How to Become a Foster Parent in Colorado

Quotes about foster care

How to Become a Foster Parent in Colorado

Close to 400,000 children are in the U.S. foster care system, and the numbers are on the rise. Yet, the path to becoming a foster parent in Colorado can often seem unclear. FosterUSKids.org is your source for information and guidance, connecting you with a local Colorado agency to simplify becoming a foster parent.

HOW TO FOSTER: A SIX-STEP GLANCE

There are six steps to complete before you can bring a child into your home as a licensed foster parent in Colorado:

1. Request Information About Fostering – 
   FosterUSKids puts the Colorado foster care and adoption agencies at your fingertips.
2. Attend an Orientation Meeting for Foster Parenting –
   Learn more about the foster parent journey: how to become a foster parent, the characteristics of kids in foster care, and state foster care rules and regulations.
    
3. Submit a Foster Parent Application –
   Your agency’s social workers will help you with the required documentation, background checks, personal references, and state-specific criteria.
    
4. Attend Pre-Service Training –
   Around 30 hours of formal parent training cover essential topics from what to expect to trauma-informed foster care.
    
5. Complete an Assessment and Home Study –
   This vital process includes a home visit and interviews with social workers to ensure you are a good fit and ready to be matched with a foster child.
    
6. Receive Your Foster License –
   The typical 3 to 6-month process results in getting your foster family license and welcoming a foster child into your home!

Parenting is a rewarding journey marked by commitment and growth. For foster children in Colorado, the search is not for a perfect parent but someone they can count on for love, care, and a stable home – a foundation that will make a life-altering difference.

We at FosterUSKids are grateful you are on the path to learning more. For detailed guidance through every step, contact a Colorado child-placing agency now.

Requirements to Foster in Colorado

You must meet minimum requirements to provide foster care for children in Colorado. Foster parents for children and families must:

• Be 21 years of age or older
• Maintain sufficient income to support a family
• Have physical and mental capability to care for children and youth
• Pass a child abuse background and criminal background check
• Work with a treatment team and undergo future training
• Complete a Home Study

Prospective foster families can contact a Colorado child placement agency or your local Department of Human Services. Social workers in these child welfare agencies will provide information about Colorado's child welfare system, foster care, and the adoption process.

Social workers recommended that other adults and children in your home agree to provide long-term home care, too. If everyone is ready to welcome a new child, your local agency will help your home become an approved foster home.

Foster FAQs for Colorado

From new terms to legal requirements, there is much to understand about foster care in Colorado. Here are FAQs from Colorado's aspiring foster families.

Why do Kids End Up in Foster Care?

Children end up in foster care through no fault of their own. Social workers may have identified safety concerns, abuse or neglect, or the death of a parent. Many kids need a temporary home until they resolve their case plan. Others cannot return home and need adoption or long-term care.

Do I Have To Be Married to Foster in Colorado?

No. Foster parents can be married or single. They can also have a domestic partner. The state does not make foster decisions based on race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or gender identity. Colorado welcomes adults willing and able to provide loving, stable homes for foster children.

Can I Keep My Job if I Work Outside the Home?

Yes. Parents can work inside or outside the home. When both adults work, they can still be foster parents if they have time to take care of a child.

Is There a Limit to How Many Children I Can Have?

Colorado law states that foster families can have up to eight kids (including their biological children) simultaneously living in the home.

However, there are also space requirements to meet. Each child needs enough space for their own bed and personal belongings.

Do I Have to Contact the Birth Parents?

In some cases, foster parents coordinate with birth parents to schedule visits and ensure the well-being of the child. Contact can take many forms, such as phone or video calls, emails, or other communications.

Foster agencies in Colorado

Select My Foster Agency in Colorado

General Foster FAQs

General Statistics About Foster Care

• 4,348

  Kids in Colorado's foster care system

• 3,542

  Kids entering foster care in Colorado

• 872

  Colorado foster kids awaiting adoption

• 9 Years

  Median age of a child in Colorado's foster care system

What is the current state of foster care? Like much of the United States, Colorado needs more foster parents and adoptive families. There are many more children than available homes to care for them.

The latest 2021 report from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report in Colorado says there are: 

• 4,248 kids in Colorado's foster care system
• 3,542 kids who entered foster care
• 872 foster kids awaiting adoption

Colorado's foster care system has kids spanning all age groups, with the median age being 9 years old. 25% of children spend 1-5 months, and 8% spend 3-4 years in foster care. The median time in care is 11.3 months.

54% of children in foster care live with a non-relative. 74% of foster case plans include reunification with birth parents or primary caregivers. However, there are several reasons why children may not be able to reunite with their families. 16% of Colorado case plans involved adoption.

The facts can feel grim, but you may be the dependable source of love and support every child needs. Fostering or adoption can change your life. This heartwarming Colorado couple is proof. They could not have children, so over ten years' time, they fostered a dozen kids and adopted seven family members.

Support Services for Foster Parents in Colorado

No need to be a perfect parent or have specific experience to foster a child in Colorado. Rather, Colorado foster children need adults who can give them time and energy. Completing foster applications and the foster Home Study can seem overwhelming. Colorado has services to help prospective and current foster families, as well as youth in foster care.

The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) and your local licensed child placement agency are the first options for information about foster care. They will provide training for foster parenting, including how to support young people who have experienced child abuse and neglect. Departments of health and human services and Colorado's Foster Source provide excellent ongoing resources for foster families, including educational panel discussions.

Your foster and adoption caseworker is also a contact for questions or concerns. They are responsible for finding foster families to support their children's needs.

The Colorado State Foster Parent Association (CSFPA) is another resource for foster families. They provide educational materials, programs, and other support services to foster, adoptive, and kinship families.

Building a support system is critical to success as a foster parent. This network of supporters can share your good times and give advice or support when you face an obstacle.

Now is the Time to Become a Foster Parent in COLORADO

Every day in Colorado, children from all age groups enter foster care, some with no belongings of their own, all without an adult they can depend on. Every Colorado kid needs a soft place to land and a place to call home. Whether you can offer temporary care or become a forever family, your interest could mean a brighter, more secure future for a child in Colorado.

Still undecided? A Colorado child-placing agency is here to guide you, providing answers about stipends, coaching, therapy resources, and foster parent training.

Take the next step: Begin your parenting journey by fostering a Colorado child today.