Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Save the Date: Strengthening Colorado Families and Communities Conference



Registration is Now Open!
Colorado's Office of Early Childhood and Office of Children, Youth, and Families invite you to attend the inaugural child abuse prevention conference promoting well-being for all of our children. The Strengthening Colorado Families and Communities Conference will be held on September 15th & 16th at the Keystone Conference Center in Keystone, CO.

The conference will feature speakers and sessions targeted to the following audiences and include opportunities for these professionals to help inform the creation of a Colorado Child Maltreatment Prevention Plan:
  • home visitors, 
  • family support workers, 
  • parent educators, 
  • parent leaders,
  • medical and mental health professionals, 
  • school social workers, 
  • teachers, 
  • kinship and foster parents, 
  • child welfare practitioners,  
  • public health and prevention professionals, 
  • early childhood development specialists, 
  • early interventionists, 
  • human service providers, 
  • public officials, 
  • and community advocates. 
There is no registration fee to attend. The conference will provide lunch on Monday and breakfast and lunch on Tuesday. There will be some scholarships available to cover travel and lodging. 


Continue to check back at www.coloradoofficeofearlychildhood.com for information coming on speakers, agenda, scholarships, and how to reserve lodging.

Help us Spread the Word.



CFPS Conference Call for Legal Guidance

As we shift from the State level Child Fatality review process to the local level, many teams have had legal questions regarding confidentiality, Open Meetings law, etc....

To address these questions, we have set up a conference call with Ann Hause, Director of the Office of Legal and Regulatory Affairs, for August 12, 10:00-11:00 am. During this call, Ann will answer any legal questions from the local teams. The call in number is: 1-877-820-7831 and participant code is 715534# (I will also send a meeting request out for this time). 

Monday, July 28, 2014

Fourteenth International Conference on Shaken Baby Syndrome/ Abusive Head Trauma

SAVE THE DATE:
We are pleased to announce that the program for the Fourteenth International Conference on Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma. For the first time, it is being held in beautiful Mile High City of Denver, Colorado on September 21, 22, 23, 2014. This highly scientific conference will include presentations from medical, legal, and prevention professionals from leading universities, organizations and institutions. This is the only conference of its kind in the world and is sure to again be highly rated for the impressive program and location. 

We encourage you to view the outstanding lineup in the program. Click here for full Conference Program.  Registration is now open. We look forward to seeing you in September. 

Monday, July 14, 2014

Save the Date: "Your Community, Your Voice"

Every five years the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Program is required to conduct a statewide needs assessment of the health and well-being of Colorado’s women, children and youth, including those with special health care needs, and their families. The purpose of the assessment is to identify seven to 10 specific priorities that state and local MCH programs can impact during the next five years. The selected priorities will focus MCH work from 2016-20.

WE NEED YOU?  Community members who care about the health and well-being of women, children, youth and families across the great state of Colorado (including local public health agencies and community partners, community members, family and youth leaders, etc.) are invited to attend. 

WHAT? "Your Community, Your Voice" conversations are designed to hear YOUR ideas on how to improve the health and well-being of women, children and youth, including those with special health care needs, and their families. 

WHEN and WHERE? PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!!!
  • August 4 – Frisco 
  • August 5 – Rifle 
  • August 25 – Boulder 
  • September 3 – Colorado Springs
  • September 8 – Denver
  • September 9 – Greeley
  • September 23 - Durango 
  • September 25 – Pueblo
  • October 9 – Alamosa
WHY? It is critical to partner with people from local communities across Colorado, especially those who are most affected by these state-level priorities and decisions. So, please make the time to share your ideas and get your voice heard! 

HOW? In the coming weeks, registration information will be sent via email.  Or, check out https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/mchneedsassessment for more information. 

You may also contact Gina Febbraro at gina.febbraro@state.co.us o(303) 692-6409 with any questions

Friday, July 11, 2014

Open Competitive Opportunity for a Suicide Prevention Commission Coordinator at CDPHE

The Prevention Services Division at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is accepting applications for the the Suicide Prevention Commission Coordinator!

Classification: GP III
Job Location: Denver
Close Date: July 23, 2014 OR until we have identified an adequate applicant pool, whichever comes first.


TO APPLY: Suicide Prevention Commission Coordinator - 01704 - GP III

If you have difficulty with the link, please access the State of Colorado job website at
https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/jobs

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Colorado Child Fatality Prevention System: Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report

The Colorado Child Fatality Prevention System Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report is now available!

The Child Fatality Prevention Act (Article 20.5 of Title 25, Colorado Revised Statutes) established the Child Fatality Prevention System (CFPS), a statewide, multidisciplinary, multi-agency effort to prevent child deaths. As mandated in statute, this report identifies specific policy recommendations to reduce child deaths in Colorado and provides an overview of programmatic accomplishments since July 1, 2013. 

On an annual basis, the CFPS State Review Team prioritizes policy recommendations to submit to the governor and the Colorado General Assembly. The State Review Team’s decision to endorse the following prioritized recommendations was based on the review of aggregated child death circumstance data from 2008-2012, as well as multidisciplinary expertise about the best strategies to protect the health and well-being of children.

The Child Fatality Prevention System State Review Team determined that child fatalities can be reduced in Colorado if the following recommendations to policymakers are adopted and implemented.

  • Modify child care licensing requirements and regulations regarding infant safe sleep to better align with the American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep recommendations.
  • Establish a statutory requirement that allows for primary enforcement of Colorado’s adult seat belt law, making it possible for a driver to be stopped and issued a citation if anyone (the driver and all passengers in all seating positions) in the vehicle is not properly restrained.
  • Increase funding for the Office of Suicide Prevention to implement the following activities: 1) expand the Office of Suicide Prevention statewide community grant program to more counties and at higher funding levels; 2) expand the implementation and evaluation of means restriction education training at hospitals statewide; and 3) expand implementation and evaluation of school-based suicide prevention programs that promote resilience and positive youth development as protective factors from suicide statewide.
  • Require newly licensed K-12 educators and special service providers (nurses, school psychologists, school counselors and social workers) to complete suicide prevention trainings.
  • Increase funding for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to expand the Colorado Household Medication Take-Back Program at pharmacies across the state.
  • Incorporate infant safe sleep education and how to address safety concerns related to infant safe sleep practices as part of the Colorado Department of Human Services Child Welfare Training System for child welfare professionals. (Joint Recommendation with Colorado Department of Human Services Child Fatality Review Team)
  • Continue to provide dedicated resources for the implementation of Colorado’s Child Welfare Plan, “Keeping Kids Safe and Families Healthy 2.0,” to make prevention programs for families with young children available in every county in Colorado. (Joint Recommendation with Colorado Department of Human Services Child Fatality Review Team)