HB15-1337 Summary

• Amends Colorado law to emphasize placement stability for children in foster care by adding findings that emotional disruptions and separation from primary caregivers during early childhood impair brain development and cause long-term mental health issues.

• Changes court review standards from permissive ("may consider") to mandatory ("shall consider") eight specific factors when modifying child placements, including the child's attachment to current caregivers, age, developmental stage, psychological ties to potential permanent placements, and cultural needs.

• Applies the eight mandatory placement consideration factors to both termination of parental rights hearings (section 19-3-605) and permanency review hearings (section 19-3-702).

• Declares that multiple placement moves for children in the dependency and neglect system should be discouraged in favor of permanent planning that supports healthy mental, physical, and emotional development.

• Defines "reasonable efforts" to prevent out-of-home placements as met when counties or city-counties provide services in accordance with section 19-3-208, shifting focus from family reunification alone to placement stability.