North Range Behavioral Health offers SafeCare® Colorado, a voluntary program for parents and caregivers with children ages 5 and under who need extra support to keep their families safe and healthy. The North Range SafeCare team has served families in Greeley and throughout Weld County, from Hudson to Erie, Pierce to Windsor and every community in between.
A state grant allows North Range to serve families at no cost. SafeCare builds on parents’ and caregivers’ existing skills in the areas of parent-child interactions, home safety, and child health. SafeCare typically takes 18-20 weekly sessions to complete (about four-six months) and each session (or “topic”) lasts 1 to 1.5 hours. It is delivered in the home or another convenient location by trained Parent Support Providers.
This SafeCare program is one of the top performing programs in Colorado and was awarded a second consecutive National Accreditation from the NSTRC (National SafeCare® Training and Research Center) at Georgia State University for meeting fidelity standards.
North Range is one of four sites in the state chosen to pilot case management services. The case manager has helped many Weld families navigate and access housing, healthcare insurance, immigration resources, public benefits, and schools.
North Range SafeCare is one of the few sites in Colorado that uses reflective practice and supervision for staff development and to reduce burnout and turnover. State administrators at the Office of Early Childhood and The Kempe Center may expand this practice throughout the state.
In 2018-19, this team will focus on growing partnerships with other North Range programs to help clients after they graduate or leave treatment. This ongoing support ensures families remain stable and successful.
During 2017-2018:
- The North Range SafeCare® Team served 119 unique families and exceeded the state-mandated face-to-face visit requirements.
- The team completed 237 SafeCare topics in FY 17-18.
- 59 families completed the entire program during FY 17-18. Research shows completing the entire program reduces the likelihood of being referred or re-referred to child protective services.
SafeCare® Colorado is part of the Child Maltreatment initiative for CDHS (Colorado Department of Human Services) to impact safety, health, and wellness for families with at least one young child (under 6 years). Fourteen regional SafeCare teams serve 39 counties and 2 tribal systems.
"I am part of a team that impacts families in a variety of supportive, preventive, and collaborative ways. My true joy is helping foster growth, professional development, and passion in the amazing group of Parent Support Providers who partner with those families every day across Weld County. I’m so very proud of their efforts and dedication, and thankful we have the opportunity to do this work in our community."
Jamie Preuss, SafeCare® Program Coordinator
