Colorado Takes Big Steps Forward for Foster Youth

Two new Colorado Bills have recently been signed into law that are significantly advancing the rights and well-being of foster youth:

1. Right now, there’s no standardized approach across counties for how children are moved from one home to another. This leads to inconsistent, and often abrupt, transitions that can further traumatize already vulnerable youth. HB25-1097, Placement Transition Plans for Children set out to address this by:

• Requiring the Colorado Department of Human Services to create a consistent placement transition plan template for counties.

• Ensuring communication frameworks are in place before and after a child is moved, involving the child and caregivers in the process.

• Providing training for caseworkers and foster/kinship parents, co-designed by people with lived experience.

• Reducing emotional harm by creating better-coordinated transitions.

  
  

In 2024 alone, children in care in Colorado experienced over 2,400 transitions, with some facing as many as eight moves during their total time in care. This instability can have lifelong impacts. HB25-1097 is trying to honor the rights and emotional needs of foster youth. Folks with lived experience in child welfare showed up in support of this bill, which was a powerful and meaningful force for action! With birth parents, foster/kin parents, and former foster youth all in favor of this bill, the legislators were moved to action!

2. The goal of HB25-1271 Federal Benefits for Youth in Foster Care was to ensure foster children’s financial benefits are used for their intended purpose and remaining funds can be a foundation to start their lives when they age out of foster care. Children should not be responsible for covering their own costs of care, and this bill fixed that for children/youth who are receiving federal benefits. An estimated 10%-20% of children in foster care qualify for federal benefits such as Social Security, railroad retirement, and veterans’ benefits. This money is the child’s property under federal law. It is common practice for states or counties to use these funds to offset the cost of foster care instead of using them for the child’s unmet needs or saving them for the child’s future use. This Bill provided changes for children/youth who qualify for survivor benefits by:

• Requiring counties to disclose whether a child is receiving or is eligible for federal benefits.

• Screen every child annually and if a child should be eligible, ensure that the county applies for the benefits on the child’s behalf.

• Require counties to provide notice of the application to the child/guardian/parents/attorney. This allows the parties involved to participate in the funds management process.

• Require the child's federal benefits be set aside for the child's "unmet needs" meaning financial needs that the counties are not legally required to cover, including: tuition, tutoring, and training costs; transportation to work, training, education or to maintain family connections; housing expenses when a child is preparing to leave care; and technology, special clothing, instruments, books and other items related to their hobbies and interests.

• Work towards the future prosperity of foster youths by setting up trusts/savings.

• Conduct an annual review of counties’ use/application/conservation of the child’s federal benefits.

These landmark legislative wins underscore a growing commitment in Colorado to honor and protect the emotional and financial well-being of children in foster care. Cobbled Streets and Be the Source celebrate these strides toward creating more stable, hopeful paths for foster youth across our communities.

Written By Jody Britton, Director of Family Services, Be the Source (formerly Foster Source)