CO SB162

Expands Colorado's foster care prevention services to comply with the federal Family First Prevention Services Act enacted February 9, 2018, focusing on keeping children with families rather than placing them in foster care.

Defines "qualified individual" as a trained professional or licensed clinician who must assess whether qualified residential treatment program placement is appropriate and provide recommendations to courts, with specified conflicts of interest restrictions.

Requires courts or administrative review divisions to review placements in qualified residential treatment programs within 60 days of placement (or 30 days if the qualified individual does not support the placement), with evidence submitted at least every 90 days thereafter.

Authorizes county departments to provide both child welfare and foster care prevention services while protecting information confidentiality; allows courts to give great weight to qualified individual assessments but requires specific findings of fact if deviating from those assessments.

Appropriates $546,652 in general funds for fiscal year 2020-21 to the Department of Human Services and $389,760 to the judicial department for implementing the act, with an assumption of 1.7 additional FTE positions.