Research shows that parents of color are no more likely to abuse orneglect their children than other parents. However, they are overrepresented inthe system, and do not always receive the same level of service administered toother families and children. The CDRC will increase awareness of the actual levels of disparities in childprotection services to county department managers. CDRC workers will achievethis by monitoring the development of state and county plans, and by obtainingand using data from Colorado Trails, an automated system that tracks all childprotection cases in the state. The CDRC will then be able to provide an accurateaccount of the disproportion of families and children of color in Colorado`ssystem, as well as disparities in the state`s child welfare services over thefunding period of May 2009 through June 2010.
In addition, the CDRC will assist needy families so that children can be caredfor in their own homes. This will reduce the tragic outcomes that sometimes stemfrom placing children in foster care. The CDRC`s first steps will include integrating the recommendations currentlybeing drafted from the Governor`s Child Welfare Action Committee. Specifically,the CDRC will recruit a CDRC Advisory Committee, hire a CDRC coordinator to behoused at the Colorado Department of Human Services, and develop and implementstrategies to achieve systemic change at both local and state levels. Thesesteps will pave the way for an effective response to the issue of inequitableoutcomes for families and children.
Collaborative activities will include convening regional roundtables across thestate to create broad-based ownership of and accountability for consistency andexcellence in the provision of child protection services. American Humane is also partnering with members of the University of California,Berkeley`s Child Welfare Research Center team and the Texas Department of Familyand Protective Services. The project will be overseen by Donna Parrish, M.A.,LPC, project director for the Colorado Disparities Resource Center, and Dr. JohnFluke, director of American Humane`s Child Protection Research Center. American HumaneHeather Black, Copyright Business Wire 2009.