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I_CCWSISC_2023A 07/18/2023 09:01:56 AM Committee Summary

PUBLIC
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING
INTERIM COMMITTEE  COLORADO'S CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM INTERIM STUDY COMMITTEE
Date 07/18/2023
Attendance
Bradley X
Duran X
Evans X
Joseph X
Kolker X
Michaelson Jenet X
Pelton B. X
Pugliese *
Zenzinger X
Fields X
Young X
Time 09:01:56 AM to 06:06:03 PM
Place Old State Library
This Meeting was called to order by Young
This Report was prepared by Amanda King
Hearing Items Action Taken
Overview of Recent Child Welfare Legislation Committee Discussion Only
Presentation from Parents Organizations Committee Discussion Only
Presentation from Foster and Kin Care Organizations Committee Discussion Only
Presentation from Residential Providers Committee Discussion Only
Presentation from Hospitals on Child Welfare Issues Committee Discussion Only
Presentation from the Delivery of Child Welfare Services Task Force Committee Discussion Only
Presentation from the Colorado Child Welfare Abuse Prevention Board Committee Discussion Only
Presentation from the Child Fatality Review Team and State Child Fatality Prevention Review Team Committee Discussion Only
Presentation from the Mandatory Reporter Task Force and Timothy Montoya Task Force Committee Discussion Only
Biological Parents with Lived Experience Panel Committee Discussion Only
Foster Parents and Kinship Care Providers with Lived Experience Panel Committee Discussion Only
Youth with Lived Experience Panel Committee Discussion Only
Public Testimony Committee Discussion Only

09:02:42 AM
Representative Young,
Chair, reviewed the meeting agenda (Attachment A).  Amanda King, Legislative
Council Staff, stated that the final committee meeting is set for October
25.  She alerted the committee to a memo on existing child welfare
task forces and other entities created in state law (Attachment B).



Overview of Recent Child Welfare Legislation - Committee Discussion Only

09:04:53 AM  
Jane Ritter and Alana
Rosen, Office of Legislative Legal Services, presented on recent child
welfare legislation.  They provided a memo on the legislation to the
committee (Attachment C).  Ms. Ritter reviewed several pieces of legislation
discussed in the memorandum.  She hightlighted the following bills
related to foster care youth, House Bill 21-1094, House Bill 22-1374, and
Senate Bill 23-082.
09:10:57 AM  
Ms. Rosen discussed
legislation discussed House Bill 22-1038, concerning client-directed legal
representation for youth.  She reviewed information on bills focused
on domestic violence, including House Bill 21-1228 and House Bill 23-1178.
 Ms. Rosen discussed Senate Bill 21-201, concerning stricter enforcement
for child care facilities.
09:15:44 AM  
Ms. Ritter discussed
bills related to sheltering of youth, including House Bill 22-1056 and
House Bill 22-1283.  Ms. Rosen discussed House Bill 22-1240, concerning
enhancing mandatory reporting for people required to report child abuse.
 Ms. Ritter continued her presentation by discussing bills related
to kinship care including, House Bill 23-1024 and House Bill 23-1043.
09:24:17 AM  
Ms. Rosen discussed Senate Bill 23-039, concerning measures to reduce family separation caused by a parent's detention.
09:26:15 AM  
Committee members made comments regarding the presentation. The panelists responded to questions from the committee.



Presentation from Parents Organizations - Committee Discussion Only

09:30:38 AM  
Katie Rubano and
Carolyn MacCloud, National Parents Organization - Colorado, presented to
the committee.  Their presentation was distributed to the committee
 (Attachment D).  Ms. Rubano reviewed information about a recent
survey on shared parenting.  She highlighted data from Kentucky about
family court and domestic violence filings.  
09:37:07 AM  
Ms. MacCloud presented
to the committee on the power and control wheel and parent alienation.
 She discussed the Child Fatality Review Board recommendations related
to parental alienation.  She referenced the legislative suggestions
included in the presentation slides.
09:43:21 AM  
Michael Ramey, Parental
Rights Foundation, presented to the committee and provided a packet of
information to the committee  (Attachments D and E).  He discussed
anonymous reports to child welfare hotlines.  Mr. Ramey referenced
recent legislation in Texas to address matters related to child welfare
reporting and other issues.  He discussed medical child abuse being
diagnosed by pediatricians.  
09:52:13 AM  
The panelists responded
to questions from the committee.  The panelists further discussed
issues concerning parent alienation in response to questions from the committee.
10:13:20 AM  
Mr. Ramey responded
to questions about confidential and anonymous reporting.



Presentation from Foster and Kin Care Organizations - Committee Discussion Only

10:22:42 AM  
Jody Britton and
Renee Bernard, Foster Source, presented to the committee.  Their presentation
and a handout were distributed to the committee (Attachments G and H).
 Ms. Britton reviewed data related to kinship care and foster families.
 She discussed certified and uncertified providers, including discrepancies
in funding for the different types of providers.  She reviewed potential
legislative changes related to kinship care and foster parents, including
easier path to certification, retention plans for foster parents, and services
for high need youth.  
10:28:17 AM  
Ms. Britton discussed the pendulum swing that occurs in the child welfare system. She responded to a question from the committee.
10:32:14 AM  
Gail Engel, Grand
Family Coalition, presented to the committee.  She provided a written
statement to the committee (Attachment I).  She reviewed data related
to kinship care. She discussed the funding for kinship care providers.
 
10:39:09 AM  
The panelists responded to questions from the committee, including the meaning of allocation of parental rights.



Presentation from Residential Providers - Committee Discussion Only
10:54:13 AM  
Benjamin Teevan,
Fostering Colorado, and Dr. Becky Miller Updike, Colorado Association of
Family and Children's Agencies, presented to the committee. Mr. Teevan
reviewed recent legislation on child welfare funding.  Dr. Miller
Updike discussed the capacity crisis in residential placement.  She
discussed the various entities that refer to residential placement agencies
and the funding challenges the agencies face.  
11:03:51 AM  
The panelists responded to questions from the committee. Dr. Miller Updike referenced California's efforts to end out-of-state placements.



Presentation from Hospitals on Child Welfare Issues - Committee Discussion Only
11:14:08 AM  
Dr. K. Ron-Li Liaw,
Children's Hospital Colorado, presented to the committee.  A copy
of her presentation was provided to the committee (Attachment J).  She
reviewed data on the children's mental health crisis in Colorado and nationally.
 She discussed the lack of placement options for children who are
ready to be discharged from the hospital, but are not able to return home.
 Dr. Liaw reviewed the efforts by Children's Hospital Colorado to
address gaps in the Colorado's public system, including the Colorado Pediatric
Psychiatry Consulation and Access Program and workforce investments.  She
reviewed possible solutions to building a system of care including budget
increases to expand access to family supports and services, funding high-acuity
residential placements, and implementing a single, statewide coordinated
system of care.    
11:17:42 AM  
Pelita Gutowski,
HealthONE Presbyterian St. Luke's/Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children,
presented to the committee.  She discussed challenges in finding placements
for children who are medically ready for discharge, but are still in need
of behavioral health supports.  She highlighted the need for additional
funding and streamlining access to care for children in need of behavioral
health care in the community.  
11:34:59 AM  
The panelists responded to questions from the committee, including addressing workforce shortages and the guardianship process.
11:58:11 AM  
The committee recessed.



Presentation from the Delivery of Child Welfare Services Task Force - Committee Discussion Only
12:47:28 PM  
The committee resumed.
01:01:24 PM  
Representative Young
reviewed the remaining agenda items.
01:01:52 PM  
Kendra Dunn, Delivery
of Child Welfare Services Task Force Co-chair, and Mimi Scheuermann, Delivery
of Child Welfare Services Task Force Co-chair, introduced themselves and
discussed the task force's efforts. A copy of the presentation was provided
to the committee (Attachment K).
01:04:57 PM  
Ms. Scheuermann provided
an overview of each of the subcommittees under the task force.
01:06:28 PM  
Committee members asked the panel questions.



Presentation from the Colorado Child Welfare Abuse Prevention Board - Committee Discussion Only
01:20:11 PM  
Kendra Dunn, Board
Member, the Colorado Child Welfare Abuse Prevention Board, introduced herself
and provided an overview of the board's activities and their policy recommendations.
 Attachment K also includes this presentation.
01:23:47 PM  
Committee members asked the panel questions.



Presentation from the Child Fatality Review Team and State Child Fatality Prevention Review Team - Committee Discussion Only
01:31:35 PM  
Marc Mackert, Director
of the Administrative Review Division, Colorado Department of Human Services,
and Kate Jankovsky, Childhood Adversity Prevention Manager of the Prevention
Services Division, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment,
introduced themselves and provided an overview of the child fatality review
process and the child fatality prevention system. A copy of the presentation
was provided to the comittee (Attachments L).
01:37:22 PM  
Committee members asked the panel questions.



Presentation from the Mandatory Reporter Task Force and Timothy Montoya Task Force - Committee Discussion Only

01:53:01 PM  
Stephanie Villafuerte,
Child Protection Ombudsman, Office of the Colorado Child Protection Ombudsman,
introduced herself and presented on the Mandatory Reporter Task Force and
Timothy Montoya Task Force to Prevent Children from Running Away from Out-of-Home
Placements. She provided information about the origins of the task forces,
the history of mandatory reporter laws, major lessons learned by the task
forces, and task force members. A copy of the presentation was provided
to the committee (Attachment M). Additional
materials were provided to the committee (Attachments N through Q).
02:07:46 PM  
Committee members
asked Ms. Villafuerte questions.



Biological Parents with Lived Experience Panel - Committee Discussion Only
02:20:24 PM  
Meighen Lovelace, Nathaniel Bustamante, and Carolyn MacCloud provided testimony regarding their experiences as biological parents involved in the child welfare system.
02:48:30 PM  
Committee members provided remarks and asked the panel questions.



Foster Parents and Kinship Care Providers with Lived Experience Panel - Committee Discussion Only
03:00:51 PM  
Jody Fountain, Jan Wilusz, Murdoc Khaleghi, and Megan Morris testified regarding their experiences as foster and kinship care givers.
03:19:32 PM  
Committee members asked the panel questions.



Youth with Lived Experience Panel - Committee Discussion Only
03:30:33 PM  
Nyomi Davis, Lala V., and Myraina Dehaven provided testimony regarding their experiences as youth involved in the child welfare system.
03:46:01 PM  
Committee members provided remarks and asked the panel questions.



Public Testimony - Committee Discussion Only
04:04:02 PM  
The following people
provided public testimony to the committee on child welfare matters:


- Tracee Rudd, representing America's Kids Belong;


- Barnabas Tsige, representing Project Foster Power;


- Christina Fraumann, representing themself;
and

-  Rob Barnes, representing themself.
04:21:09 PM  
The following people
provided public testimony to the committee on child welfare matters:

- Michaela Meier,
representing Project Foster Power;

- Dborah Israel,
representing Project Foster Power;

- Carl Roberts,
representing Colorado Resilience; and

- Maddie Noyce Lang, representing themself.



Committee members asked the panel questions.
04:41:29 PM  
The following people
provided public testimony to the committee on child welfare matters:

- Andrea Reitzel,
representing themself;

- Laura Giggy,
representing themself;

- Judi-Beth Atwood,
representing themself;

- Gail Engel,
representing themself.



The committee asked the panel questions.
05:04:00 PM  
The following people
provided public testimony to the committee on child welfare matters:


- Diana Goldberg, representing Colorado Children's Alliance;


- Tori Shuler, representing themself;


- Sydney McKinney, representing Foster Source; and


- Mollie Warren, representing Boulder County.



Committee members provided remarks regarding the testimony provided.
05:17:04 PM  
The following people
provided public testimony to the committee on child welfare matters:

- Katie First,
representing Colorado Counties Inc.;

- Julie Thomerson,
representing themself;

- Brian Calkins,
representing themself;

- Raeleen Woodbury,
representing themself; and

- Heather Crane-Czarnecki,
representing themself.



Committee members provided remarks to the panel.
05:38:07 PM  
The following people
provided public testimony to the committee on child welfare matters:

- Maralee Mclean,
representing Moms Fight Back;

- Alicia Leal,
representing themself;

- Thomas Perille,
representing themself;

- Rosemary Van
Gorder, representing Parents Against Child Welfare Abuse;

- Nichelle Bambino,
representing themself; and

- Debra Carroll,
representing Parents Against Child Welfare Abuse.



Committee members asked the panel questions.

Additional writtest
testimony was provided to the committee (Attachment R).



06:05:24 PM
Representative Young
reviewed agenda items for future meetings.


06:06:03 PM   The committee adjourned.