Oklahoma commission adopts new rules for freestanding multidisciplinary child-abuse teams amid privacy and authority concerns

The Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth voted to adopt changes to the rules that govern freestanding multidisciplinary child-abuse teams, approving new language to standardize annual reviews, add site visits and authorize a secured database of case-level information.

Staff presented the rules as a package intended to strengthen oversight and data collection for MDTs while protecting confidential information. "The proposed rules provide procedures for annual reviews and site visits, of the freestanding teams," said Marsha Johnson, OCCY staff, summarizing the rulemaking process and the public comment period. The draft also adds peer reviews — trained MDT coordinators reviewing other teams — to reduce the burden on a single staff reviewer.

Supporters said the changes will let OCCY move away from paperwork-based oversight and improve the agency’s ability to verify counts and run quality checks. Johnson told the commission the database will include…