Task Force Creates Committees

SB 64 has created subcommittees. These committees are open to the public. Interested community members are welcome to participate in committee meetings; however, only task force members can vote on recommendations to be forwarded to the whole task force for approval. All meetings will take place at Mile High United Way.

Here is a list of the Sub-Committees and focus:

1. System Sub-Committee:
Meeting Dates: October 9, 7:30 – 9:00, October 31, 10:00 -12:00; November 13, 7:30 – 9:00, November 27, 7:30 – 9:00; December 11, 7:30 -9:00.

a. 26-6-504 – 3 consult with the department to consider actions the department may take for the purpose of complying with the measures of federal child and family service review pursuant to 42 U.S.C> sec 1320a -2a.

b. 26-6-504 – 4 g. mediate conflicts between foster or adoptive parents and child placement agencies, biological parents or county departments.

c. Explore best practices and promising approaches, cultural competency, kinship, county grievance process, adoption, mental health, support systems, accountability and caseworker loads and training

2. Care Giver Sub-Committee
Meeting Dates: All meeting will take place from 9:00 to 12:00 for this committee. September 25, October 2, October 23, November 6, November 20, December 4, December 18

a. 26-6-504 – 4 a. ensure that foster children and adoptive children are placed in homes that become permanent and comfortable homes, thereby reducing the number of children who are moved repeatedly into foster homes and adoptive arrangements

b. 26-6-504 – 4 b. how to evaluate the motivations of foster parent applicants to ensure that the applicants are motivated by reasons that are in the best interest of children.

c. 26-6-504 – 4 c. how to encourage retention of foster parent who practice foster are for reasons that are good for children.

d. 26-6-504 – 4 d. how to provide foster or adoptive parents will all the available information about a foster child’s behavior before the child is place with the foster or adoptive parents, including contact information for the child’s previous foster or adoptive parent.

e. Explore recruitment, retention, training and support service for foster parents, refining kinship care, bio parents and practice standards and subsidy.

f. Attention should be given to the three types of foster caregivers:

i. Foster families with no intent to adopt
ii. Foster families with an
intent to adopt and
iii. Foster families who have adopted.

3. A Permanency and Child Wellbeing Sub-Committee
Meeting Dates: All meetings will take place from 8:00 – 9:30. October 9, November 13, December 11.

a. 26-6-504 – 4 e. how to ensure that adoptive subsidies remain sufficient to meet the needs of an adoptive child and his or her adoptive parent as the child grows older

b. 26-6-504 – 4 f. how to improve the rate of permanency among individuals who are at least fourteen years of age but younger then twenty-four years of age and who are in the state foster care system or in placement in residential placements.

c. Explore barriers, support services, reunification with bio families, transition for those aging out, OPPLA, community support, kinship care, mental health needs, and statewide adoption.