September 23, 2009

Colorado Child Welfare Organizational Structure and Capacity Analysis Project

This report, written by Policy Studies Inc. and American Humane, presents the results of the Colorado Child Welfare Organizational Structure and Capacity Analysis, conducted under contract with the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS). On April 16, 2008, Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. issued an Executive Order creating the Governor's Child Welfare Action Committee (Action Committee). The charge of the Executive Order was to provide recommendations to improve Colorado's child welfare system. The analysis in this report was conducted by Policy Studies, Inc. (PSI) and American Humane to determine the efficacy of child welfare services provided to children and families and to evaluate and provide recommendations related to the service delivery structure, staffing, policy, and service delivery processes. This report is intended to inform the Action Committee's final set of recommendations regarding the administrative structure that Colorado should adopt to support child welfare system reform. The issues addressed in this report include: the efficacy of Colorado's current state-supervised, county-administered child welfare system in protecting children, the validity of enhancing and re-organizing the existing child welfare service delivery structure in Colorado to improve performance and outcomes, the appropriate role of the state in child welfare service delivery, mechanisms to ensure accountability for timely identification of threats to child safety, and for measurable client outcomes throughout the child welfare system.