Date: 04/16/2010
Final
Introductory Comments and Welcome
COMMITTEE ON CHILD WELFARE
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01:06 PM -- Introductory Comments and Welcome
Senator Newell, chair, brought the committee to order and addressed the intention of the committee. She spoke about the Governor's Child Welfare Action Committee (CWAC). She stated that the committee would cover various aspects of the child protection system. She stated that at the hearing on the following Friday there would be a policy decision of next steps.
01:13 PM -- Karen Beye, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Human Services, introduced herself to the committee. She provided an overview of the child welfare system. She spoke to the state audit of the child welfare system. Ms. Beye stated that accountability has not been consistently applied in monitoring the child welfare system. She stated the department's goals are to increase transparency and accountability. Ms. Beye commented that the entire child welfare division has been restructured over the last three years. Ms. Beye described the Colorado Practice Initiative, which is a collaboration between the University of Texas, Center for Child Welfare and the University of Denver, Butler Institute for Families to establish the Mountains and Plains Child Welfare Implementation Center. She stated that by September, the department will have developed a practice model and established a phased-in implementation plan for the practice model.
01:22 PM
Ms. Beye stated that according to the most recent Colorado Family and Services Review (CFSR) report, Colorado's rate of child abuse fatality ranked below the average of all other states and that Colorado demonstrated the strongest performance in the placement of children in close proximity to their home. She said that Colorado ranked 100 percent in preventing repeat maltreatment of children. She provided other statistics to the committee regarding how the various counties are doing. She highlighted that one of the themes of the CWAC was that children should receive the same services, and provision of services should not be different depending on where the children reside. She stated that of the 42,000 open cases that the department manages, there are slightly over 12,000 children in out-of-home placement, slightly over 2,000 children in residential care, and over 1,000 children in adoptive care.
01:30 PM
Ms. Beye said that parents and primary caretakers are responsible for keeping children safe. She stated that the system is obligated to identify individuals and provide the necessary services. She indicated that Colorado will not eliminate child fatalities completely, and that no state has, but that the state of Colorado can seek out answers to pertinent questions and implement best practices. She spoke to a piece of legislation that will start a pilot program in five counties which will allow the county departments of human services to implement a differential response to alleged child abuse. She stated that this has been proven to have positive outcomes.
01:37 PM
Ms. Beye spoke about training standards for state child welfare system staff. She stated that there is no national standard for workload, as states vary on staff requirements. She indicated that there has not been a study conducted regarding workload in the state in over 20 years. She stressed that data and information gathering is important. She stated that three-quarters of the families involved in the child maltreatment study had been involved in some type of domestic violence situation. She indicated that this may be another piece of the child welfare puzzle. She suggested that peer support among counties can be helpful. She indicated that the department needed steady and reliable funding. She stated that beginning new programs involves risks because the department cannot necessarily depend upon future funding. She suggested that a two-year funding cycle could alleviate some of those concerns. She asked the committee to work through the process and that the expectations could be agreed upon. Ms. Beye thanked the members of the CWAC committee for their hard work.
01:44 PM
Representative Kefalas asked if Ms. Beye could speak to systemic changes that have been implemented to improve child protection services. Ms. Beye responded that the department has changed some of the risk assessment rules to focus on training and consistency. She described the new training academy which she believes will lead to improved outcomes. She stated that approximately 400 new staff will be trained in the academy.