Plotting a Path Together
Team Decision Making brings together parents, youth, family, community members and others to assess a situation and recommend the best placement options for a child.
In 2014, the Annie E. Casey Foundation partnered with the state of Oklahoma to introduce effective strategies — such as Team Decision Making and the “inside-outside” method — to recruit and retain more foster families while shutting down shelters and groups homes across the state.
This case study examines how Oklahoma’s approach to foster care has evolved, how the state plans to sustain these changes and what factors have fueled its success.
Then: Oklahoma had a reputation for placing children in overcrowded, understaffed emergency shelters. Its army of child welfare professionals was exhausted — burdened with an overwhelming backlog of caseloads and high turnover rates.
Now: The right strategies and partnerships have helped Oklahoma flip the script and emerge as a leader in foster home recruitment. Along the way, the state closed group homes and renewed trust between its large native population and welfare agencies.