Prevention and Core Services Newsletter

December 2024

December signals the end of the year.  It is a time for reflection, gratitude, and action.  It is the ultimate planning month.  What do you want to accomplish in 2025?  What do you want to add more of to your life or experience less of?  The powerful truth is you get to choose what 2025 looks for you, both personally and professionally.  Those pesky New Year’s resolutions aren’t decided on in January, we make our plan of action in December.  You can leave things that don’t serve you behind in December and choose what you bring into the new year.  December is the end of what was and the promise of what is yet to come.  Welcome the opportunity to dream, set goals, let things go, and be your own change agent.  

Let us know what you want to see more of, or less of, in the newsletters for 2025. We have lofty goals to record videos to help with all things Core and prevention related, a listening road trip to ALL counties, and guidance for counties using Program Area 3 (PA3). 

With gratitude and appreciation … Amy and Yerson

Family First, Core, and Program Area 3 News

• Kudos to Yerson Padilla for working with the finance team at CDHS, gathering questions from counties, and researching historical documents about Core over the years.  The Core Services Special Economic Assistance (SEA) – Q&A is hot off the CDHS Clearance press.  We receive a lot of questions about SEA and hear various myths about how it can/cannot be used.  Take a moment to review and bookmark the guide, as well as share it with your finance and leadership for their education.
• The Core Coordinators Quarterly will meet on January 27th, 2025 in Morgan County (Fort Morgan, CO) from 2:00pm – 3:30pm.  This is a hybrid meeting so if you can join us in person, the address is 800 E. Beaver Avenue at the Morgan County Department of Human Services.  The invite for 2025 meetings has been sent so please let Yerson Padilla know if you haven’t received it or need to be added to the invitation list.  We have an action-packed agenda that will include interest in joining a small group to draft guidance for Program Area 3 use, themes from the submitted Family First Preservation reports, and revisions to the 25-26 Core Plan.  If you are not able to attend, the meeting is recorded and you can ask a colleague to attend in your absence. 
• The Child Welfare Prevention Task Group (CWPTG) wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday season.  The group will reconvene on February 14, 2025 from 1:30 to 3:00.  

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Memo Spotlight – 

• IM-CW-2024-0057 Colorado Staff Training Academy Rule Promulgation Notification – Announcement to providers, county departments of human or social services, and interested partners to the promulgation of rules surrounding the Colorado Staff Training Academy, as required in HB24-1038.
• IM-CW-2024-0058 Considerations For Child Welfare Agencies Regarding Children and Youth Past Discharge Readiness at Hospitals – Suggestions from DCW when children/youth are ready for discharge from a hospital without a viable discharge plan.
• **GREAT NEWS** OM-CW-2024-0018 Kinship Foster Care Certification – To provide information to county departments to ensure kinship caregivers interested in certification can be certified under new certification standards prior to rules being promulgated

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County Space – Email Amy Sciangula or Yerson Padilla your news, ideas, or questions.    

County Question: Are we able to provide rental assistance (Special Economic Assistance) to undocumented clients? After looking over the core handbook, my supervisor and I weren’t able to find anything that says we couldn’t, but wanted to double-check if it is possible.

Answer: Volume VII does not outline a restriction on using Core for prevention support with undocumented individuals. If the family meets Core Services requirements, they can utilize Core Services Funding. Since we cannot deny benefits to a child based on immigration status, and these are General Fund dollars, this is allowable.                                                               

Resources

• Interested in becoming a CI-Trails Super User? A Super User is a friendly and knowledgeable resource for your county, someone who understands both Modernization and Legacy Trails applications. In this role, you’ll be advocating for your county and helping connect your team with the support they need. Please contact Adrianna Sauer at CDHS for more information. 
• Expanding Colorado’s Family First Service Array: An Implementation Framework – An overview of Family First and the Child Welfare Prevention Task Group.
• Behavioral Health Care Compliance Toolkit – Release of Information form and information on the federal (i.e. HIPAA) and state provisions that govern sharing PHI. It includes links to resources and training on HIPAA. The toolbox also includes an example of consent to treat and ROI form that is HIPAA and 42 CFR compliant- CDHS Authorization/Informed Consent for Use and Disclosure of Health Care Information. 
• Core Services Special Economic Assistance (SEA) – Q&A – Check out the Core Services SEA Q&A for commonly asked questions and how SEA is utilized. 
• The Behavioral Health Administration has released the Colorado Children and Youth Behavioral Health Implementation Plan. This plan lays out the pathway to access care for children and youth in Colorado. Children and youth have unique needs, experience unique challenges, and require unique supports and interventions; mental health and substance use services for children and youth cannot be a mirror of adult services. The State of Colorado is setting up services and supports for all children and youth and setting expectations for collaboration across state agencies, payers and providers to build a comprehensive, equitable, effective continuum of mental health and substance use services. View a summary of the plan, as well as a presentation about the plan’s priorities. For more information, contact Matt Holtman at matt.holtman@state.co.us.

Opportunities

Training

• Mindspring Mental Health Alliance – free, virtual training
• Children and Youth Behavioral Health Listening Sessions.  BHA wants to hear from you! On December 5, 2024, BHA hosted a virtual community listening session. On January 16, 2025, 4:00pm – 5:30pm, they will be hosting a second virtual community listening session. These are opportunities for providers, parents, loved ones, and other community members to hear directly from BHA leaders about the progress to create a continuum of care for all children and youth in Colorado! Even more importantly, it is an opportunity for you to share your thoughts with BHA and help to inform the next phase of their work. If you cannot attend, please complete this feedback form. All feedback will be responded to and publicly shared.

Funding 

• Head Start/ Early Head Start Recipient – Department of Health and Human Services 
• American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Expansion, Early Head Start Expansion, and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Grants – Department of Health and Human Services 

Employment

• Lead Social Caseworker – Children, Youth & Family Services – El Paso County

• Emergency Response Team Social Case Worker –  Denver County 

• Case Worker- Child Welfare –  Denver County 

• Peer Support Specialist –  Denver County 

• Nurse Home Visitor – Adams County