Accessibility for Persons in Child Welfare Matters

Colorado's Child Welfare System Interim Study Committee. The bill requires that certain services provided to children or their families comply with the provisions of Title VI of the federal "Civil Rights Act of 1964" if they are provided by a county department of human or social services (county department) , city and county, or a private-entity contractor. Furthermore, the bill requires that the county department, city and county, or private-entity contractor make reasonable efforts take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful language access to services in the person's primary language for a person with limited English proficiency, in a timely manner and without unreasonable delay.

The bill requires a court to provide language access, including translation and interpretation services, to a child, parent, guardian, custodian, or other party in a dependency and neglect case if the person has limited English proficiency.

The bill requires that during a dispositional hearing concerning the best interests of a child, reasonable efforts must be made to ensure meaningful access to services in the person's primary language for a person with limited English proficiency in a timely manner and without unreasonable delay the court consider services and programs that provide the parent and child with language access and effective communication. The bill requires the department of human services (department) to develop and implement a language access plan to address the rights and needs of persons with limited English proficiency. The department is also required to develop a resource bank of common documents that are in plain language, translated into non-English languages, and are made accessible to counties, cities and counties, or private-entity contractors. The bill appropriates $74,953 from the judicial stabilization cash fund to the judicial department for use by courts administration.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)