Okla. Stat. tit. 10A, § 10A-1-4-707

A. The following kinds of dispositional orders may be made and

shall be in accordance with the best interests of the child:

1. a. The court may place the child under protective

supervision by the Department of Human Services in the

home of the child with the parent or legal guardian

with whom the child was residing at the time the

events or conditions arose that brought the child

within the jurisdiction of the court, subject to such

conditions as the court may prescribe that would

reasonably prevent the child from continuing to be

deprived.

b. The court may place the child with the noncustodial

parent, if available, upon completion of a home

assessment, unless the court finds that the placement

would not be in the best interests of the child. Any

party with knowledge of the facts may present evidence

to the court regarding whether the placement is in the

best interests of the child. If the court places the

child with the parent, it may do either of the

following:

(1) order that the noncustodial parent assume sole

custodial responsibilities for the child. The

court may also order reasonable visitation and

the payment of child support by the child's other

parent. The court may then terminate its

jurisdiction by entering a final permanency

order. The final order entered determining

custody, visitation and child support from the

deprived action:

(a) shall remain in full force and effect and

shall control over any custody or child

support order entered in an administrative

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 10A. Children and Juvenile Code Page 119

or district court action initiated prior to

or during the pendency of the deprived

action until such time as it is modified by

a subsequent order of the district court,

and

(b) may be docketed and filed in the prior

existing or pending administrative or

district court action; provided, however, if

there is no administrative or district court

action then in existence, the surviving

order may be used as the sole basis for

opening a new administrative or district

court action in the same county where the

deprived action was pending or in the county

where the legal custodian of the child

resides. When applicable, the clerk of the

juvenile court shall transmit the surviving

order to the clerk of the district court of

the county where the order is to be filed

along with the names and last-known

addresses of the parents of the child. The

clerk of the district court shall

immediately upon receipt open a file without

a filing fee, assign a new case number and,

when applicable, file the order and send by

first-class mail a copy of the order with

the new or prior existing case number back

to the juvenile court and to the parents of

the child at their last-known address. The

order shall not be confidential and may be

enforced or modified after being docketed

and filed in the prior existing or new

administrative or district court action, or

(2) order that the noncustodial parent assume custody

of the child under protective supervision by the

Department. The court may order that:

(a) reunification services be provided to the

parent or legal guardian from whom the child

has been or is being removed,

(b) services be provided solely to the parent

who is assuming physical custody of the

child in order to allow that parent to later

obtain legal custody without court

supervision, or
of the child under protective supervision by the

Department. The court may order that:

(a) reunification services be provided to the

parent or legal guardian from whom the child

has been or is being removed,

(b) services be provided solely to the parent

who is assuming physical custody of the

child in order to allow that parent to later

obtain legal custody without court

supervision, or

(c) services be provided to both parents, in

which case the court shall determine, at a

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subsequent review hearing, which parent, if

either, shall have custody of the child.

c. If the court orders the child into the home of a

father whose paternity has not been established, the

alleged father must cooperate in establishing

paternity as a condition for the child's continued

placement in the alleged father's home.

d. If the court issues an order for protective

supervision of the child in the home of a parent, the

court may order any of the following:

(1) that a party or other person living in the home

vacate the child's home indefinitely or for a

specified period of time within forty-eight (48)

hours of issuing the order, and

(2) that a party, a parent, or a legal guardian of

the child prevent a particular person from having

contact with the child.

e. At any time during the deprived child proceedings, the

court may issue an order specifying the conduct to be

followed by any person living in the home that the

court determines would be in the best interests of the

child. The conduct specified shall be such as would

reasonably prevent the child from continuing to be

deprived.

f. The order placing the child under supervision by the

Department in the child's own home shall remain in

effect for a period of one (1) year. In appropriate

circumstances, the court may extend or reduce the

period of supervision by the Department.

2. a. If the court is unable to place the child in the home

of a parent, the court shall give a preference for

placing temporary custody of the child with a relative

as specified in Section 1-4-204 of this title, subject

to the best interests of the child and the conditions

and restrictions specified in Section 1-4-705 of this

title. In determining whether to place temporary

custody of the child with a relative, the court may

consider the following factors:

(1) the physical, psychological, educational,

medical, and emotional needs of the child,

(2) the wishes of the parent, the relative, and

child, if appropriate,

(3) whether placement of the siblings and half-

siblings can be made in the same home, if that

placement is found to be in the best interest of

each child,

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(4) the background information of the relative and

any other person living in the home, including

whether any such person has a prior history of

violence, acts of child abuse or neglect, or any

other background that would render the home

unsuitable,

(5) the nature and duration of the relationship

between the child and the relative, and the

relative's desire to care for and to provide

long-term permanency for the child if

reunification is unsuccessful, and

(6) the ability of the relative to do the following:

(a) provide a safe, secure, and stable

environment for the child,

(b) exercise proper and effective care and

control of the child,

(c) provide a home and the necessities of life

for the child,

(d) protect the child from his or her parents,

(e) facilitate court-ordered reunification

efforts with the parent,

(f) facilitate visitation with the child's

siblings and other relatives, and
ing:

(a) provide a safe, secure, and stable

environment for the child,

(b) exercise proper and effective care and

control of the child,

(c) provide a home and the necessities of life

for the child,

(d) protect the child from his or her parents,

(e) facilitate court-ordered reunification

efforts with the parent,

(f) facilitate visitation with the child's

siblings and other relatives, and

(g) arrange for appropriate and safe child care,

if necessary.

b. If more than one appropriate relative requests

preferential consideration pursuant to this section,

each relative shall be evaluated under the factors

enumerated in this paragraph. However, whenever a new

temporary custody order regarding the child must be

entered, consideration shall again be given as

described in this section to relatives who have been

found to be suitable and who will fulfill the

permanency needs of the child.

c. If the court does not place temporary custody of the

child with a relative pursuant to this subsection, the

court shall state for the record the reasons placement

with that relative was denied.

3. a. The court may place the child in the custody of a

private institution or agency, including any

institution established and operated by the county,

authorized to care for children or to place them in

family homes.

b. In placing a child in a private institution or agency,

the court shall select one that is licensed by the

Department or any other state department supervising

or licensing private institutions and agencies; or, if

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such institution or agency is in another state, by the

analogous department of that state.

c. Whenever the court shall place a child in any

institution or agency, it shall transmit with the

order of commitment a summary of its information

concerning the child, and such institution or agency

shall give to the court such information concerning

the child as the court may at any time require.

4. The court may place the child in the custody of the

Department.

a. In selecting a placement for a child in its custody,

the Department shall make an individualized

determination based upon the child's best interests

and permanency plan regarding the following placement

options:

(1) a home or facility that meets the preferences

specified by the state and federal Indian Child

Welfare Acts when applicable,

(2) the home of a noncustodial parent,

(3) the home of a relative approved by the

Department,

(4) the home of a nonrelative kinship family approved

by the Department,

(5) an approved foster home in which the child has

been previously placed,

(6) a suitable nonkinship foster family or family-

style living program approved by the Department,

(7) a suitable licensed group home for children, or

(8) an independent living program.

b. (1) Unless the child is placed with relatives or in

accord with the federal and state Indian Child

Welfare Acts, the child shall be placed, when

possible, in the county of residence of the

child's parent or legal guardian in order to

facilitate reunification of the family.

(2) If an appropriate placement is not available in

the county of residence of the parent or legal

guardian, the child shall be placed in an

appropriate home in the nearest proximity to the

resident county of the parent or legal guardian.
ld shall be placed, when

possible, in the county of residence of the

child's parent or legal guardian in order to

facilitate reunification of the family.

(2) If an appropriate placement is not available in

the county of residence of the parent or legal

guardian, the child shall be placed in an

appropriate home in the nearest proximity to the

resident county of the parent or legal guardian.

(3) Nothing in this section shall be construed to

mean that the child's placements shall correspond

in frequency to changes of residence by the

parent or legal guardian. In determining whether

the child should be moved, the Department shall

take into consideration the potential harmful

effects of disrupting the placement of the child

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and the reason of the parent or legal guardian

for the move.

c. If the child is part of a sibling group, it shall be

presumed that placement of the entire sibling group in

the same placement is in the best interests of the

child and siblings unless the presumption is rebutted

by a preponderance of the evidence to the contrary.

5. The court may order the Department to coordinate the

provision of services provided by other agencies in order that the

court-approved permanency plan may be achieved.

6. a. If the court determines that reunification services

are appropriate for the child and a parent, the court

shall allow reasonable visitation with the parent or

legal guardian from whose custody the child was

removed, unless visitation is not in the best interest

of the child, taking into consideration:

(1) protection of the physical safety of the child,

(2) protection of the life of the child,

(3) protection of the child from being traumatized by

contact with the parent, and

(4) the child's expressed wishes.

b. A court may not deny visitation based solely on the

failure of a parent to prove that the parent has not

used legal or illegal substances or complied with an

aspect of the court-ordered individualized service

plan.

7. The court may order a permanent guardianship to be

established as more fully set forth in Section 1-4-709 of this

title.

8. Except as otherwise provided by law, the court may dismiss

the petition and terminate its jurisdiction at any time for good

cause shown when doing so is in the best interests of the child.

B. Any order entered pursuant to this section shall include:

1. A statement informing the child's parent that the

consequences of noncompliance with the requirement of the court may

include termination of the parent's rights with respect to the

child; or

2. A statement informing the child's legal guardian or

custodian that the consequences of noncompliance with the

requirement of the court may include removal of the child from the

custody of the legal guardian or custodian.

C. 1. In any dispositional order removing a child from the

home of the child, the court shall make a determination as to

whether, in accordance with the best interests and the health,

safety, or welfare of the child, reasonable efforts have been made

to provide for the safe return of the child to the child's own home.

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2. If reasonable efforts are required for the safe return of

the child to the child's home, the court shall allow the parent of

the child not less than three (3) months to correct the conditions

which led to the adjudication of the child as a deprived child;

however, the time period for reunification services may not exceed

seventeen (17) months from the date that the child was initially

removed from the child's home, absent a finding of compelling

reasons to the contrary.

3. If the court finds that continuation of reasonable efforts

to return the child home are inconsistent with the permanency plan

for a child, the court shall determine whether reasonable efforts
eriod for reunification services may not exceed

seventeen (17) months from the date that the child was initially

removed from the child's home, absent a finding of compelling

reasons to the contrary.

3. If the court finds that continuation of reasonable efforts

to return the child home are inconsistent with the permanency plan

for a child, the court shall determine whether reasonable efforts

have been made to complete the steps necessary to finalize the

permanent placement of the child.

4. Reasonable efforts to reunite the child with the child's

family shall not be required pursuant to the provisions of Section

1-4-809 of this title.

D. In any dispositional order involving a child sixteen (16)

years of age or older, the court shall make a determination, where

appropriate, of the services needed to assist the child to make the

transition from out-of-home care to independent living.

E. In accordance with the safety or well-being of any child,

the court shall determine in any dispositional order whether

reasonable efforts have been made to:

1. Place siblings, who have been removed, together in the same

foster care, guardianship, or adoptive placement; and

2. Provide for frequent visitation or other ongoing interaction

in the case of siblings who have been removed and who are not placed

together.