DENVER—Five Colorado counties are paying $1,200 each to hire a political consultant to fight any move by the state to take over local child welfare and social services.
Arapahoe, Boulder, Douglas, Jefferson and Mesa counties are hiring Katy Atkinson to lobby against a takeover, which would require legislation.
Barbara Drake, Douglas County’s human services chief, says a state-run system would hurt long-established local efforts to address such issues as domestic violence.
The Department of Human Services included a takeover recommendation in a report to Gov. Bill Ritter from a task force investigating deaths in the child welfare system. Ritter says he’ll meet with county officials before any decision is made.
Under the current system, social services are administered by counties and supervised by the state.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
