child welfare
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Appeals court overturns ’06, ’07 Jeffco decisions, clears path for father to sue over son’s death
A decision last month by the state’s Court of Appeals to overturn a series of 16-year-old judicial orders may finally allow a father to pursue liability claims against two child welfare workers over the death of his son. Chandler Grafner died in 2007 at age 7 after suffering from starvation and dehydration at the hands of his…
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State Supreme Court affirms heightened responsibility for counties to American Indian families
The Colorado Supreme Court affirmed on Monday that counties have a heightened responsibility to help American Indian families remain together amid child welfare proceedings — a standard that Denver had met despite a mother’s repeated relapses from her treatment program. The justices interpreted a key provision of the Indian Child Welfare Act, a 1978 federal law…
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Park County judge had no authority to compel visitation between siblings, state Supreme Court says
The Colorado Supreme Court found a Park County judge lacked the legal authority to order two siblings to visit with their brother as part of the latter’s child welfare proceedings. Although Colorado law charges local departments of human services with promoting “frequent contact” between siblings in foster care and gives foster children the right to…
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Appeals court split solidifies on Indian child law ahead of Supreme Court arguments
Colorado’s second-highest court has reinforced its split interpretation of when judges in child welfare proceedings have reason to know a child falls under the legal definition of “Indian,” triggering longstanding federal protections for tribal nations. Last week, a three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals issued a decision on the reason-to-know standard under the Indian…
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State Supreme Court says censured judge’s admission of bias not grounds to vacate decision
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday concluded its censure of a former judge for racial bias and professional misconduct does not mean she actually was biased in a child welfare proceeding. In April 2021, the Supreme Court censured and accepted the resignation of then-Arapahoe County District Court Judge Natalie T. Chase, who admitted to saying…
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A caucus at the Capitol for Colorado’s kids
The 2018 Colorado Children’s Caucus – a series of seminars briefing state lawmakers on issues likes child abuse and neglect and children’s homelessness – comes to the Capitol starting Monday, Feb. 12. Hosted by the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center and sponsored by Noble Energy, the caucus bills itself as, “a forum for all members of the Colorado…
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State assisting Colorado’s Ute tribes to provide social services
Reggie Bicha has been talking to tribal leaders about how the state of Colorado can be an ally to the Ute nation to provide needed social services to tribal members in the state. Bicha, executive director of the Colorado Department of Human Services, and other state agency leaders met with representatives from the Ute Mountain…
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Rep. Rosenthal ruins Sunday with retweet on poor care for U.S. children
I had barely gotten over being bummed out by the sad news Rep. Paul Rosenthal retweeted out Saturday evening about activists in Hong Kong wearing bloody costumes protesting the practice of cutting fins off sharks. That’s harsh, even for sharks. But on a beautiful Sunday one of the most upbeat and likable legislators around retweeted more…
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Albritton: Colorado leading the way in providing for needy children, families
Colorado is leading the nation with a new policy that supports and strengthens the safety net for children. In April, Colorado became the only state in the nation to allow Colorado Works (Colorado’s version of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF) recipients to receive full child support payments with no impact on their cash…
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Identity data held by Denver on citizens, employees found to be unprotected
Private, personal information such as full legal names, drivers license and Social Security numbers of thousands of citizens and current and former City and County of Denver employees were accessible to as many as 10,000 city workers, an audit by the city auditor found. No evidence of unintended, improper or illegal viewing or access was…