Chosen as One of Three National Host Sites to Help other Child Welfare Agencies Improve Outcomes for Children and Families
Denver was named today by the
Annie E. Casey Foundation as a
national Family to Family host site that will be regularly visited by child welfare agencies from around the country to share its innovative achievements and practice reforms in foster care and child welfare.
Denver was named as
one of three Family to Family host sites, along with Cleveland, OH and Louisville, KY. These are locations where other public agencies will come to observe and learn child welfare
“best practices” based on four core strategies of team decision-making, recruitment and support of foster resource families, community partnerships and evaluation.
Denver is also one of 15
national anchor sites. All anchor sites will be leaders of the Family to Family Initiative and will help other child welfare agencies around the country by providing a network of support and training.
“We chose Denver as a host site, in large part because of the strong commitment of its leadership and significant progress in moving forward on family-centered, community-based foster care and child welfare services,” said
Wanda Mial of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “Denver recognizes that the first priority is to keep children safe, but also understands that in order to be safe and succeed in life, children need strong families and strong communities,” Mial added.
“With the help of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Colorado Department of Human Services and our countless community partners, Denver has made great strides toward improving our child welfare system,” said
Mayor John Hickenlooper. “I'm proud of our achievements but the work isn't over. We work hard every day to ensure that children at risk of abuse are provided safe environments in which to live and grow, and that families receive the support they need to remain together. We are grateful to the Annie E. Casey Foundation for its innovation and leadership in the child welfare realm, and we’re honored to accept the designation of Denver as one of three national host sites for child welfare reform."
Family to Family was created by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in 1992 and adopted in Denver in 2002. Family to Family has fundamentally changed Denver’s approach to child welfare by placing the
emphasis on keeping children safe within their own communities. "The community partnerships are one of the most powerful pieces of the Family to Family practice,” said
Dave Bechhoefer, Northeast Denver Family to Family Site Coordinator. “Because of these new partnerships, families in our neighborhood do not have to go very far to attend GED classes, meet with a therapist, participate in parenting classes, or receive kinship and foster parent training. They can receive these services right in their very own community."
Family to Family is a shared effort between
Denver Human Services, Colorado Human Services, seven neighborhood partners, hundreds of community liaisons, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. For more information on the Family to Family Initiative, please go to the
Annie E Casey Foundation website or visit
DenverGov.org/FamilytoFamily.