Ritter Condemns Deaths Of Children

Does this mean that there will be an added layer of accessible accountability added to the DSHS?

Gov. Bill Ritter said Wednesday it is "outrageous" that 13 children died last year after being brought to the attention of child welfare workers, and he called for change that could upend a bureaucracy.

"We should be outraged that we aren't providing adequate training to our front-line caseworkers," Ritter said at a news conference the day after the state released a study of the 13 deaths. "We should be angry that our data-entry and computer tracking systems have huge gaps. We should be angry about missed warning signs, and we should be angry that years of audits and studies have not done more to help keep children alive."

Ritter then ordered creation of a 25-person task force to look at why Colorado continues to have problems protecting endangered children despite repeated recommendations for reform.

He told the task force to look for the states with the best systems. And he said he was willing to consider a state takeover of a system now split between state and county operators.

Rocky Mountain News