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 […]
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
Check on the Children: A Message from Children’s Ombudsman in the Time of COVID-19 Read More »
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
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
Ombudsman Stephanie Villafuerte joined the Arapahoe County Department of Human Services to speak with CBS4 News about the drop in child abuse reporting during COVID-19 and the ways child protection workers are getting creative to find protective gear on the front lines. “If you keep case workers safe, you’re going to keep children and families
Thank you for coming to work today. Like many of us, you woke up this week and saw a tragedy unfolding. The world as we know it altered – off course – leaving thousands of people without basic food, shelter, and health care. Like many of us you were scared. But you showed up anyway
An Open Letter to Child Protection and Human Services Staff Everywhere Read More »
Ombudsman Stephanie Villafuerte spoke with the The Denver Post about the potential for increased child abuse and neglect while children are no longer interacting with mandatory reporters in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. “We’ve lost literally thousands of eyes on children. That’s probably the most immediate concern, knowing that we don’t have folks out there
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
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.
Response to Covid-19 Read More »
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
