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How We’ve Been Working for Colorado: CPO May Newsletter

As the COVID-19 outbreak stretches into the spring, children and families across Colorado continue to face uncertainty and hardship. During the past weeks, the Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman has continued to respond to concerns from Colorado citizens, monitor statewide policies that will impact services, support child protection workers and connect with youth impacted …

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Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman Helps Secure Masks for Child Protection Workers

As the outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted all of Colorado’s crucial services, the Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman has remained concerned about the lack of protective equipment provided to child protection workers. These county department employees continue to respond to reports of abuse and neglect, entering homes and other locations without the equipment necessary …

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Check on the Children: A Message from Children’s Ombudsman in the Time of COVID-19

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. In the time of stay-home orders and closed schools, children are walking a tightrope without a safety net. They are more at risk than ever before for abuse and neglect. The network of public services like schools, after school programs, and health care providers that weaves together a …

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Avoiding the gulf: How “social distancing” has the potential to separate families more than six feet.

As the United States and other countries around the world race to delay the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Coloradans, like millions of others around the globe, have been required to engage in a relatively new practice called “social distancing.” One must look no further than social media — where the hashtag, #StayAtHome, has been …

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Child Protection Ombudsman Releases Brief on Prioritizing Child Protection Workers During COVID-19

County human service departments respond to 40,000 reports of possible child abuse or neglect throughout Colorado each year. Roughly 100 times a day, child protection workers serve as first responders to these reports, typically by entering families’ homes at their own risk. As the spread of COVID-19 has overwhelmed Colorado, the reports of abuse and …

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As Impact of COVID-19 Spreads, Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman Signs Letter Calling for Efforts to Ensure the Safety and Well-being of Youth Living in Secured Facilities

On average, there are more than 620 youth in custody every day in Colorado. Consistently, there are 40 to 100 youth living in each of the Division of Youth Services’ secure facilities. Because these youth are housed together – living in close proximity of each other – they are at greater risk for infection. Many …

As Impact of COVID-19 Spreads, Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman Signs Letter Calling for Efforts to Ensure the Safety and Well-being of Youth Living in Secured Facilities Read More »

Response to Covid-19

The Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman (CPO) continues to monitor and respond to the evolving circumstances surrounding the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. As child protection agencies across Colorado respond to the rapidly changing situation, the CPO is committed to assisting children, families and agency partners to ensure services are accessible and information is provided in a timely manner.

CPO in the News: “State’s child protection ombudsman calls for all child abuse, neglect deaths to be investigated, followed up”

This week, CPO Stephanie Villafuerte spoke with The Colorado Sun  and 9NEWS about our special initiative to reform the child fatality review system. This year, our agency is committed to working with stakeholders to address gaps in our state’s child fatality review system so we can reduce the number of child deaths in Colorado. “The …

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