Rep. Evans on New Safety Law to Streamline Child Abuse Reporting
(Denver, CO - June 4, 2024) - Representative Gabe Evans celebrated the signing of HB24-1046, "Child Welfare System Tools," marking a significant milestone in streamlining the child abuse reporting system.
Each year, Colorado receives well over 100,000 reports of child abuse, with around half of those cases referred for further investigation. Ultimately, only 6,000 to 9,000 of these cases result in a confirmation of child abuse. This underscores the need for improved quality assurance in the screening process to ensure resources are directed to where they are most needed.
HB24-1046 addresses this issue by enhancing the screening process for child abuse reports. The bill mandates that the Colorado Department of Human Services develop and implement a more rigorous screening process for hotline reports. This aims to filter out frivolous cases, allowing authorities to focus on legitimate incidents of child abuse.
"As a former police officer, I am passionate about improving the quality assurance in the screening process so we can better direct resources to children who are actually in harm's way," said Representative Evans. "We need to ensure that we prioritize real threats and protect the children who are genuinely at risk," he added.
"By including domestic violence in the screening process, Colorado takes a crucial step toward protecting vulnerable children and addressing the root causes of child abuse," said Representative Evans. "This bill is about making sure our child welfare system works as it should—by focusing on real threats, providing necessary protections for at-risk youth, and otherwise avoiding unnecessary government intrusion in the family structure."
In signing HB24-1046 into law, Colorado acknowledges the critical link between domestic violence and child abuse, and commits to providing necessary protections for at-risk youth. Representative Evans extends appreciation to his fellow legislators, advocates, and constituents for their support in championing this vital legislation.
