OKLAHOMA CITY — Children who were sexually assaulted after running away from state custody, attacks on staff members and hundreds of calls to police are just some of the problems that the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth claims exist in at least two state-contracted group homes for troubled youths.
Lisa Smith, the commission’s director, said her agency has called DHS to address systemic issues that endanger children in state care.
“We feel if children are going to be taken from their homes, they need to be provided for,” Smith said. “The state has a duty to provide children good quality of life if we’re going to take them from their home.”
Officials at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services said they’ve long been aware of the allegations in the letter that Smith sent DHS in late February, outlining issues at group homes, and they are investigating them.