Disparities Leadership Committee

The purpose of the Disparities Leadership Committee to the Colorado Disparities Resource Center (CDRC) is to provide statewide leadership. Specifically, the committee will advise project staff on the development of strategies, policies and procedures for use in counties across the state that can best help the CDRC carry out its function of providing and promoting resources to eliminate or reduce service disparities for children of color in the child welfare system.

The Disparities Leadership Committee is considered the link between American Humane Association, the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), county staff, state staff, constituents, allied professional organizations and community-/faith-based organizations.

Responsibilities

• Become familiar with the purpose, objectives and goals of the CDRC.
• Assist CDRC staff in evaluating the current level of service disparities in Colorado.
• Help set priorities for future planning, including developing and expanding services at both the state and county levels to reduce disparities in both child welfare and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) communities.
• Assist the CDRC in identifying barriers to engaging allied professionals, workforce development services and locating services that are equitable for families of color, and recommending solutions.
• Help project staff identify other effective methods of incorporating family involvement and participation in program and policy development.
• Help strengthen community awareness of the levels of disproportionality and disparities in Colorado and recognition of CDRC goals and objectives.
• Network and share information between the Disparities Leadership Committee and other social/human service agencies.
• Make presentations and provide training as needed to CDRC project staff.
• Participate and present at statewide planning meetings, community partnership meetings, and Learning Community meetings.
• Assist with identifying the effective programs that address disparities.
• Assist in the development and review of materials.

Expectations

• Provide connections to county departments.
• Represent the concerns and needs of children and families of color within both the child welfare and TANF systems.
• Establish and maintain lines of communication between counties, project staff of the CDRC, the state and CDHS staff.
• Share experiences with accessing equitable services and supports for Colorado children of color so that problem areas can be identified and addressed through state and county systems development activities.
• Possess the communication and interpersonal skills necessary to contribute to the committee.
• Respect the privacy and confidentiality of other committee members and the families served.
• Attend scheduled meetings of the committee and serve the complete term.

Membership Shall Include

• A constituent or constituents from an overrepresented population in Colorado’s child welfare system with past involvement in child protective services. (A constituent is defined as a parent, grandparent, youth or foster care alumni.)
• A community member who has knowledge of and is interested in improving service equity for children and families of color within the child welfare system.
• An allied professional with knowledge of and interest in improving service equity for children and families of color within the child welfare system.
• A judge presiding over dependency and neglect child welfare cases.
• A director or administrator from a large and balanced area of the state or representatives from a metro and rural county human/social service agency.

Term of Service

• Participants will be asked to serve on the Disparities Leadership Committee from August 2010 through June 2012.

Meetings

• The Disparities Leadership Committee will meet in person as a group two times during the project. This meeting will be scheduled during September 2010 at the Daniels Fund in Denver, Colo.
• Monthly phone calls will occur between the Disparities Leadership Committee and project staff on the third Thursday of each month to assess progress and direction of project activities.
• All Disparities Leadership Committee members will be provided with a call schedule for the life of the project.
• Disparities Leadership Committee members will attend, facilitate and/or participate in statewide planning meetings, community partnership meetings and Learning Community meetings and calls with counties throughout Colorado. These meetings are designed to bring together professionals in the child welfare, juvenile justice and education systems, as well as community members and advocates, to develop strategies and resources to combat disparities.

Officers

• The Disparities Leadership Committee chair and co-chair (Judge Katherine Delgado and Corey Johnson, respectively) are responsible for the following duties:
• Help create an agenda for meetings.
• Preside over meetings.
• Help provide direction for CDRC activities.
• Ensure that minutes are taken and that they are made available to both the membership and the public by posting them on the CDRC website.