DENVER (AP) – The state auditor’s office will review workloads of child-protection staff and the way counties screen calls alleging abuse and neglect as part of two audits that could lead to major reforms of the child-welfare system.
Colorado’s legislative audit committee, which includes state senators and representatives, voted 6-0 Tuesday in favor of the audits. State Auditor Dianne Ray’s office expects to finish much of the work in time for the 2014 legislative session.
Legislators passed a handful of child-welfare reforms this year, including the creation of a statewide child-abuse hotline and a requirement that state agencies review every preventable child death. The audits – and in particular finding out whether caseworkers are overwhelmed – could lead to law changes next year, said Rep. Jonathan Singer, a Longmont Democrat and former caseworker.
The initial audit will focus on discovering the typical workload of child-welfare staff across the state and whether those caseloads affect the protection of children. Colorado has never previously conducted a workload study of its child-protection workers, and state officials do not know the average caseload in the majority of county departments.
The study also is intended to uncover information including the intensity and severity of cases.
“We have very high expectations of our caseworkers,” said Singer, who was a caseworker for four years. “If they don’t have the resources they need to get the job done ... kids are going to suffer. If you ask a caseworker to work with 40 or 50 families over the course of a month, can you really expect good outcomes?”
The first audit also will look into how well county staff handle calls and other referrals alleging child abuse and neglect, and how well caseworkers and supervisors follow up with services and supervision of families.
The second audit, due to begin next year after the first is complete, will focus on whether the Colorado Department of Human Services and county child-welfare departments are spending money effectively.
The audits were requested by 24 lawmakers earlier this year after an investigation by The Denver Post. It found that more than 70 of the 175 children in Colorado who died of abuse and neglect in six years had families or caregivers who were known to child-protection workers whose job was to protect them.
Lawmakers met with Colorado human services executive director Reggie Bicha to describe their concerns and then met with the state auditor to request reviews of child-welfare programs and finances. Lawmakers asked Ray to begin with the audit into workloads and programs because those were the most urgent concerns, Singer said.
Human services spokeswoman Liz McDonough said the department welcomes the audit as part of a package of reforms outlined in February by Gov. John Hickenlooper’s office that included establishing the hotline and adding training for hotline and child-protection workers. The workload study will help the state and counties form future policy regarding child-protection workers, she said.
“The question of caseload and workload came up, and legislators were concerned,” she said. “We need that information as well. If you develop a workforce plan, you need to know what they are dealing with.”
