The Denver Department of Human Services has released the results of a third-party review of its child welfare practices. Roxane White, DDHS Manager, called for the third party review in November 2007. This request was made after a second child fatality in Denver, and in response to a commitment to improve and strengthen the department’s child protection practices.
"I called for this review because I wanted a tough, fair, independent look at our child welfare practices," White said.
"The review found that while we do a number of things well there are areas where we need to improve," White said. "We have already instituted some of the recommendations and the rest will be in place by Nov. 30 of this year."
The review was conducted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Child Welfare League of America in collaboration with the Colorado State Department of Human Services.
"This report is an important tool for understanding what is working well in Denver’s child protection efforts and what specifically can be improved," said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. "We thank the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Child Welfare League of America for the time and resources they have committed to examining the department’s practice. We applaud the staff and management of Human Services for having the courage to request this third-party review and the dedication to quickly implement every recommendation presented. No one cares more about the safety and well being of Denver’s children."
The DDHS board said in a statement: "The DDHS Board of Commissioners has reviewed the third-party review report and we agree with the recommendations presented as well as the responsive work plan prepared by the leadership team at DDHS. The third-party review affirms the commitment of our staff to keep children safe. We have great faith in DDHS management and staff and appreciate their commitment to working through challenges and finding ways to improve our agency. We look forward to working with the DDHS team on implementation of the work plan in response to the recommendations of the third-party review. Thanks to Roxane White’s very proactive leadership of the past 4 years, Denver Department of Human Services has made incredible strides in employee morale, customer service, and program impact. The Board has worked with Roxane, her leadership team, and our entire staff to develop a comprehensive strategic plan that is already implementing many of the recommendations identified in the report. We know that these recommendations will make us a better organization, better positioned to serve the very challenging social needs of the citizens of Denver and to partner with our community to protect those in harm’s way and to help all people in need."
"I want to thank the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Child Welfare League of America and the Colorado Department of Human Services for working with us to keep children safer in our community," White said.
"I also want to thank the staff at Denver Human Services for the work they do every day to keep children safe," White said.
A copy of DDHS response to the review and the third-party reviewers’ report