Committee Approves Bill to Improve Support for Vulnerable Children

DENVER, CO – Today, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved legislation sponsored by Senators Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, and Matt Ball, D-Denver, to improve support for children through child advocacy centers (CACs) as they navigate trauma, maltreatment, and abuse. 

“Under current law, child advocacy centers sometimes face unnecessary barriers to doing their jobs, including barriers to accessing crucial information,” Roberts said. “By allowing for information sharing between law enforcement and child advocacy centers, we’ll clear pathways for professionals to more effectively support the kids who need it the most.” 

“Child advocacy centers already support thousands of children across the state, and this legislation serves to strengthen the tools they have,” Ball said. “More collaboration, more support, and more resources afforded by this legislation will ultimately allow them to better support Colorado’s most vulnerable.” 

HB26-1142, also known as the Colorado Child Advocacy Center Act, would clearly define and create consistency across CACs, reinforcing the expectations that CACs coordinate with law enforcement and adopt trauma-informed practices as they move through investigation, treatment, and prosecution processes. It would also define multidisciplinary investigative boards within CACs to include a member of a law enforcement agency, a district attorney or assistant district attorney, a member of the county department’s child protective services unit, a local mental health provider, a local health care provider, a victim advocate, and a CAC staff.

The bill would also allow county departments of human services and CAC multidisciplinary team members to share relevant information with the purpose of protecting a child in a maltreatment case. It would also offer civil and criminal immunity for CAC advocates for sharing relevant information between multidisciplinary teams and county departments and civil immunity for CAC board members, staff and volunteers for actions taken in good faith. Adding clarity around information sharing and confidentiality would boost advocates’ confidence and help encourage collaboration while protecting children.

CACs provide services to children and their families in the case of abuse. These services can include medical evaluations, mental health treatment, assistance navigating the judicial system and child abuse prevention. There are 19 CACs across the state that have served nearly 6,000 Colorado kids.

HB26-1142 now moves to the Senate floor for further consideration. Track its progress here.