Colorado's coordination efforts

In 2004, the Colorado Legislature passed House Bill 1451 (Cross System Reform), which provides for a local-level interagency memoranda of understanding to coordinate services. The statute encourages agency providers of social services, including the local judicial districts, health departments, school districts, and community mental health services, to collaborate with key stakeholders in the private and nonprofit sectors, including child welfare advocacy organizations. A memorandum of understanding must identify available services and funding sources; a defined population; an oversight group to review the adequacy of services provided; an established collaborative management process; authorization to create individual service and support teams; authorization to contribute resources and funding; reinvestment of moneys saved into child maltreatment preventive programming; performance-based measures of impact; and confidentiality compliance. These collaboratives work at the community level to respond to social services needs and have funded projects in the arenas of substance abuse, education, and mental health.  Read more.

The Fostering Connections Resource Center gratefully acknowledges the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators for providing these summaries of state approaches. Please visit NAPCWA for the complete implementation summary.