HB19-1308 Summary

• Establishes a new foster care prevention services program in Colorado to align with the federal Family First Prevention Services Act (enacted February 9, 2018), including mental health, substance abuse treatment, parent skill-based programs, and kinship navigator services.

• Defines "qualified residential treatment programs" as licensed, accredited facilities with trauma-informed treatment models for children and youth with serious emotional or behavioral disorders.

• Requires courts to review and approve placements in qualified residential treatment programs within 60 days, ensuring placements are necessary, appropriate, and in the least restrictive environment consistent with the child's permanency plan.

• Authorizes foster care prevention services for up to 12 months per episode of eligibility for children and youth at risk of entering the foster care system, with services defined in individual prevention plans.

• Implementation is contingent upon federal approval of Colorado's five-year Title IV-E prevention plan, with the Department of Human Services authorized to request necessary appropriations from the Joint Budget Committee.