Implementing Trauma Screening and Trauma Assessment in Child Welfare: The Journey of Seven Colorado Counties

The child welfare system (CWS) works diligently to assess safety and build supports for millions of youth and families every year. In Colorado, seven counties formed the Colorado Child Welfare Resiliency Project (CWRP) and over the last five years have completed over 3,000 trauma screens and 800 trauma assessments. The initial evidence from this project suggests that the trauma screening and assessment practices hold promise in contributing to positive outcomes for youth involved in CWS in Colorado, especially regarding congregate care placements.