OKPOLICY.ORG
On September 22, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) will host Mr. Brandon Crawford, MA and Dr. Zohre Salehezadeh, Ph.D. for their lecture “Children in DHS Care: What the Future Holds for Them” as part of the Policy & Practice lecture series.
Every year, hundreds of children are removed from home and placed into DHS care. Many of them are reunified or adopted after a few months, but some of the children stay in DHS care for many years, and, upon turning 18, leave the system and are lunged into the “real world” with little or no experience. Using data from various agencies across the state, researchers from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Office of Planning, Research and Statistics, Road to Independence project will share findings regarding the outcomes of these children who came into Oklahoma’s child welfare system, in addition to risk factors for negative outcomes such as homelessness and criminal justice involvement, using various statistical analyses.
Brandon Crawford, M.A., has a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, and a Master of Arts in sociology from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in sociology with a focus in criminology and quantitative methods at the University of Oklahoma. He is an OK Policy Research Fellow and previously wrote for the OK Policy Blog about risks for young Oklahomans aging out of foster care.
Zohre Salehezadeh, Ph.D., is a Research Manager at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS). She joined DHS in Sept. 2001 and has worked on many research projects related to human services, including managing the project evaluation of over ten major federally funded grants. Her research, focusing on economic and social policy analysis, has appeared in economic journals such as the Journal of Policy Modeling and the Oklahoma Business Bulletin.
This free lecture will take place Tuesday, Sep. 22nd from noon to 1pm at the Oklahoma History Center (800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr, Oklahoma City, OK 73105). Click here to register. DHS attendees will receive 20% off purchases at the Winnie Mae Cafe. Please arrive early or call in your order at (405) 522-2321 if you plan to purchase lunch. For more information, contact the OKDHS Office of Planning, Research and Statistics at 405-521-3552.
