State Dept. Of Health Restores Child Abuse Prevention Funding

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) announced Monday it will restore millions of dollars’ worth of funding for the Office of Child Abuse Prevention for fiscal year 2019.

Funding had been cut by former agency leadership when there was uncertainty surrounding the department’s fiscal year 2018 budget.

“The Department of Health has a gambit of child abuse prevention work it does through nurse-family partnerships for expectant mothers, but this is for newborns up through toddlers, for kids that may be at risk for some in-home visits, in-home supports that those parents can access,” said Interim Commissioner Tom Bates. “Our goal is to prevent child abuse and keep kids out of child welfare custody.”

The department is also preparing its new, five-year plan for child abuse prevention.

Experts are working with the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness to ask for input from parents and stakeholders.  Learn more about upcoming events here.