§ 19-3.3-101 — Legislative declaration

Colorado § 19-3.3-101

• Jurisdiction: Colorado
• Title 19: Children's
• Art.: Office of the Child Protection Ombudsman

Text

(1) The general assembly finds and
declares that:

(a) Child abuse and neglect is a serious and reprehensible problem in society;

(b) The protection of children from abuse and neglect by applying prevention
measures and observing best practices in treating children who are abused and
neglected must be one of Colorado's highest public policy priorities;

(c) The child protection system must protect and serve Colorado's children in
a manner that keeps them safe and healthy and promotes their well-being;

(d) The children and families served by the child protection system, as well
as the public, must have a high level of confidence that the system will act in a
child's best interests and will respond to the child's needs in a timely and
professional manner;

(e) To engender this high level of confidence in the child protection system,
it is important that children and families who become involved in the system,
mandatory reporters, and the general public have a well-publicized, easily
accessible, and transparent grievance process for voicing concerns regarding the
child protection system along with the expectation that those concerns, once
voiced, will be heard and addressed in a timely and appropriate manner; and

(f) To improve child protection outcomes and to foster best practices, there
must be effective accountability mechanisms, including the review and evaluation
of concerns voiced by children and families, mandatory reporters, persons involved
in the child protection system, and members of the general public, that provide
policymakers with the information necessary to formulate systemic changes, where
appropriate.

(2) The general assembly further finds and declares that the establishment
of the office of the child protection ombudsman will:

(a) Improve accountability and transparency in the child protection system
and promote better outcomes for children and families involved in the child
protection system; and

(b) Allow families, concerned citizens, mandatory reporters, employees of
the state department and county departments, and other professionals who work
with children and families to voice their concerns, without fear of reprisal, about the
response by the child protection system to children experiencing, or at risk of
experiencing, child maltreatment.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2010: Entire article added, (SB 10-171), ch. 225, p. 974, � 1, effective May 14. L. 2015: IP(2) amended, (SB 15-204), ch. 264, p. 1031, � 14, effective June 2.