Reasonable Efforts to Preserve or Reunify Families and Achieve Permanency for Children - Oklahoma

What Are Reasonable Efforts

Citation: Ann. Stat. Tit. 10A, § 1-4-808

The court shall determine whether the nature and extent of services being provided to the child and the child's parent(s) are adequate to ensure the safety of the child and to protect the child from further physical, mental, or emotional harm or to correct the conditions that led to the adjudication.

When Reasonable Efforts Are Required

Citation: Ann. Stat. Tit. 10A, §§ 1-1-102; 1-4-807

Reasonable efforts are required to do the following:

• To prevent the removal of the child from the child's home
• To provide for the safe return of the child to the child's own home
• To place the child in a timely manner in accordance with the permanency plan when the court has determined that reasonable efforts to reunite the child with his or her family are not required
• To place siblings, when they have been removed from home, together in the same foster care, guardianship, or adoptive placement
• To provide for frequent visitation or other ongoing interaction in the case of siblings who have been removed and who are not placed together

When Reasonable Efforts Are NOT Required

Citation: Ann. Stat. Tit. 10A, § 1-4-809

Reasonable efforts are not required if the court finds, based upon a preponderance of the evidence, that any of the following apply:

• The parent or legal guardian of the child who is an infant age 12 months or younger has abandoned the child.
• The parent or legal guardian of the child has done any of the following:
  • Committed murder or manslaughter of any child
  • Aided or abetted, attempted, conspired, or solicited to commit the murder or manslaughter of any child
  • Committed a felony assault upon any child that resulted in serious bodily injury
  • Subjected any child to aggravated circumstances, including, but not limited to, heinous and shocking abuse or neglect
• The parental rights of a parent to the child's sibling have been terminated involuntarily.
• The parent has been found by a court of competent jurisdiction to have committed sexual abuse against the child or another child of the parent.
• The parent is required to register with a sex offender registry pursuant to § 113(a) of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. § 16913).