SAGUACHE — Colorado counties are weighing in with the state to keep their Social Services departments independent of state control following the passage of Colorado Senate Bill 10-171 last month.

The legislation establishes a new independent investigative panel headed by a child protection ombudsman, independent of the Dept. of Social Services (DSS), to impartially review cases and address community concerns.

In December, Colorado failed a federal test measuring child protection standards for the second time since 2002. In the past three years, there have been 35 deaths, several of them highly publicized, within the jurisdiction of DSS. Since 2002, 179 have died statewide while in the care of the system.

Colorado is one of 11 states in the nation where individual counties and not the state oversee the handling of abuse and neglect cases. An article written for the Denver Post by Electa Draper in December quotes an advisor to the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center who said placing county DSS departments under state control would save the state some $30 million a year.  

According to Colorado Dept. of Human Services documents, a separate child advocate’s office as later provided for in the legislation would, among other things:

• Enhance the accountability and transparency of the child welfare system in Colorado

• Enhance the safety and well being of children

• Provide a voice for system change and resources

• Review complaints, conduct inquires and make recommendations to the various departments

Currently all reviews of contested cases and internal investigations are handled in-house by DSS at either the county or state level. One woman, whose daughter died as the result of DSS placement of her children with her ex-husband, likened this self-policing to placing Bill Clinton in charge of teaching a sexual abstinence class, (Colorado Independent, “Suffer the Children,” by Kathryn Eastburn.)



Saguache County opposes

State control

Saguache County Commissioner Sam Pace attended a Colorado Counties Inc. meeting with Health and Human Services in Denver June 18. Following the Denver meeting, he reported on the outcome at the July 6 Saguache BOCC session. 

Pace told fellow commissioners he had received an e-mail from Colorado Counties Inc., representing counties statewide, that provided a template resolution protesting the state’s control of DSS. Pace then moved to approve the template resolution supporting local control of Human Services departments in the State of Colorado. Commissioner Linda Joseph seconded the motion. The vote was three ayes.

 At the July 13 meeting, Pace commented on the decision at the July 6 meeting, stating, “All counties are being asked to do this because the state folks want to take over at the state level,” he said, with CCI organizing counties to fight the takeover.

The Denver Post article by Draper noted that many county leaders protest state takeover based on their belief that county caseworkers best know how to deal with the residents in their respective areas. The Child Welfare Action Committee, created by Gov. Bill Ritter in 2008 made 29 recommendations for reform in 2009.

Two of these recommendations — state control of all DSS departments and a statewide call-in system for abuse — are still under consideration. Some opposed to the state takeover object that the change would amount to a centralization of government to the detriment of county autonomy.