OFR intends to enhance legal advocacy, preserve families, educate and engage our communities, and instill a collaborative culture.

Visit the OFR website:

OFR.org

The Oklahoma Office of Family Representation (OFR) is the state’s inaugural central office dedicated to ensuring all children and qualified parents, legal guardians, and Indian custodians receive attorneys prepared to deliver uniform and high-quality legal representation in deprived child actions brought by the state pursuant to Title 10A.

History of OFR

The taskforce on the Uniform Representation of Children and Parents in cases involving abuse and neglect was created by order of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma July 22, 2019. This 12 member task force has studied different models of representation to make a recommendation to the Supreme Court on the best representation model to help improve outcomes for children and families involved in the state child welfare system. An interim report was published in the August 2020 issue of the Oklahoma Bar Journal.

The annual report was presented to the Supreme Court in February 2021.

The 2022 Annual Report of the Oversight Committee

FAMILY REPRESENTATION AND ADVOCACY PROGRAM

In June 2023 legislation was passed forming the Family Representation and Advocacy Program. Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma was selected by the Administrative Office of the Courts to be the vendor to implement the program and build the Central Office of Family Representation (OFR). OFR is currently active in DHS Regions 2 and 5 in Oklahoma, with plans to expand throughout the state in 2025.

“Parents and children have a right to an attorney in Oklahoma child welfare court cases. Valuing our vulnerable families involved in child welfare cases means valuing their right to effective counsel. Improving family representation through improving parent and child representation, preserves Oklahoma Families.”

Gwendolyn Clegg, Executive Director of the Office of Family Representation