Colorado youth treatment centers generated 1,154 calls to the state child abuse hotline over the past five years, but about 92% of those reports were ‘screened out’ by county child welfare officials — meaning county human services departments determined the allegations did not meet the legal criteria for child abuse or neglect and did not assign them to caseworkers for further investigation, The Colorado Sun reported June 8.
The Sun’s report is based on its review of public records. Here are four things to know:
- County child welfare officials investigated 89 abuse and neglect reports from 11 youth treatment centers, an 8% screen-in rate. That compares with a 26% screen-in rate for all child abuse hotline calls and a 15% rate for calls originating from youth institutions. State officials attributed the lower rate to the unique environment of the facilities, noting that most staff are mandatory reporters and that some calls involve youth behavioral incidents that don’t meet the legal definition of abuse or neglect.
- Several high-profile incidents occurred at treatment centers. Two boys, ages 12 and 15, died after running away from separate facilities in 2018 and 2020 and being struck by vehicles. And in December, a 32-year-old youth treatment counselor at Tennyson Center in Denver — which has since closed its residential program — was charged with four counts of sexual assault of a child by a person in a position of trust after a 15-year-old resident reported they had a sexual relationship, the Sun reported.
- Within one year, El Pueblo Boys and Girls Ranch — a now-closed facility for children with severe behavioral and psychiatric problems — was the subject of 243 reports of suspected abuse and neglect. Most were screened out by Pueblo County caseworkers who determined they were “unfounded,” and only 12% were assigned to caseworkers for further review. The facility was ordered to close in 2017 after the state Office of the Child Protection Ombudsman said children had suffered repeated abuse, including aggressive restraint tactics, bruises and lack of food.
- Since 2019, the Office of the Child Protection Ombudsman has called for a public website that would allow parents and caregivers to view not only the number of hotline reports from youth treatment centers but also the types of allegations and whether corrective action was required. The office has attempted to include the requirement in legislation at least three times in recent years but has not succeeded, according to the Sun. Officials noted that hotline call data alone is incomplete without knowing what the calls were about or how they were resolved — context that is not currently available to the public.
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