Family First News
- The Child Welfare and Family Resource Center Motivational Interviewing (MI) Pilot is now accepting notifications of interest and holding outreach and office hours.
- Interested in participating or learning more?
Please Note: Staff do NOT need prior MI training to be involved; there are many opportunities to contribute to this vital project. We encourage all counties, regardless of size or location, to reach out with questions or express interest.
Office hours are available for child welfare staff at any level to provide a safe space for sharing thoughts, asking questions, and learning more. See Memo: IM-CW-2026-004 (PDF) for details.
Monday, January 26th 10-11am (Google Meet Link)
Tuesday, January 27th 10-11am (Google Meet Link)
Wednesday, January 28th 2-3pm (Google Meet Link)
Thursday, January 29th 2-3pm (Google Meet Link)
Friday, January 30th 8-9am (Google Meet Link)
Core News
- 2026 Core Services & Child Welfare Quarterly Dates/Times/Locations:
- Monday, April 27th – Routt County from 2:00pm – 3:30pm
- Monday, July 27th – Montrose County from 2:00pm – 3:30pm
- Monday, October 26th – CDHS (Denver) from 2:00pm – 3:30pm
All meetings are hybrid format to allow for in-person and virtual attendance. If you would like to join the meeting online or share that information with a colleague, the Google Meet link is the same for all of 2026. You can also join by phone, 1-601-514-2069, and then 510 228 211# at the prompt.
- Join our Core Services Program Annual Evaluation Report Workgroup on February 2nd from 1:00pm- 2:00pm! A review of the yearly Core Services Program Annual Evaluation (Google Folder) report highlighted a few areas for deeper analysis. Key areas identified include:
- Availability of needed services
- Fewer families being served by Core
- Favorable outcomes
While these trends are not immediate causes for alarm for the Core Services Program, they do warrant attention. This is a valuable opportunity for you to network with professionals from other counties to explore potential reasons for these findings and to discuss what, if any, adjustments may be necessary. Our first meeting will be on Monday, February 2nd, from 1-2pm (Google Meet).
Program Area 3 (PA3) News
- The next meeting of the Child Welfare Prevention Task Group (CWPTG) is scheduled for Friday, February 13, from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm (Google Meet). At our January meeting, the group focused on defining PA3 and its associated processes across various counties in the state. We identified common ground and shared understandings regarding the use of the TRAILS system. We encourage you to attend the February meeting to share your feedback! You can find the recording and associated documents from the January meeting here.
Memo Spotlight
- Memo number: OM-CW-2026-001 (PDF) – Family Assessment Response (FAR) Guidance
- Memo number: OM-FEA-2025-00012 (PDF) – SNAP Consolidated Work Notice
- Memo number: OM-CW-2025-0023 (PDF) – Non-Certified Kinship Care Review Process Beginning 2026
- Memo number: OM-DEWS-2026-0003 (PDF) – Updated TANF CFMS Coding Guidance 2026
- Memo number: IM-CW-2026-001 (PDF) – Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Rule Writing Additional Stakeholder Feedback Sessions
- Memo number: IM-CW-2026-004 (PDF) – Motivational Interviewing Child Welfare Pilot 2026
County Space
 Email Amy Sciangula or Yerson Padilla your news, ideas, or questions for the September edition.
Question: Our County contracts with two vendors for Linguistic services. The services used are for onsite or remote interpretation services for home visits, LINKS meetings, school meetings, calls into the Hotline, document translation, etc. These professional services are used for assessments in intake and for open cases, all of which meet CORE funding criteria. Can you please provide guidance on our payment options in TRAILS, specifically for linguistic services:
- Services paid are entered as service authorizations tied to clients with service dates and rates
Or
- Fixed-rate contracts are entered as a single service authorization per month matching active contract rates, fixed rate amount would vary each month depending on monthly usage
Answer: According to Volume 7, around reimbursement:
7.405.2 GENERAL REIMBURSEMENT REQUIREMENTS – In order to be eligible for state reimbursement, the county department shall:
- Determine the eligibility of a child for a target group, re-determine the eligibility at required intervals, and maintain an open case record for the period of time for which reimbursement is requested.
- Determine the categorical or funding source status of the child.
- Prepare a Family Services Plan according to requirements.
- Report the eligibility and funding source findings accurately in the Department’s automated reporting systems.
Consider this scenario: Your county undergoes an audit for Core services. If a provider submits a single bulk invoice monthly, how would you verify the Core eligibility for each individual family served? Furthermore, without a specific service authorization for each family, where exactly in the Trails system is the eligibility and funding source documented?
We recognize that creating and entering service authorizations is a significant task. However, it is the essential mechanism that ensures the correct funding source is utilized for payment and that the service delivery is definitively linked to a specific family. |
Resources
- The Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF) will now be known as the Office of Children, Aging, and Community Services (OCACS)! This change is as a result of structural changes and the welcoming of the Division of Aging and Adult Protective Services (AAPS). By bringing these teams together, we are strengthening our ability to prevent maltreatment and bolster support for older and at-risk adults, while continuing to improve outcomes for Colorado communities and families. This reframe highlights the/ three divisional pillars of our unified work unit:
- The Division of Child Welfare (DCW): Overseeing statewide child welfare policy, rulemaking, funding distribution, practice guidance, and federal compliance.
- The Division of Community Programs: Managing engagement with external partners, grantees, counties, Tribes, and community-based providers to ensure coordinated service delivery.
- Aging and Adult Protective Services (AAPS): Providing statewide leadership for county APS programs and the 16 Area Agencies on Aging, ensuring high-quality services supported by the Older Americans Act and State Funding for Senior Services.
- The 2026 Colorado legislative session has begun. Find CDHS-related legislative news, including upcoming bills and who from CDHS is testifying. Sign up for the Weekly Capitol Update. You can also visit the Capital updates intranet page to see updates throughout the week.
- The RAE Care Coordination Policy Statement (Effective 12/8/25) identifies the expectations of Regional Accountable Entity (RAE) Care Coordination engagement and participation with and for pediatric Members under 21 years of age admitted to residential behavioral health treatment facilities. These expectations will ensure appropriate and timely care is supported by the Health First Colorado Member’s care team and enhance access to the full spectrum of Medicaid-covered behavioral health treatment services for Members with high-acuity behavioral health needs during and following residential treatment (e.g., Colorado System of Care identification & referrals). To read the full statement, please visit the HCPF Residential and Inpatient Services webpage; the statement is listed under the Youth Residential Services. Alternatively, you can find the policy statement directly linked here.
Training Opportunities
- Reminder: We are halfway through the training year!
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- Have you talked with your supervisors/caseworkers about their training hours?
- Please have workers submit their hours as soon as they have reached 40. County Intermediaries have access to a heat map showing the percentage of workers with complete hours per county.
- The Education Rights of Students in Foster Care training is required a minimum of every two years- please make sure all your staff are up to date.
- 7th Annual Carrie Ann Lucas Civil Rights TrainingFebruary 25, 2026, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
The Penrose House – Colorado Springs (Virtual Attendance offered)
This collaborative, multi-disciplinary training is designed for child welfare professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of how bias affects decision-making and outcomes for families. Through interactive discussions and expert-led sessions, participants will learn practical tools to identify, challenge, and prevent discrimination in their daily work, ensuring all children and families receive equitable treatment and support.
- Parenting While Black – A Family-to-Family Real Talk Series (Zoom)
- Episode 1: AI, Social Gaming, and Social Media — Impacts on Black Children’s Development
February 2, 2026, 1–2 pm MST
This conversation will explore the promise and peril of Artificial Intelligence and social gaming technologies in Black children’s lives. We will think together about the risks of digital spaces and how they may also foster connection.
- Episode 2: Rooted in Love — Empowering Black Parents to Build Healthy Communities and Connections
February 9, 2026, 1-2 pm MST
Join us as we share stories about nurturing our children’s sense of belonging while navigating digital platforms, and discover how community can be a source of strength, healing, and empowerment for our families.
Funding Opportunities
Employment Opportunities
As Seen Around Colorado
 Let’s combine the January fun question with our “As Seen Around Colorado” photo request! With a major game happening this weekend, we know many of you are celebrating or even attending. Share your best photos of yourself, family, kids, or pets cheering on the Denver Broncos, and we will feature them in the February newsletter.
As a reminder, our December fun question took a deep dive into which game show you would go on in a heartbeat. We had a two-way tie between Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud. |
January Fun Question
Question: It seems only right that January’s question should focus on the Broncos game.
What do you plan to do during the Bronco game this Sunday? |
