Legislative declaration

(1) The general assembly finds and declares that: (a) Child abuse and neglect is a serious and reprehensible problem in society; (b) The protection of children from abuse and neglect by applying prevention measures and observing best practices in treating children who are abused and neglected must be one of Colorado's highest public policy priorities; (c) The child protection system must protect and serve Colorado's children in a manner that keeps them safe and healthy and promotes their well-being; (d) The children and families served by the child protection system, as well as the public, must have a high level of confidence that the system will act in a child's best interests and will respond to the child's needs in a timely and professional manner; (e) To engender this high level of confidence in the child protection system, it is important that children and families who become involved in the system, mandatory reporters, and the general public have a well-publicized, easily accessible, and transparent grievance process for voicing concerns regarding the child protection system along with the expectation that those concerns, once voiced, will be heard and addressed in a timely and appropriate manner; and (f) To improve child protection outcomes and to foster best practices, there must be effective accountability mechanisms, including the review and evaluation of concerns voiced by children and families, mandatory reporters, persons involved in the child protection system, and members of the general public, that provide policymakers with the information necessary to formulate systemic changes, where appropriate. (2) The general assembly further finds and declares that the establishment of the office of the child protection ombudsman will: (a) Improve accountability and transparency in the child protection system and promote better outcomes for children and families involved in the child protection system; and (b) Allow families, concerned citizens, mandatory reporters, employees of the state department and county departments, and other professionals who work with children and families to voice their concerns, without fear of reprisal, about the response by the child protection system to children experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, child maltreatment.