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Keeping Kids Safe: We Need To Update Colorado’s Child Abuse Reporting Law

Published: September 15, 2021 INTRODUCTION Olivia Gant was only 7 years old when she died. During her short life, it is alleged that her mother subjected her to five years of countless, unnecessary medical treatments and surgeries which…

Understanding Why Children Run from Residential Treatment Centers Will Help Us Ensure Their Safety

Youth in our state's residential treatment facilities are running away in record numbers. This is not news. Rather, it is a three-decades-old problem that is long overdue for a solution. In May 2021, The Colorado Sun and 9News did a three-part…

Strengthening Colorado’s Foster Youth Protection Laws

So often in the policy world we think we make more change for kids than we actually do. This is especially true for Colorado's foster youth. Well intentioned policy demands follow up and review to consider how various laws and policies impact…

Colorado judge’s censure confirms racial bias in our child protection system

Opinion piece published in the Colorado Sun, May 25, 2021 For the past year, parents and family members complained that a judge in Arapahoe County was biased against them because they were Black. I know this because they complained to my…

Check on the Children: A Message from Children’s Ombudsman in the Time of COVID-19

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. In the time of stay-home orders and closed schools, children are walking a tightrope without a safety net. They are more at risk than ever before for abuse and neglect. The network of public services like schools, after school programs, and health care providers that weaves together a safety net for children is significantly altered, leaving children out of view and potentially in distress. Public sector ombudsman professionals around the country now call upon communities, neighbors, delivery persons and anyone with the opportunity, to check-in on children.

Avoiding the gulf: How “social distancing” has the potential to separate families more than six feet

As the United States and other countries around the world race to delay the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Coloradans, like millions of others around the globe, have been required to engage in a relatively new practice called “social distancing.” One must look no further than social media — where the hashtag, #StayAtHome, has been featured in millions of Facebook posts, tweets and Instagram messages. Everywhere we look there are reminders – even pleas – to stay home, stop the spread of COVID-19 and stay healthy. In a matter of weeks, our culture has shifted. We’ve acknowledged that separating from others – family, friends, support networks – is no longer a courtesy, but rather a life or death decision. We’ve been asked to make “social distancing” a part of our lives.

An Open Letter to Child Protection and Human Services Staff Everywhere

Thank you for coming to work today. Like many of us, you woke up this week and saw a tragedy unfolding. The world as we know it altered – off course – leaving thousands of people without basic food, shelter, and health care. Like many of us you were scared. But you showed up anyway to care for Colorado’s children and families during this time of crisis. You don’t know me, but you may have heard of my office. Every day the Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman bears witness to your work.

Blind Spots: Information Gaps Prevent Effective Child Protection

By Stephanie Villafuerte In Colorado, there are no laws requiring the more than 200 municipalities in the state to share arrest or conviction records. What this means for children is that a police officer in Southern Colorado, who is determining…

Protecting Our Children Means Protecting our Social Workers

By Stephanie Villafuerte In February, the Chicago Tribune published a letter to the editor entitled, “Death of state welfare worker reminds us to thank those who risk their lives for children,” (February 12, 2018). The letter described…

Child Abuse On Planes is not a Grey Area

By Stephanie Villafuerte Printed in the Denver Post: December 31, 2017 The Denver Post recently published a shortened version of an Associate Press article about a mother from Lakewood, Colorado, who was indicted by a federal grand jury…