306 of this title to serve
962962 as a guardian ad litem;
963963 32. 34. “Guardian ad litem of the estate of the child ” means a
964964 person appointed by the court to protect the property interests of a
965965 child pursuant to Section 1 -8-108 of this title;
966966 33. “Group home” means a residential facility licens ed by the
967967 Department to provide full -time care and community -based services
968968 for more than five but fewer than thirteen children;
969969 34. 35. “Harm or threatened harm to the health or, safety, or
970970 welfare of a child” means any real or threatened physical, menta l,
971971 or emotional injury or damage to the body or mind that is not
972972 accidental including, but not limited to, sexual abuse, sexual
973973 exploitation, neglect, or dependency;
974974 35. 36. “Heinous and shocking abuse ” includes, but is not
975975 limited to, aggravated physical abuse that results in serious
976976 bodily, mental, or emotional injury. “Serious bodily injury” means
977977 injury that involves:
978978 a. a substantial risk of death,
979979 b. extreme physical pain,
980980 c. protracted disfigurement,
981981 d. a loss or impairment of the function of a bod y member,
982982 organ, or mental faculty,
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10341034 e. an injury to an internal or external organ or the
10351035 body,
10361036 f. a bone fracture,
10371037 g. sexual abuse or sexual exploitation,
10381038 h. chronic abuse including, but not limited to, physical,
10391039 emotional, or sexual abuse, or sexual explo itation
10401040 which is repeated or continuing,
10411041 i. torture that includes, but is not limited to,
10421042 inflicting, participating in , or assisting in
10431043 inflicting intense physical or emotional pain upon a
10441044 child repeatedly over a period of time for the purpose
10451045 of coercing or terrorizing a child or for the purpose
10461046 of satisfying the craven, cruel, or prurient desires
10471047 of the perpetrator or another person, or
10481048 j. any other similar aggravated circumstance;
10491049 36. 37. “Heinous and shocking neglect ” includes, but is not
10501050 limited to:
10511051 a. chronic neglect that includes, but is not limited to,
10521052 a persistent pattern o f family functioning in which
10531053 the caregiver has not met or sustained the basic needs
10541054 of a child which results in harm to the child,
10551055 b. neglect that has resulted in a diagnosis of the child
10561056 as a failure to thrive,
10571057
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11081108 c. an act or failure to act by a parent that results in
11091109 the death or near death of a child or sibling, serious
11101110 physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or sexual
11111111 exploitation, or presents an imminent risk of serious
11121112 harm to a child, or
11131113 d. any other similar aggravating circumstance;
11141114 37. 38. “Individualized service plan ” means a document written
11151115 pursuant to Section 1 -4-704 of this title that has the same meaning
11161116 as “service plan” or “treatment plan” where those terms are u sed in
11171117 the Oklahoma Children ’s Code;
11181118 38. 39. “Infant” means a child who is twelve (12) months of age
11191119 or younger;
11201120 39. 40. “Institution” means a residential facility offering
11211121 care and treatment for more than twenty residents;
11221122 40. 41. a. “Investigation” means a response to an
11231123 allegation of abuse or neglect that involves a serious
11241124 and immediate threat to the safety of the child,
11251125 making it necessary to determine:
11261126 (1) the current safety of a child and the risk of
11271127 subsequent abuse or neglect, and
11281128 (2) whether child abuse or neglect occurred and
11291129 whether the family needs prevention - and
11301130 intervention-related services.
11311131
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11821182 b. “Investigation” Investigation results in a written
11831183 response stating one of the following findings:
11841184 (1) “substantiated” means the Department has
11851185 determined, after an investigation of a report of
11861186 child abuse or neglect and based upon some
11871187 credible evidence, that child abuse or neglect
11881188 has occurred. When child abuse or neglect is
11891189 substantiated, the Department may recommend:
11901190 (a) court intervention if the Department finds
11911191 the health, safety, or welfare of the child
11921192 is threatened, or
11931193 (b) child abuse and neglect prevention - and
11941194 intervention-related services for the child,
11951195 parents, or persons responsible for the care
11961196 of the child if court intervention is not
11971197 determined to be necessary,
11981198 (2) “unsubstantiated” means the Department has
11991199 determined, after an investigation of a report of
12001200 child abuse or neglect, that insufficient
12011201 evidence exists to fully determine whether child
12021202 abuse or neglect has occurred. If child abuse or
12031203 neglect is unsubstantiated, the Department may
12041204 recommend, when determined to be necessary, that
12051205 the parents or persons responsible for the care
12061206
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12571257 of the child obtain child abuse and neglect
12581258 prevention- and intervention-related services, or
12591259 (3) “ruled out” means a report in which a child
12601260 protective services specialist has det ermined,
12611261 after an investigation of a report of child abuse
12621262 or neglect, that no child abuse or neglect has
12631263 occurred;
12641264 41. 42. “Kinship care” means full-time care of a child by a
12651265 kinship relation;
12661266 42. 43. “Kinship guardianship ” means a permanent guardianship
12671267 as defined in this section;
12681268 43. 44. “Kinship relation” or “kinship relationship ” means
12691269 relatives, stepparents, or other responsible adults who have a bond
12701270 or tie with a child and/or or to whom has been ascribed a family
12711271 relationship role with the child ’s parents or the child; provided,
12721272 however, in cases where the Indian Child Welfare Act applies, the
12731273 definitions contained in 25 U.S.C., Section 1903 shall control;
12741274 44. 45. “Mental health facility” means a mental health or
12751275 substance abuse treatment facility as defined by the Inpatient
12761276 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment of Minors Act;
12771277 45. 46. “Minor” means the same as the term “child” child as
12781278 defined in this section;
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13301330 46. 47. “Minor in need of treatment ” means a child in need of
13311331 mental health or substance abuse treatment as defined by the
13321332 Inpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment of Minors Act;
13331333 47. 48. “Multidisciplinary child abuse team ” means any team
13341334 established pursuant to Section 1 -9-102 of this title of three or
13351335 more persons who are trained in the prevention, identification,
13361336 investigation, prosecution, and treatment of physical and sexual
13371337 child abuse and who are qualified to facilitate a broad range of
13381338 prevention- and intervention-related services and services related
13391339 to child abuse. For purposes of this definition, “freestanding”
13401340 means a team not used by a child advocacy center for its
13411341 accreditation;
13421342 48. 49. “Near death” means a child is in serious or critical
13431343 condition, as certified by a physician, as a result of abuse or
13441344 neglect;
13451345 49. 50. a. “Neglect” means:
13461346 (1) the failure or omission to provide any of the
13471347 following:
13481348 (a) adequate nurturance and affection, food,
13491349 clothing, shelter, sanitation, hygiene, or
13501350 appropriate education,
13511351 (b) medical, dental, or behavioral health care,
13521352 (c) supervision or appropriate caretakers to
13531353 protect the child from harm or threatened
13541354
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14051405 harm of which any reasonable and prudent
14061406 person responsible for the child ’s health,
14071407 safety, or welfare would be aware, or
14081408 (d) special care made necessary for the child ’s
14091409 health and safety by the physical or mental
14101410 condition of the child,
14111411 (2) the failure or omission to protect a child from
14121412 exposure to any of the following:
14131413 (a) the use, possession, sa le, or manufacture of
14141414 illegal drugs,
14151415 (b) illegal activities, or
14161416 (c) sexual acts or materials that are not age -
14171417 appropriate, or
14181418 (3) abandonment.
14191419 b. “Neglect” Neglect shall not mean a child who engages
14201420 in independent activities, except if the person
14211421 responsible for the child’s health, safety, or welfare
14221422 willfully disregards any harm or threatened harm to
14231423 the child, given the child ’s level of maturity,
14241424 physical condition, or mental abilities. Such
14251425 independent activities include , but are not limited
14261426 to:
14271427 (1) traveling to and from school including by
14281428 walking, running, or bicycling,
14291429
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14801480 (2) traveling to and from nearby commercial or
14811481 recreational facilities,
14821482 (3) engaging in outdoor play,
14831483 (4) remaining at home unattended for a reasonable
14841484 amount of time,
14851485 (5) remaining in a vehicle if the temperature inside
14861486 the vehicle is not or will not become dangerously
14871487 hot or cold, except under the conditions
14881488 described in Section 11 -1119 of Title 47 of the
14891489 Oklahoma Statutes, or
14901490 (6) engaging in similar activities alone or with
14911491 other children.
14921492 Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to mean a child is
14931493 abused or neglected for the sole reason the parent, legal guardian ,
14941494 or person having custody or control of a child, in good faith,
14951495 selects and depends upon spiritual means alone through prayer, in
14961496 accordance with the tenets and practice of a recognized church or
14971497 religious denomination, for the treatment or cure of disease or
14981498 remedial care of such child. Nothing contained in this paragraph
14991499 shall prevent a court from immediately assuming custody of a child,
15001500 pursuant to the Oklahoma Children ’s Code, and ordering wha tever
15011501 action may be necessary, including medical treatment, to protect the
15021502 child’s health or welfare;
15031503
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15541554 50. 51. “Permanency hearing” means a hearing by the court
15551555 pursuant to Section 1-4-811 of this title;
15561556 51. 52. “Permanent custody” means the court-ordered custody of
15571557 an adjudicated deprived child when a parent -child relationship no
15581558 longer exists due to termination of parental rights or due to the
15591559 death of a parent or parents;
15601560 52. 53. “Permanent guardianship ” means a judicially created
15611561 relationship between a child, a kinship relation of the child, or
15621562 other adult established pursuant to the provisions of Section 1 -4-
15631563 709 of this title;
15641564 53. 54. “Person responsible for a child ’s health, safety, or
15651565 welfare” includes a parent; a legal guardian; custodian; a foster
15661566 parent; a person eighteen (18) years of age or older with whom the
15671567 child’s parent cohabitates or any other adult residing in the home
15681568 of the child; an agent or employee of a pu blic or private
15691569 residential home, institution, facility , or day treatment prog ram as
15701570 defined in Section 175.20 of Title 10 of the Oklahoma Statutes; or
15711571 an owner, operator, or employee of a child care facility as defined
15721572 by Section 402 of Title 10 of the Ok lahoma Statutes;
15731573 54. 55. “Plan of safe care” means a plan developed for an
15741574 infant with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome or a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
15751575 Disorder upon release from the care of a health care provider that
15761576 addresses the health and substance use treat ment needs of the infant
15771577 and mother or caregiver;
15781578
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16291629 55. 56. “Protective custody” means custody of a child taken by
16301630 a law enforcement officer or designated employee of the court
16311631 without a court order;
16321632 56. 57. “Putative father” means an alleged father as tha t term
16331633 is defined in Section 7700 -102 of Title 10 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
16341634 57. 58. “Qualified residential treatment program ” means a
16351635 program that:
16361636 a. has a trauma-informed treatment model that is designed
16371637 to address the needs including clinical needs as
16381638 appropriate, of children with serious emotional or
16391639 behavioral disorders or dis turbances and, with respect
16401640 to a child, is able to implement the treatment
16411641 identified for the child from a required assessment,
16421642 b. has registered or licensed nursing staff and ot her
16431643 licensed clinical staff who:
16441644 (1) provide care within the scope of their practice
16451645 as defined by the laws of this state,
16461646 (2) are on-site according to the treatment model
16471647 referred to in subparagraph a of this paragraph,
16481648 and
16491649 (3) are available twenty -four (24) hours a day and
16501650 seven (7) days a week,
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17021702 c. to the extent appropriate, and i n accordance with the
17031703 child’s best interest, facilitates participation of
17041704 family members in the child ’s treatment program,
17051705 d. facilitates outreach to the family members of the
17061706 child including siblings, documents how the outreach
17071707 is made including contact information, and maintains
17081708 contact information for any known biological family of
17091709 the child,
17101710 e. documents how family members are integrated into the
17111711 treatment process for the chil d including post-
17121712 discharge, and how sibling connections are maintained,
17131713 f. provides discharge planning and family -based aftercare
17141714 support for at least six (6) months post -discharge,
17151715 and
17161716 g. is licensed and accredited by any of the following
17171717 independent, not-for-profit organizations:
17181718 (1) The the Commission on Accreditation of
17191719 Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF),
17201720 (2) The the Joint Commission on Accreditation of
17211721 Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) ,
17221722 (3) The the Council on Accreditation (COA), or
17231723 (4) any other federally approved independent, not -
17241724 for-profit accrediting organization;
17251725
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17761776 58. 59. “Reasonable and prudent parent standard ” means the
17771777 standard characterized by careful and sensible parental decisions
17781778 that maintain the health, safety, and best interests of a child
17791779 while at the same time encouraging the emotional and developmental
17801780 growth of the child. This standard shall be used by the child ’s
17811781 caregiver when determining whether to allow a child to participate
17821782 in extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social activ ities.
17831783 For purposes of this definition, the term “caregiver” means a foster
17841784 parent with whom a child in foster care has been placed, a
17851785 representative of a group home where a child has been placed , or a
17861786 designated official for a residential child care faci lity where a
17871787 child in foster care has been placed;
17881788 59. 60. “Relative” means a grandparent, great -grandparent,
17891789 brother or sister of whole or half blood, aunt, uncle , or any other
17901790 person related to the child;
17911791 60. 61. “Residential child care facility ” means a twenty-four-
17921792 hour residential facility where children live together with or are
17931793 supervised by adults who are not their parents or relatives;
17941794 61. 62. “Review hearing” means a hearing by the court pursuant
17951795 to Section 1-4-807 of this title;
17961796 62. 63. “Risk” means the likelihood that an incident of child
17971797 abuse or neglect will occur in the future;
17981798 63. “Safety threat” means the threat of serious harm due to
17991799 child abuse or neglect occurring in the present or in the very near
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18511851 future and without the intervention of another person, a child would
18521852 likely or in all probability sustain severe o r permanent disability
18531853 or injury, illness, or death;
18541854 64. “Safety analysis” means action taken by the Department in
18551855 response to a report of alleged child abuse or neglect that ma y
18561856 include an assessment or investigation based upon an analysis of the
18571857 information received according to priority guidelines and other
18581858 criteria adopted by the Department;
18591859 65. “Safety evaluation” means evaluation of a child ’s situation
18601860 by the Department us ing a structured, evidence -based tool to
18611861 determine if the child is subject to a safety threat related to the
18621862 child’s physical, developmental, medical, mental, felt safety, or
18631863 educational needs;
18641864 66. “Safety threat” means the threat of serious harm due to
18651865 child abuse or neglect occurring in the present or in the very near
18661866 future and without the intervention of another person, a child would
18671867 likely or in all probability sustain severe or permanent disability
18681868 or injury, mental or physical illness, or death;
18691869 67. “Secure facility” means a facility which is designed and
18701870 operated to ensure that all entrances and exits from the facility
18711871 are subject to the exclusive control of the staff of the facility,
18721872 whether or not the juvenile being detained has freedom of moveme nt
18731873 within the perimeter of the facility, or a facility which relies on
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19251925 locked rooms and buildings, fences, or physical restraint in order
19261926 to control behavior of its residents;
19271927 67. 68. “Sibling” means a biologically or legally related
19281928 brother or sister of a child. This includes including an individual
19291929 who satisfies at least one of the following conditions with respect
19301930 to a child:
19311931 a. the individual is considered by state law to be a
19321932 sibling of the child, or
19331933 b. the individual would have been considered a sib ling
19341934 under state law but for a termination or other
19351935 disruption of parental rights, such as the death of a
19361936 parent;
19371937 68. 69. “Specialized foster care ” means foster care provided to
19381938 a child in a foster home or agency -contracted home which:
19391939 a. has been certified by the Developmental Disabilities
19401940 Services Division of the Department of Hu man Services,
19411941 b. is monitored by the Division, and
19421942 c. is funded through the Home- Home and Community-Based
19431943 Waiver Services Program administered by the Division;
19441944 69. 70. “Successful adulthood program ” means a program
19451945 specifically designed to assist a child to enhance those skills and
19461946 abilities necessary for successful adult living. A successful
19471947 adulthood program may include, but shall not be limited to, such
19481948 features as minimal d irect staff supervision, and the provision of
19491949
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20002000 supportive services to assist ch ildren with activities necessary for
20012001 finding an appropriate place of residence, completing an education
20022002 or vocational training, obtaining employment, or obtaining other
20032003 similar services;
20042004 70. 71. “Temporary custody” means court-ordered custody of an
20052005 adjudicated deprived child;
20062006 71. 72. “Therapeutic foster family home ” means a foster family
20072007 home which provides specific treatment services, pursuant to a
20082008 therapeutic foster care contr act, which are designed to remedy
20092009 social and behavioral problems of a foster c hild residing in the
20102010 home;
20112011 72. 73. “Trafficking in persons ” means sex trafficking or
20122012 severe forms of trafficking in persons as described in Section 7102
20132013 of Title 22 of the Unite d States Code:
20142014 a. “sex trafficking” means the recruitment, harboring,
20152015 transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing , or
20162016 soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial
20172017 sex act, and
20182018 b. “severe forms of trafficking in persons ” means:
20192019 (1) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is
20202020 induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which
20212021 the person induced to perform such act has not
20222022 attained eighteen (18) years of age, or
20232023
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20742074 (2) the recruitment, harboring, transportation,
20752075 provision, obtaining, patronizi ng, or soliciting
20762076 of a person for labor or services, through the
20772077 use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose
20782078 of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage,
20792079 debt bondage, or slavery;
20802080 73. 74. “Transitional living program ” means a residential
20812081 program that may be attached to an existing facility or operated
20822082 solely for the purpos e of assisting children to develop the skills
20832083 and abilities necessary for successful adult living. The program
20842084 may include, but shall not be limited to, reduced staff supervisio n,
20852085 vocational training, educational services, employment and employment
20862086 training, and other appropriate independent living skills training
20872087 as a part of the transitional living program; and
20882088 74. 75. “Voluntary foster care placement ” means the temporary
20892089 placement of a child by the parent, legal guardian , or custodian of
20902090 the child in foster care pursuant to a signed placement agreement
20912091 between the Department or a child -placing agency and the child ’s
20922092 parent, legal guardian , or custodian.
20932093 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
20942094
20952095 60-1-135 DC 1/8/2025 2:36:16 PM