A. Postadjudication review boards shall function in an advisory capacity to the district court and, in accordance with the provisions of subsection C of this section, the district planning and coordination boards for services to children and youth of the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth.

The duties of a review board shall be to:

1. Review the case of every adjudicated deprived child at least once every six (6) months and submit to the court within ten (10) days of any review hearing its findings and recommendations.

a.Such review shall include, but not be limited to, consideration and evaluation of:

(1)the appropriateness of the goals and objectives of the treatment and service plan,

(2)the appropriateness of the goals and objectives of the permanency plan and permanency planning, and

(3)the appropriateness of the services provided to the child, and to the parent, stepparent, or other adult living in the home of the child, or legal guardian, or custodian.

b.Reviews of cases and reports to the court shall be scheduled to ensure that the court receives the findings and recommendations of the review board prior to each regularly scheduled six-month review of the case by the court;

2. Review the case of every child alleged to be deprived and held in an out-of-home placement six (6) months after removal and every six (6) months thereafter until adjudication occurs or the child is released from out-of-home placement and submit to the court within ten (10) days of any scheduled hearing its findings and recommendations. Such review shall include, but not be limited to, consideration and evaluation of:

a.whether the continued out-of-home placement is in the best interests of the child in light of the child's need for permanency and recognizing that permanency is in the best interests of the child,

b.the appropriateness of the continued out-of-home placement, and

c.in the absence of a court-ordered treatment and service plan, the appropriateness of the services provided to the child and any family members or other adult living in the home of the child;

3. Review the case of every child adjudicated deprived pursuant to the laws of another state or territory, when the child is currently residing in Oklahoma and the Department of Human Services has been notified of the change of residence by the other state or territory and has agreed to provide services to the child pursuant to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children or other agreement concerning the child. The Department shall notify the proper review board of the location of the child and shall provide such review board with information received by the Department from the other state concerning the child or placement along with any reports made by the Department concerning the child or placement. The review board shall report its findings to the Department and may report such findings to the agency or court in the state having jurisdiction for the custody of the child. The child and the custodian of the child may be required to be present at the review board’s meeting regarding the child;

4. If approved by the court, review the case of any juvenile adjudicated delinquent or in need of supervision. Such review shall include, but not be limited to, consideration and evaluation of:

a.the appropriateness of the placement,

b.the appropriateness of the services provided to the child and any family members or other adult living in the home of the child, and

c.the appropriateness of the goals and objectives of the treatment and service plan; and

5. Forward copies of the findings and recommendations of the review board to the court having jurisdiction of the case, the parent, legal guardian, attorney representing the child, custodian of the child, agency supervising the case or legal custodian of the child and to any other interested party as determined by the court. It shall be the duty of the court clerk to ensure that all documents filed pertaining to the case of an adjudicated child are properly noted and affixed in the file of the child prior to the commencement of the review process by the review board. The bailiff or bailiffs of the judges having juvenile docket responsibility within the district shall transmit the information necessary for the case reviews to the review board for that district.

B. The review board's report of its findings and recommendations shall be admitted into evidence in any dispositional hearing, and may be relied upon to the extent of its probative value, even though not competent for purposes of an adjudicatory hearing.

C. In addition to its reviewing function, a review board, as directed by the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth and in coordination with the district planning and coordination boards shall:

1. Promote and encourage all child placement agencies to maximize family stability and continuity for a child by discouraging unnecessary changes in placement and by recruiting persons to provide placement who may be suitable and willing to adopt;

2. Review the efforts of agencies and institutions to find permanent placement for eligible children and report to the court;

3. Encourage a meeting between the various responsible public and private agencies, institutions, and officers of the court in order to facilitate cooperation and coordination of efforts; and

4. Assess community resources, and develop, if not already available, a directory of responsible persons, agencies, and institutions.

D. A review board may solicit the attendance at its meetings of persons known to the board with information concerning the case of any child subject to its review. However, no employee of the Office of Juvenile Affairs shall be required to attend a review board meeting.

E. A review board shall report annually its findings, recommendations, and assessments of the effectiveness of sections of law pertaining to individual treatment plans, information to accompany deprived children placed outside the home, and dispositional orders and Sections 1116.2 through 1116.6 of this title to the Administrator of the Courts, the Supreme Court, to the court having jurisdiction of the case, to the State Postadjudication Review Advisory Board, and the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth and provide such other reports as deemed proper or that may be requested from time to time by the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, the Governor, the Legislature, or the Supreme Court.

F. It shall be the duty of the court having jurisdiction of the case to acknowledge the receipt of the recommendations of the review board and note to the review board the actions of the court regarding the recommendations submitted by the review board.

G. A review board member may attend any court hearing concerning the case of any child subject to review by the board.

Added by Laws 1981, c. 289, § 5, eff. Oct. 1, 1981. Amended by Laws 1983, c. 113, § 4, eff. Nov. 1, 1983; Laws 1989, c. 339, § 3, emerg. eff. June 2, 1989; Laws 1991, c. 296, § 21, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Laws 1992, c. 39, § 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1992; Laws 1993, c. 72, § 2, eff. July 1, 1993; Laws 1995, c. 352, § 195, eff. July 1, 1995; Laws 1996, c. 247, § 4, eff. July 1, 1996; Laws 1998, c. 416, § 6, eff. Nov. 1, 1998; Laws 1999, c. 396, § 6, emerg. eff. June 10, 1999; Laws 2002, c. 445, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 2002.