By Will Braunstein, Executive Director
Earlier this year, I joined Child Advocacy Center leaders from across Colorado at the State Capitol for Hill Day with the Colorado Children’s Alliance.
We talked with legislators about something we see every day in this work: when the response to child abuse is coordinated, trauma-informed, and centered around the child, children and families do better.
This spring, Colorado took important steps in that direction.
When the System Works Together, Children Benefit
Two pieces of legislation will help strengthen how children experiencing abuse are supported across our state.
HB26-1142 helps ensure children experiencing sexual abuse are more consistently connected to Child Advocacy Centers like DCAC. That matters because when a child comes through our doors, they are often walking into one of the hardest moments of their life.
Our job is to help make that experience feel safer, more coordinated, and less traumatic. Instead of families trying to navigate multiple systems on their own, Child Advocacy Centers bring together forensic interviewers, family advocates, mental health professionals, medical providers, and law enforcement in one coordinated response.
HB26-1103 helps strengthen and clarify the Child Advocacy Center model itself, supporting multidisciplinary teamwork, improving coordination, and reinforcing protections for professionals working in good faith on behalf of children.
Why Coordination Matters
That coordination may sound administrative, but for children and families, it has a real impact.
Without a coordinated system, children may have to repeat painful details multiple times. Families may struggle to understand where to go or who to trust. Agencies may unintentionally work in silos.
We can do better than that. And increasingly, Colorado is.
A Shared Commitment to Children
What encouraged me most during our conversations at the Capitol was that support for children crossed political lines. Protecting children and strengthening families should never be partisan issues.
I’m grateful to the legislators, partners, and advocates across Colorado who continue pushing this work forward.
At DCAC, we are proud to be part of building a system that responds to children not just with urgency, but with compassion, coordination, and care.
