Colorado Domestic Violence Coordination Framework
Statewide DV response collaboration model for organizations operating within Colorado.
Colorado Interagency Collaboration Overview
Regional Collaboration Structure in Colorado
Colorado’s domestic violence response environment is characterized by a mix of statewide coalitions, regional collaboratives, and county-level coordination bodies. Many agencies operate across judicial districts, public health regions, or human-services catchment areas, creating overlapping but complementary structures.
Organizations considering deeper collaboration in Colorado typically map their role within:
- Statewide advocacy and policy coalitions
- Regional or multi-county collaboratives
- County-level human services and coordinated entry systems
- Issue-specific networks (e.g., housing, child welfare, legal services)
Core Regional Collaboration Models
Colorado entities can align with several common regional models. Many communities blend elements from multiple models based on capacity, funding, and geography.
1. Judicial District–Anchored Coordination
Under this model, coordination is organized around Colorado’s judicial districts, leveraging existing relationships between prosecution, law enforcement, probation, and victim services.
- Convened by district attorneys, courts, or regional victim assistance coordinators
- Includes cross-county cooperation where circuits serve multiple rural jurisdictions
- Often used for protocol development, data trend review, and joint trainings
2. Human Services and Public Health Regions
Some regions coordinate primarily through county human services and public health structures, especially where domestic violence intersects with child protection, behavioral health, and housing.
- Emphasis on service integration and referral pathways
- Involves local public health agencies, community mental health centers, and housing authorities
- Useful for aligning funding strategies and shared screening tools
3. Metro and Rural Multi-County Collaboratives
Front Range metro areas and rural regions often form collaboratives that cross municipal or county lines to address volume, geography, and resource distribution.
- Metro collaboratives tend to focus on system interoperability and specialized services
- Rural collaboratives emphasize coverage, transportation, and limited-provider coordination
- Commonly used to develop cross-agency agreements and shared on-call systems
Multi-Agency Task Forces in Colorado
Multi-agency task forces in Colorado typically operate as formal or semi-formal bodies with defined scope, membership expectations, and reporting practices. They often connect criminal-legal, social service, and community-based partners.
Typical Task Force Focus Areas
- Criminal-Legal Coordination: Case flow mapping, protocol alignment, and communication between law enforcement, prosecutors, probation, and victim services.
- High-Utilizer or High-Risk Case Reviews: Structured, de-identified reviews to identify system gaps and improve coordinated responses.
- Housing and Stabilization: Coordination between shelters, rapid re-housing providers, housing authorities, and supportive service agencies.
- Child and Family Systems: Alignment of domestic violence response with child welfare, family courts, and supervised visitation programs.
- Training and Technical Support: Cross-agency training plans, onboarding standards, and shared resource development.
Task Force Governance and Operations
Task forces in Colorado often use a light but structured governance approach to maintain continuity across leadership transitions and funding cycles.
- Co-chairs from different sectors (e.g., one community-based agency, one system agency)
- Written scope of work, membership roster, and meeting cadence
- Documented decision-making processes (consensus, voting, advisory recommendations)
- Rotating workgroups to handle technical topics (e.g., data, policy review, training)
Eligibility Criteria for Colorado Partners
Eligibility for participation in Colorado’s regional collaborations and task forces varies by region and convening body. The following criteria represent common practice rather than formal statewide rules.
Organizational Eligibility Considerations
- Mission Alignment: Commitment to improving coordinated responses to domestic violence within applicable statutes and local policies.
- Legal Status: Operation as a recognized entity (e.g., nonprofit, tribal program, government agency, or formally registered initiative).
- Service Footprint: Active service delivery within the defined region or a clear role supporting that region (e.g., statewide hotlines, technical assistance providers).
- Capacity to Participate: Ability to designate representatives, attend meetings regularly, and contribute to joint work products.
Role-Based Participation
Many Colorado collaborations balance representation across sectors to avoid system over- or under-representation.
- Dedicated seats or categories for community-based domestic violence agencies
- Representation from law enforcement, prosecution, defense, and courts where appropriate
- Inclusion of housing, behavioral health, and child welfare stakeholders
- Opportunities for specialized providers (e.g., culturally specific programs, disability services, rural health clinics) to opt in
Participation Expectations
Collaborations often define expectations in written participation agreements or addenda to larger MOUs, addressing:
- Attendance thresholds and notice processes
- Communication channels and points of contact
- Respectful information sharing, confidentiality, and data-handling standards
- Commitment to shared work, such as policy review or training implementation
Network Integration Steps for Colorado Agencies
Agencies in Colorado can take structured steps to integrate with existing networks or to formalize their role in emerging collaborations.
1. Regional Landscape Scan
Before joining or initiating a collaboration, agencies often complete a mapping exercise:
- Identify existing coalitions, task forces, and workgroups at state, regional, and county levels
- Clarify which judicial district(s), health region(s), and human services areas they serve
- Determine overlapping memberships and potential duplication with existing bodies
2. Alignment with Existing Structures
Where possible, agencies generally seek alignment rather than creating new entities:
- Attend existing meetings as guests or observers to understand local culture and priorities
- Request information on existing MOUs, charters, or participation agreements
- Identify where the agency’s services or expertise fill current gaps
3. Formalizing Participation
Once alignment is confirmed, agencies can work with conveners to formalize their role.
- Sign onto existing MOUs or add agency-specific addenda
- Designate primary and secondary representatives and clarify decision-making authority
- Agree on information-sharing parameters consistent with agency policies and applicable regulations
- Document expectations around meeting preparation, follow-up, and workgroup assignments
4. Integration of Internal Operations
Internal adjustments often support more effective participation in Colorado collaborations:
- Align internal intake, documentation, and referral processes with regional protocols where feasible
- Ensure staff roles and job descriptions reflect interagency responsibilities
- Incorporate regional collaboration objectives into strategic plans and supervision structures
5. Ongoing Review and Re-Alignment
Colorado’s policy and funding environment evolves regularly, including changes in state legislation, administrative rules, and grant programs. Agencies often:
- Review collaborative agreements annually for relevance and clarity
- Adjust membership and representation based on staff transitions and new programs
- Coordinate with funders to ensure collaborative roles are consistent with grant scopes
Cross-Agency Data and Information Sharing
Colorado collaborations typically adopt practical, policy-aligned approaches to data and information sharing that balance coordination needs with privacy requirements.
Operational Data-Sharing Practices
- Use of aggregated or de-identified data for trend analysis and system planning
- Clear distinction between case consultation and system-improvement discussions
- Standardized meeting language to avoid sharing unnecessary individual-level information
- Documentation of information-flow diagrams (who shares what, with whom, and for what purpose)
Documentation and Agreements
Many Colorado regions supplement general MOUs with focused data-related documents:
- Data-sharing appendices that outline categories of data and intended uses
- Protocols for secure communication (e.g., encrypted email, secure portals)
- Role-based access guidelines within each partner agency
Funding Collaboration in Colorado Regions
Cross-agency funding strategies in Colorado often follow a collaborative, but distributed, model in which agencies maintain separate contracts while aligning implementation.
Common Funding Collaboration Approaches
- Coordinated Grant Planning: Agencies share information about upcoming funding opportunities and coordinate to avoid duplication and identify joint initiatives.
- Lead Agency Models: One agency serves as fiscal lead for multi-partner efforts, with sub-awards or MOUs defining roles.
- Regional Funding Tables: Multi-agency groups advise local foundations, county governments, or state-administered programs on regional priorities.
- Outcome Alignment: Partners align performance indicators and reporting frameworks, even when funded separately.
Reporting and Accountability
Colorado collaborations frequently integrate shared reporting practices into operational documents:
- Agreed-upon core metrics (e.g., service access, timeliness of response, referral completion)
- Regular data-sharing cycles for collaborative review (quarterly or semi-annual)
- Use of dashboards or summary briefs to communicate progress to stakeholders