Colorado § 26-5-109 - Child welfare training academy established - rules.

§ 26-5-109. Child welfare training academy established - rules.

(1) There is hereby established within the state department the child welfare training academy, referred to in this section as the "academy", to ensure that certain persons hired to work within child welfare services receive the necessary training to perform the functions of their jobs responsibly and effectively. The state department shall administer the academy in accordance with rules promulgated by the state department pursuant to subsection (2) of this section.

(2) On or before September 15, 2009, the state department shall promulgate rules for the administration of the academy. The rules must include:

(a) Identification of specific job titles within child welfare services that shall be required to attain certification from the academy as a mandatory condition of employment;

(b) Identification of specific job titles within child welfare services that shall be required to complete ongoing or occasional training from the academy as a mandatory condition of employment;

(c) Establishment of minimum standards of competence that a person is required to demonstrate prior to receiving certification from the academy. The standards of competence must include, but are not limited to, a demonstrated ability to perform the duties described in section 19-3-313.5 (2) and a demonstrated understanding of principles and strategies to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the child welfare system.

(d) Identification of means by which a person may demonstrate the minimum standards established pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection (2); and

(e) Establishment of alternative methods for attaining certification from the academy for persons who have already successfully completed comparable child welfare training, including a description of child welfare training that shall be deemed to be comparable to the training offered by the academy.

Source: L. 2009: Entire section added, (SB 09-164), ch. 276, p. 1239, § 2, effective May 19. L. 2024: IP(2) and (2)(c) amended, (SB 24-200), ch. 453, p. 3146, § 2, effective August 7.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in SB 24-200, see section 1 of chapter 453, Session Laws of Colorado 2024.