May is National Foster Care Month. According to the most recent data published on the CDHS Community Performance Center, there are 5,523 youth living in an out-of-home placement, 3,553 of them are in foster care.
We, undoubtedly, need community involvement to help create better outcomes for these kids. In particular, we hope that the people of Colorado will consider fostering or adopting an older teen. Of the 137 teens that emancipated last quarter, 71% were removed from their caregiver when they were 15 years-old or older.
We, undoubtedly, need community involvement to help create better outcomes for these kids. In particular, we hope that the people of Colorado will consider fostering or adopting an older teen. Of the 137 teens that emancipated last quarter, 71% were removed from their caregiver when they were 15 years-old or older.
Over the last two years, our system that protects all Colorado children and youth has transformed under Governor Hickenlooper’s child welfare plan “Keeping Kids Safe and Families Healthy.” Along with many initiatives, Colorado has undergone a culture shift within human services aimed at utilizing data to manage performance at the county, division, unit, supervisor, worker, and provider level. Using performance management strategies and tools, we are proud to be able to work more closely with our county partners to identify our toughest cases and work together to overcome seemingly insurmountable barriers standing in the way of permanency.
Using Data to Make A Difference for Kids
Addressing permanency for youth in foster care is just one example of how we are using performance management to change the lives of kids. We all have a shared value that children deserve a permanent family, and we recognize that when kids age out of the child welfare system without a family or permanent connections we've failed.
Through C-Stat, we set a goal for 98% of youth who are legally free for adoption at the time of discharge to achieve permanency. Permanency means a legally permanent, nurturing family for every child and youth. Through permanency roundtables and family engagement, state, county and community partners are working together to address barriers for individual youth and these strategies are paying off. Last quarter, of the 119 of youth who were legally free for adoption who exited out-of-home placement, 91.6% achieved permanency through adoption or relative guardianship.
Using Data to Make A Difference for Kids
Addressing permanency for youth in foster care is just one example of how we are using performance management to change the lives of kids. We all have a shared value that children deserve a permanent family, and we recognize that when kids age out of the child welfare system without a family or permanent connections we've failed.
Through C-Stat, we set a goal for 98% of youth who are legally free for adoption at the time of discharge to achieve permanency. Permanency means a legally permanent, nurturing family for every child and youth. Through permanency roundtables and family engagement, state, county and community partners are working together to address barriers for individual youth and these strategies are paying off. Last quarter, of the 119 of youth who were legally free for adoption who exited out-of-home placement, 91.6% achieved permanency through adoption or relative guardianship.
| GOAL: Timeliness of Assessment Closure: 90% Status: Colorado state performance: 89.4% Timeliness of Assessment Closure measure performance increased this week from 88.4% last week to 89.4% this week, with 41 of the 64 Colorado counties achieving the goal of closing 90% of assessments of concerns of suspected child abuse or neglect within 60 days. This week Arapahoe, Logan, and Montezuma noticeably improved on the measure:
Click HERE to learn more and download this week's data update on Timeliness of Assessment Closure. |