November 2005

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

CAFCA Annual Meeting Recapped
Thank you to all who sponsored our annual meeting and the 80+ members and guests who attended. Highlights included bestowing a Lifetime Achievement in Child Welfare award on Bill Gregory, retiring CEO of Excelsior Youth Center, and Gary Copeland’s keynote, “Thriving in Times of Personal & Professional Change,” based on the best-selling book, Who Moved My Cheese?   Members approved the slate of new directors: Cyndi Dodds as continuing chair of the Public Policy Committee, Kurt Olsson as the new Adoption Committee chair and Dr. Jerry Yager as the new Director at Large. Members also approved the proposed bylaws changes.

New Deputy Director on Board!
Susannah Carroll became CAFCA’s first Deputy Director effective November 1^st. We are delighted that she has joined our staff. Susannah is a graduate student at Denver University and has a background in public policy and research.  Upon returning December 15^th from her trip to Nicaragua, Susannah will be working 20 hours a week. She can be reached at the CAFCA number or: Susannah@cafca.net.

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK THE CAFCA WEBSITE FOR IMPORTANT MEMBER INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE CALENDAR OF MEETINGS—BOARD, COMMITTEE AND SPECIAL EVENTS:

www.cafca.net

(Let us know if you need the user name and password.)

CAFCA 2010
If you have reviewed CAFCA 2010, CAFCA’s Public Policy Strategic Plan, you know that the entire Colorado House of Representatives, many seats in the State Senate, and the Governorship will be up for election in November 2006. Some candidates have already declared their intent to run for re-election or for a new office. You may receive invitations to fund raisers from candidates. Although 501(c) (3) nonprofits themselves may not support candidates for elected office, individuals can.  You can support candidates for office by making a campaign contribution of up to $400, a maximum of $200 for the primary and $200 for the general election. Colorado law requires candidates to report the name, occupation and employer of every contributor. So be sure to enclosed a business card or provide this information with your donation.  Donations to political campaigns are NOT tax deductible. Later in the process, you can walk for your candidate, volunteer at campaign headquarters and participate in similar activities as a private citizen.

Referendum C and the Child Care Tax Credit
Some members may have wondered if and how Referendum C might impact their ability to continue offering donors the child care tax credit. This tax credit is available to those taxpayers making donations to residential child care providers for services to children 12 and under. The TABOR refunds and the child care tax credit are two different things. TABOR refunds were available to certain categories of tax payers on a tiered basis. There were approximately 14 ranked categories of recipients of TABOR refunds, including foster parents. The Child Care Tax Credit is a statutory tax credit and is not dependent upon TABOR, nor is it impacted by the Referendum C five-year suspension of TABOR refunds. Qualifying residential facilities may continue to advertise this credit to their donors.

CAFCA Committee Notes

Adoption, Kurt Olsson, Chair
Dana Andrews, Licensing Division Director, attended the November 10^th Adoption Committee meeting and shared information about a licensing bill that CDHS is planning to introduce. Dana felt that two of the committee’s three legislative issues, cradle care licensing and dual licensing, could be incorporated in the bill. A third issue, modifying the prohibition of adoption by individuals with a previous felony assault conviction, would require separate legislation.  Dana also reported that the year-long adoption rules review is complete and a draft will be circulated for CPA review in December. December or January will be the department board review and the hearing will likely be February or March. Enforcement of the new rules will begin no later than June 1^st of 2006. The Hague Convention regulations are nearly complete as well. The next meeting will be Thursday, January 12^th, 2006 at LDS Family Services located at 3263 Fraser St., Ste. 3 Aurora, CO 80011.

Foster Care Committee, Keith Hughes, Chair
The committee’s salaried foster parent bill will be carried by Representative Fran Coleman. It will allow CPAs to employee foster parents and pay them benefits.    Next meeting: Thursday, January 26^th, 2006 at 11:00 a.m., Check the January CAFCA calendar for location.

Children’s Treatment Services (CTS), Patty Erjavec, Chair
The Children’s Treatment services Committee did not meet in November due to the many committees meeting to address pieces of the RTC Services and Financing Redesign. All subcommittees must have proposed models completed by January 1, 2006. A subgroup of the CTS committee continues to work on a draft letter to the SOMB, outlining concerns regarding implementation of the Juvenile Standards for Sex Offenders.  Next scheduled meeting: January 20^th, 2006. Location: Excelsior Youth Center, 15001 East Oxford, Aurora 80014.

Public Policy, Cyndi Dodds, Chair
Committee members reviewed the Public Policy Strategic Plan in light of the passage of Referendum C. The failure of Referendum D may impact the availability of Ref. C funds in some areas, but should not have a dramatic impact. Some road improvement and construction projects will have to wait. The Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budget is working on figures for General Fund increases to replace the loss of Medicaid dollars caused by the shift to a fee-for-service model.  The Governor’s office has received verbal, but not written, confirmation from the federal centers for Medicare and Medicaid for an extension of time until July 1, 2006 to implement new options for children who require residential mental health services. Many people collaborated to bring pressure on CMS to grant an extension to allow Colorado to develop a thoughtful plan that would meet the needs of the 1500 children currently served by RTC programs. Next meeting Tuesday December 6^th, noon-2:00 at 1120 Lincoln St., law library conference room.

Training Committee, Renee Johnson, Chair
The committee members are working on CAFCA’s 2006 annual conference and quarterly trainings. New members are welcomed to join them. The 4^th quarter 2005 workshop will be conducted by Juvenile Court Judge  Chris Melonakis of the 17^th Judicial District (see Bulletin Board below), and will be held on December 13th.  Next Meeting: Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 8:30 - 10:00 a.m., at  1295 York St. , Denver . 

 

The Bulletin Board: Information, Trainings and Other Opportunities

“Going to Court with Our Clients 101”

By:

Honorable  Chris Melonakis

Does the court system elude you? Do you find yourself fumbling when the Judge asks for your opinion? If so, this is the training for you. Judge Melonakis will tell you what the judge really wants to hear. By the time you leave this seminar you will be a courtroom expert.

When:  December 13, 2005, check-in 8:30 am presentation 9:00 am — Noon 

Where: Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Asel Hall, 4500 Wadsworth Blvd, Wheat Ridge, CO 

Cost: CAFCA members $20, non-members $35 *includes continental breakfast

Reservation Required by December 8^th: CAFCA, Inc. 1120 Lincoln St., Suite 701, Denver, CO  80203 (720) 570-8402 Fax (720) 570-8408 Email for more information: info@cafca.net

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New Book!
Understanding the Medical Diagnosis of Child Maltreatment

The American Humane Association has produced its third edition of Understanding the Medical Diagnosis of Child Maltreatment: A Guide for Nonmedical Professionals, published by Oxford University Press. This new version includes updated information reflecting the latest research on child abuse and neglect. In addition, a companion Web site compliments the book by providing supplementary information on topics such as attachment disorder, self-injury, and abuse of children with developmental disabilities. A wealth of information includes links to resource centers, articles, and medical photographs. Topics include:

• Working with Medical Providers 

•  Cutaneous Manifestations of Abuse 

• Abuse by Burns 

• Abusive Fractures 

•  Child Sexual Abuse 

•  Pediatric Condition Falsification-Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy

•  Well Child Care and Immunizations 

• To order, visit the Oxford University Press Web site: www.oup.com/us/socialwork

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The National Alliance on Secondary Education and Transition (NASET) has a new website: www.nasetalliance.org. The website contains the National Standards and Quality Indicators: Transition Toolkit for Systems Improvement, as well as supporting evidence and research for the Self-Assessment Tool and the Priority-Setting Tool.