A. There is hereby created the Office of Juvenile Affairs which shall be responsible for programs and services for youthful offenders and juveniles alleged or adjudicated to be delinquent or in need of supervision. The Executive Director shall be responsible for established divisions and appointing Division Directors within the Office of Juvenile Affairs.

B. Suitable office space shall be provided by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to the Office of Juvenile Affairs, to the extent necessary for the Office to implement its jurisdictional duties provided by the Oklahoma Juvenile Code, and the Office may incur necessary expenses for office rent.

C. Effective July 1, 1995, the Office of Juvenile Affairs shall be a Merit System agency and all employees of the Office of Juvenile Affairs shall be classified employees who are subject to the Oklahoma Personnel Act¹ and the Merit System of Personnel Administration, except as otherwise provided by law. Eligible persons employed as teachers by the Office of Juvenile Affairs shall be entitled to paid maternity leave as provided for in Section 1 of this act.² Effective June 1, 2020, employees hired for service at the Southwest Oklahoma Juvenile Center in Manitou shall be considered unclassified and employed in a term-limited appointment. If state services continue at the facility after the designated term, the employee may be transferred into a non-term-limited position. Current employees and employees hired prior to June 1, 2020, shall not be subject to this provision.

D. Effective July 1, 1995, within its jurisdictional areas of responsibility, the Office of Juvenile Affairs, acting through the Executive Director, or persons authorized by law, rule or designated by the Executive Director to perform such acts, shall have the power and duty to:

E. The Office of Juvenile Affairs shall maintain a fair, simple and expeditious system for resolution of grievances of all persons committed to the Office of Juvenile Affairs regarding the substance or application of any written or unwritten policy, rule of the Board of Juvenile Affairs or of an agent or contractor of the Office of Juvenile Affairs or any decision, behavior or action by an employee, agent or contractor or by any other person committed to the Office of Juvenile Affairs.

F. Effective November 1, 2012, the Office of Juvenile Affairs shall establish a system of certification in accordance with the Oklahoma Child Care Facilities Licensing Act⁴ for the shelters managed and operated by the Department of Human Services pursuant to the requirements of Section 1-9-111 of this title. The Office of Juvenile Affairs shall certify shelters pursuant to the requirements of existing rules as established by the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth until such time the Office of Juvenile Affairs has promulgated rules for the certification of shelters.