Press Release - Child Welfare Action Committee Created
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2008
CONTACT
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370, evan.dreyer@state.co.us
GOV. RITTER CREATES CHILD WELFARE ACTION GROUP
Click Here for information about the Letter of Intent Announcement for this Committee
Gov. Bill Ritter today issued an executive order creating a Child Welfare Action Committee to begin making immediate improvements to Colorado's child-protection system. The move follows a comprehensive review by the Colorado Department of Human Services into 13 recent child deaths.
"One child's death is one too many," Gov. Ritter said. "The fact that we are talking about 13 deaths is outrageous. We as a statewide community should be outraged. We should be outraged that we aren't providing adequate training to our front-line caseworkers.
"We should be angry that our data-entry and computer tracking systems have huge gaps. We should be angry about missed warning signs, and we should be angry that years of audits and studies have not done more to help keep children alive."
"This is a new day," Gov. Ritter added. "It's a day when we commit to taking a hard look at all of our systems, and if necessary, making hard changes. When it comes to our children, our most vulnerable citizens, the status quo is no longer working."
The 25-member action committee will be composed of statewide stakeholders and will deliver an interim report to Gov. Ritter by Oct. 31, 2008 and final recommendations for improving the system by Dec. 31, 2009.
The action committee will:
Funding for the action committee's work will come in part from legislation that will be sponsored by state Rep. Debbie Stafford. The legislation calls for $350,000 in one-time funds this year, and a continuing appropriation of $200,000 the following year.
An additional $400,000 in gifts, grants and donations will be sought from private nonprofits such as the Colorado Children's Campaign, Kempe Center and Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center. The funds will assist the committee's work, including research on nationwide best practices.
Gov. Ritter today also announced that the Department of Human Service is immediately expanding training for county caseworkers so they can make better-informed legal and safety assessments when investigating possible abuse and neglect cases.
In addition, Gov. Ritter has requested $475,000 from the legislature to hire six new child-welfare workers to improve oversight and monitoring of county foster-care programs, kinship-care programs and data-entry.
Currently, only one state employee is dedicated to monitoring and providing foster care or kinship care oversight for all 64 Colorado counties.
The Executive Order follows: (click here to view the PDF version )
B 006 08
EXECUTIVE ORDER
Creating the Governor's Child Welfare Action Committee
Pursuant to the authority vested in the Office of the Governor of the State of Colorado, I, Bill Ritter, Jr., Governor of the State of Colorado, hereby issue this Executive Order creating the Governor's Child Welfare Action Committee ("Committee").
I. Background and Purpose
The protection of children from abuse and neglect must be one of Colorado's highest public policy priorities. It is our responsibility to assure that Colorado's youngest citizens have the opportunity to be safe and nurtured and to achieve their full potential. If even one child dies due to neglect or abuse it is one too many. We must commit ourselves to continually improving our child welfare system to assuring that efforts are made to better assess and serve this at risk population of children and their families.
To put our care of vulnerable children in context, it is important to look at the numbers of families that are currently involved in the child welfare system:
A spike in the number of child fatalities statewide led to the Colorado Department of Human Services' recent review of child fatalities due to child abuse or neglect. This review identified several ways in which Colorado's child welfare system can be improved. My administration is taking steps to immediately implement many of these necessary improvements. This review also identified issues that will involve longer term planning and solutions.
The protection of children in Colorado is the responsibility of many parties including parents, relatives, neighbors, foster parents, schools, law enforcement, courts, providers, guardians ad litem, and many other organizations within each of Colorado's communities. In Colorado we have a public social service system that is "state supervised and county administered." This means that both the state and county departments of human services provide vital services to children and families in need. The county departments directly provide the services that aid children and families everyday. The State department provides the supervision and oversight to the counties as they administer the child welfare programs. This dual system creates challenges in assuring that there is consistency across counties in decision making, supervision, and training in human service offices. It is this same system, however, that allows each individual county to specifically tailor assistance to meet the needs of their community.
It is urgent that we examine the State's child welfare system so that we can better protect children from abuse and neglect. We also need to enhance the public confidence in the child welfare system. The system must be more transparent in order to provide assurance to the public that when they have concerns about a child's well being and they report these concerns to authorities that the situation will be responded to in a timely manner by highly trained professionals.
II. Mission and Scope
The mission of the Governor's Child Welfare Action Committee shall be to provide recommendations to the Governor on how to improve the Colorado Child Welfare System. The Committee must be guided by data and must rely upon evidence of best practices when available. The ultimate goal will be to reduce the neglect, injury, and fatality rates for Colorado's children. I am establishing this Committee for eighteen months. It is expected that the committee will make policy, budgetary, and legislative recommendations.
The Committee's work shall include, but not be limited to:
III. Membership
The Committee shall be composed, as follows:
IV. Directives
The Governor's Child Welfare Action Committee is hereby created. The Committee shall prepare and submit to the Governor an interim and a final report. The interim report shall be submitted by October 31, 2008, and a final report shall be submitted by December 31, 2009. In its interim report, the Committee shall report on its progress and, to the extent that any recommendations are finalized, make its recommendations regarding any policy changes, including but not limited to recommendations for legislative changes. In its final report, the Committee shall make its final recommendations regarding any policy changes, including but not limited to recommendations for legislative changes. The Committee shall make every effort to reach consensus on its interim and final reports. Recommendations contained in the Committee's reports shall only be adopted upon a two-thirds vote of the Committee members.
V. Staffing and Resources
The Committee shall have the power to accept money and in-kind contributions from public and private entities, but only to the extent such donations are necessary to cover its expenses. These donated funds may be used for the purpose of providing administrative support for the Committee, which may include retaining a consultant to assist with the Committee's work, as well as paying for the Committee's actual expenses. Any money contributed to the Committee shall be directed to the Office of the Governor and deposited with the Treasurer of the State of Colorado in an account within the Office of the Governor's budget. Members of the Committee shall serve without compensation, but may, at the discretion of the co-chairs and upon the approval of the Office of the Governor, be reimbursed for any actual expenses incurred.
VI. Duration
This Executive Order shall remain in force until December 31, 2009, at which time the Committee shall be dissolved.
GIVEN under my hand and the
Executive Seal of the State of
Colorado this sixteenth day of
April, 2008.
Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor