COMMISSION REPORT - MAY 2012

Interim Dir. Doeflinger: Good morning. I actually have several issues that I'd like to visit with you today and some of them dovetail into other items on your agenda so I'll maybe make reference and then hold further discussion as we move along. 

In these type of updates I always wonder if it's better to lead with the good stuff or save it till the end and that's the last thing you're thinking about. I do think given that last night at 7:00pm, myself, 
Senator Jolley, representing the Senate as their Appropriations Chair and Representative Earl Sears from the House, the Appropriations Chair there, did announce a budget agreement. 

And I said in that meeting and I'll say it today - for me, probably the most significant thing that came out of that is the money for this agency. 

(applause) 

Interim Dir. Doeflinger (continues): And I would commend both the Governor's Office and both chambers of the Legislature for demonstrating that there is a commitment to providing resources to this agency. 

I'd like to just run through how it ultimately broke down: $25 million for the Pinnacle Plan, $17 million for our maintenance of effort, $4 million for legal fees, and an additional $4 million divided as follows: $1.5 million for ADvantage rate increases, $1.5 million for DDSD rate increases, and $1 million for the DDSD waiting list. 

Again, it was... the entire process as you can imagine was very long and tedious but I can say, really from very early on, there was a commitment to get this agency those resources and I'm proud that's where we end up. I'm going to let Phil talk a little bit later in his update, specifically to the $17 million for the maintenance of effort and what that means. 

I can tell you that places us in a much better position than we could have been. Again, we can address that a little later. Some issues that have been significant for me since we last met, I had an opportunity, and I recognize some faces in the crowd are here again today to meet with the Parent-Guardian Association regarding their issues and to try to continue to have as much of an open dialogue as possible. 

The one thing I would say to this Commission that I hope as you interact with these various groups that struck me and that is that until this Commission has a clear direction of where they may be headed, I hope that our interaction with them does not send mixed signals. 

Because I can tell you that it bothered me and upset me that they've kind of been on this rollercoaster, if you will, of what their future looks like. And so, that would just be my one suggestion as an Agency and as a Commission of how we interact with them. 

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Because it's, as you well know, it's an important issue, it's an emotional issue, and I just hope that we can come to some resolution, whatever that may be, as we move forward. 

Something else that became an issue for me in this role - it's become apparent that when you have a change and you have someone new in the Director role, there are a lot of people who know me, just like a Chairman or just like you as Commissioners, and so they want to get to you and share with you their problems that they've maybe had with the Agency. 

I'm glad that people also like to share the positive things but, as is the case in most instances, people want to tell you what's wrong and what's been their experience where it's wrong. One thing that got on my radar, separate and different from individual issues, was our hotline. 

I asked, I believe it was on Friday the fourth, if that's the right date that it really rose for me to a different level, and I asked Deb Smith, I asked Larry Johnson to assemble the team over there in Esther, and begin to identify the root problems. 

In an agency this large, and really it's not just about a large agency, but frequently we are so busy moving from crisis to crisis that we don't stop and focus on root problems. And I asked them to just pause, get together collectively, which they did that Friday, and put together a real plan to try to address some issues. 

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Commissioners, specifically what I'm here to visit with you about is the Commission approval for the initiation of the Vertical Integration of Child Welfare and Family Support Programs and Services. In anticipation of the approval of the Pinnacle Plan and potential related legislation that requires the vertical integration of Child Welfare and Family Support programs, the Agency will need to begin creating a framework to support this initiative. 

To create and establish the framework requires the coordinated effort among several divisions. Examples of the work that needs to begin includes establishing budget and HR codes to allow for the posting of administrator and director level positions; and the logistical planning for additional Child Welfare staff to be hired in year one of the plan. 

Deb has done a great job working with HR and others to create an integrated structure for Child Welfare that will focus our resources in the most important area - which is the front line workers. She's worked to ensure the proposed integration is as efficient as possible while achieving a structure to support our most important goal, the safety of Oklahoma's children. 

Similarly, Commissioner White and I have asked Family Support to approach their integration efforts in a like manner. The plans for integration of Family Support are still being finalized but I'm confident that we'll create an efficient organizational structure that will focus on its most important goal, providing support to families in need. 

According to Article V of the Commission Bylaws, paragraph G states in part, Commission approves, "changes which would shift responsibilities between divisions." Therefore, today I would like to request the Commission take action on this matter which will allow the Agency to move forward on creating the framework for vertical integration and begin the necessary activities to accomplish the vertical integration of Child Welfare and Support Programs and Service Delivery.