IN THE NEWS, NOVEMBER 2013

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Mark Beutler: Hello everybody, I'm Mark Beutler from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services Office of Communications. We're glad you could join us as we look at news from around the agency. Our first item concerns two very beneficial grants recently awarded to DHS that are directed toward two distinct populations of children in the state. 

The first grant recognizes the fact that early childhood education promotes long-term educational success. The Oklahoma School Readiness Reach-by-Risk Index received $300,000 to identify gaps in the availability of quality early childhood education and family service programs across the state, determine the effects of subsidized child care on school readiness, and investigate changes in the profile of families who receive subsidies. The project goal is to help children from low-income families find their way into high quality educational programs and promote school readiness. 

The other population of children who will reap the benefits of these new grants are children who are nearing legal age in foster care or in mental health facilities. $720,000 was awarded to develop The Road to Independence Network that will develop a continuum of care plan for teens ages 14-17 who soon will be on their own. These teens are statistically at higher risk of becoming homeless, suffer poverty or be victimized. The plan is developed while the child is in foster care and continues through Independent Living Services to make the transition to adulthood easier. Both grants will be valuable in opening up new avenues of success for Oklahoma's children. 

Our next item is a hearty congratulations to the Director of Aging Services, Lance Robertson. Lance was named an Honorary Alumni from the Oklahoma State University College of Human Sciences. As part of his career dedicated to gerontology, Lance co-founded the Gerontology Institute at OSU, served as Executive Director of PartnerShips for Aging - the largest regional gerontology association in the United States -and has been the Director of Aging Services since 2007. Again, our congratulations for the recognition of tireless dedication to our own Lance Robertson. 

In other news, October was National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. DHS employees in Oklahoma City took a little time to honor victims and survivors of domestic violence and raise awareness of the problem in our state. Domestic violence is a continuing issue in Oklahoma as we rate 3rd in the nation for women murdered in domestic violence situations. This type of violence also raises the numbers of children taken into state custody. 

Last month, two groups descended upon the south lawn of the State Capitol after walking from the Human Services Center at 23rd and Kelley and from the Sequoyah Building. A short ceremony was held to remind the state that domestic violence is only conquered when we all work together. It's our obligation, certainly as DHS employees but also as citizens, to report domestic violence in order to stop the cycle. 

If you know someone who is a victim of domestic violence please call SAFELINE at 1-800-522-SAFE. This hotline is open 24 hours a day and offers confidential help and information for victims of violence, sexual assault and stalking. 

No Audio: Pictures of people marching for awareness of domestic violence.

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Continuing awareness activities took place throughout the month including this Silent Witness Display erected to honor murder victims of domestic violence. This display and displays like this across the United States remind us how many people lose their lives at the hands of family or friends. 

No Audio: Pictures of people marching with Silent Witness placards.

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No Audio: Practice and Policy Lecture Series, November 12. ôImproving Child Protection with Safety Science.ö Dr. Michael J. Cull, Ph.D. û Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing, Vanderbilt University. Noon to 1PM, Oklahoma History Center. 

This monthÆs Practice and Policy Lecture will feature guest lecturer Dr. Michael J. Cull from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Cull's position as Director of Education and Dissemination has allowed him to develop an expertise in safety science. Child Protective Services Agencies and many other high-risk industries can benefit greatly from applying the principles of safety science to daily practice. Dr. Cull's lecture will cover the rationale, the characteristics and the challenges of applying known safety science practices to dealing with cases of child welfare. 

The lecture will be held on November 12th and, as usual, will be uploaded to the web for those who can't attend the event in person. You'll find this and all the Practice and Policy Lectures at the DHS website. The speakers selected for this series are experts in their given field and each of these presentations are designed to enhance your experience as a DHS employee. 

On the topic of employees, the 2013 Oklahoma Governor's Disability Employment Awards were held recently at the Governor's Mansion. These awards recognize Oklahoma companies and agencies that employ people with developmental disabilities as a regular part of the workforce. The ceremony was a celebration of the good things happening in business across the state. Businesses recognized for hiring people with disabilities included Petra Industries of Edmond, Long John Silver's Restaurant of Ardmore, Lexus of Tulsa, CiCi's Pizza of Edmond and the Grand Casino in Shawnee. 

Employees who have developmental disabilities were recognized for their hard work and company loyalty. The event is always uplifting and this year was no exception. Our heartfelt congratulations go out to all of the businesses and also all of the employees. 

No Audio: Employees: Preston Brown, Oklahoma City; Erin Conley, Jay; Scotty Simon Hacker, Ardmore; Ryan Jones, Edmond; Lacy Long, Tulsa; Tyler McClure, Tulsa; Robbie Yarbrough, Oklahoma City; Asher Ward, Jenks; Jason McGlothlin, Muskogee; Kathleen Moore, Oklahoma City; Thomas Touchette, Tulsa; Kristen Rosado, Sepulpa; Stephanie Newman, Oklahoma City; Marilyn Pinson, Shawnee; Phillip Reed, Tulsa.

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We also want to let you know about this month's feature story for DHS employees. Found on the Infonet, this month's feature looks at the Putting You First method of customer service. By now, you've seen one of these posters or received e-mails about a survey on customer service. Take a minute to find out more about this survey and review these reminders of the components of high quality customer service.

No Audio: ôFIRST stands for: Friendly, Informed, Respectful, Supportive, Timely.ö 

As we all know, striving to provide the best service possible makes outcomes better for clients and gives us, as employees, a sense of satisfaction. Check out the feature story to find out more about the Putting You First approach. There will be interactive training coming up in the next months, so start getting involved now. You'll be glad you did. 

Before we leave you this month, we want to share a couple of events that took place last month and were very special experiences for the participants. 

The first event we want to share with you was this year's Completing The Circle celebration held at Camp DaKaNi in Oklahoma City. As you know, when children are placed in foster care the main concern is the safety of the child. There is rarely time to consider cultural factors. Often children from Native American backgrounds are placed in non-Native foster homes. The Completing The Circle event allows Native American children, their families and their foster families to connect with Native American traditions and customs. 

Music, traditional crafts and storytelling were presented and the group found a lot of common ground to celebrate. The activities went on all morning and continued after lunch. Lots of connections and fond memories were created. 

No Audio: Pictures of people enjoying Native American traditions and crafts.

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Finally, we want to leave you with photos from another cultural event. The 2013 Oklahoma Latin Heritage Celebration was held last month in the Farmer's Market Auditorium in Oklahoma City. This event, sponsored by the Department of Human Services, is a chance to celebrate the rich contributions brought to our state by our citizens of Hispanic lineage. Music, food and fun were the order of the day. Enjoy these pictures from the celebration and we'll see you next time. 

No Audio: Latin American people performing in the Latino Heritage Celebration of 2013.

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