Denver's effort to reform its child welfare system has been singled out as a national model.

For the past few years, Denver has been trying to change the way it deals with foster children. Instead of moving children into foster homes with strangers, the city has tried to place children with relatives or find foster care in the neighborhood where they go to school.

City officials credit the program with reducing the trauma that often accompanies removing children from their home.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation, which developed the "family to family" model of foster care, designated Denver on Tuesday as one of three "host sites" where human services officials from around the county can come to learn about the program. The other cities honored were Cleveland and Louisville, Ky.

To support foster families and work toward reuniting children with their parents, Denver has seven neighborhood centers where caregivers can attend parenting classes, study for the GED, meet with therapists and receive other services.

The Casey Foundation has been promoting this model of foster care as a way to lessen the often devastating consequences of moving children through a series of placements with strangers.