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Home Courts Supreme Court Committees Court Improvement Program
Home Courts Supreme Court Committees Court Improvement Program
Court Improvement Program



The Court Improvement Program (CIP) was created as a result of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (also known as the Family Preservation and Support Act ). The Act required an original assessment on how Colorado handles its cases involving children, in particular dependency and neglect cases. Numerous recommendations were made as to how to improve the cases, and the Court Improvement Program was created to oversee the implementation of these recommendations.

The CIP is primarily concerned with improving the way the individual courts in Colorado handle dependency and neglect cases in order to improve the safety, permanency and well-being outcome for the children and families the court serves. The federal government awards close to $500,000 to help Colorado achieve its goals and improving outcomes. Through the efforts of judicial officers, court staff, and other child welfare stakeholders involved with the process, Colorado continues to innovate when it comes to working with these very sensitive cases.

 

Visit our new CIP Website: https://cip.colorado.gov/

 CONTACTS

Megan Kearsley- Court Improvement Program Coordinator megan.kearsley@judicial.state.co.us 

Jess Sucherman- CIP Legal Strategist

jessica.sucherman@judicial.state.co.us 

 

For questions about the annual Convening on Children, Youth and Families, contact: ColoradoConveningonChildrenYouthandFamilies@judicial.state.co.us

SAVE THE DATE: The 2023 Virtual Convening on Children, Youth and Families is April 24th and 25th. Registration details coming soon! 

 

For more Legal and Judicial Training resources, visit this link: Family First Prevention Services Act: Judicial Training Resources There you can view recorded trainings and access the QRTP Bench Card. 

2021-2026 CIP Strategic Plan

CIP Goals 2019-2021 2021-2022 Goals are coming soon!

Best Practice Court Team Description

District Plans for Handling Dependency & Neglect Cases

Dependency & Neglect System Reform (DANSR)

DANSR Webpage
Goals for 2019-2021

Education, Training and Evaluation

Recommendations and Suggested Models for Colorado's CIP Training Evaluation System

Historical

Child Abuse and Neglect Cases - A Reassessment
Colorado's 1996 Court Improvement Program Final Assessment Report
Colorado's 2002 Court Improvement Program Final Assessment Report
Colorado Courts' Recommendations for Family Cases prepared by the Court Improvement Committee
Out of Home Placement Deviation Report      Addendum PDF
Chief Justice Mandate - Notice of all Court Proceedings (256K pdf)
2006 Pew Plan Update, National Judicial Leadership Summit One Year Later (5MB doc)
CFSR Statewide Assessment Instrument
2008 Assessment of The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children in Colorado Courts
Federal Clarification - Age-Appropriate Consultation with the Child (77k pdf)
Respondent Parents' Counsel Task Force

 

CIP Committee Meetings

February 11, 2022
May 13, 2022
August 12, 2022
November 4, 2022

Handbooks and Resources

Handbook for Families in Dependency & Neglect Cases    PDF Spanish
Handbook for Colorado children who are not living at home
          Ages 3-6         PDF English          PDF Spanish
          Ages 7-12       PDF English          PDF Spanish
          Ages 13-18     PDF English          Word

Adams Advisement Relative Affidavit
Adams Relative Affidavit Family Tree
El Paso Advisement Relative Affidavit Advisement Part 1 Court Form
El Paso Affidavit Part 2
Jeffco Procedure for Relative Affidavit
Jeffco Relative Affidavit Final
Mesa County Resource Affidavit
Mesa County Logic Model
Mesa County Resource Affidavit Court Procedure
Advisement Statute
JDF 559 Relative Affidavit Advisement
Best Business Practice Confirmation of Foster Care Dependency
Confirmation of Foster Care
Crossover Youth Practice Model

Site Visits

International Site Visit Story

 

For questions about the CIP, please contact Megan Kearsley, megan.kearsley@judicial.state.co.us

 

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