Why the need for Foster Care and for Foster Families in Larimer County?
  
Turn on the news or open the daily paper and you see how substance abuse, mental illness and domestic violence have negatively impacted so many in our community.  These same factors are key contributors to increasing reports of child abuse and neglect in Northern Colorado. Last year approximately 3,000 children in Larimer County were assessed  by Larimer County Department of Human Services for suspected abuse and neglect. Of those 3,000 children over 500 were confirmed victims of abuse and neglect. Many of those children were required by the Courts to be temporarily removed from their families and placed in the protective custody of Larimer County Department of Human Services for placement into Foster Care.  

Today the Larimer County Department of Human Services has approximately 80-90 foster homes (non- relative) certified to care for children and youth of our community.  Sadly, that is not enough. Currently, Larimer County Department of Human Services has over 250 children and youth in need of temporary placement in foster care. For the children and youth we cannot find a home for they risk placement in foster homes or institutions outside of the county and away from their school, church, friends, neighbors and of course- extended family. We are in need of specially trained and certified foster families to provide temporary homes for our most vulnerable members of our community. 

Placements are considered temporary as they are intended to last only until a plan for the child’s permanency has been developed and approved by the Courts. The majority of children and youth placed in our agency’s custody do eventually return home. However, plans for permanency can vary. Plans for permanency could include return home, permanent custody or adoption by a relative, adoption by a non relative,  or other permanency planning or living arrangement.   

Each child’s circumstance is unique and planning is done on a case by case basis. While average length of stay in foster care by a child in Larimer County could range from 5 to 9 months, many children and youth may need longer time in foster care for their family or extended family to prepare for the child’s return home or other permanency plan to be finalized. For this reason Larimer County is in need of families who can commit to providing emotional safety and stability to a child experiencing confusion and uncertainty about his/her own future. These children need families who are willing and able to help them feel safe and confident in the most uncertain times of their young lives.   Are you and your family able to give that level of commitment and dedication to a child?  If so, we have children in our community who need you!         

Current Needs for Foster Children of Larimer County.                                                                        

We are in need of the following types of homes:
•    Traditional Foster Care Homes for youth ages zero to eighteen.
•    Specialized Foster Care Homes for behaviorally challenged youth
•    Homes for Sibling Groups (of all ages)
•    Homes for Teens (boys and girls)
•    Homes for Teen Moms and Pregnant Teens
•    Homes for Bilingual/ Bicultural Spanish Speaking Children
•    Respite Homes ( certified and non certified)
•    Host Homes for Emancipating Teens (non-certified)     

Qualifications and Expectations

You may make a wonderful foster parent to a child or youth if you...
1) Are at least 21 years old
2) Are single, married, divorced, widowed or in a stable domestic partnership
3) Own or rent your own home
4) Have adequate financial resources to sustain your household independently
5) Demonstrate adequate level of physical fitness and stamina to care for active children
6) Demonstrate personal characteristics/strengths needed to meet the challenges of parent children with varying emotional and behavioral needs associated with past trauma, grief and loss
7) Can work in a partnership with a county agency and are open to consult with others on a child's professional team
8) Can remain open to and maintain safe and appropriate connections with child's extended family of origin
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
If you meet these qualifications and expectations then you're off to a great start!

The Process
People just like you provide foster care to children every day. If you work with Larimer County Department of Human Services and the Colorado public child welfare system, you'll find that becoming a foster parent is a straightforward process.

Contact the Larimer County Foster Care Recruiter at 970 498-6959  to inquire about specifics regarding fostering in Larimer County.  Please review the steps below.

Step 1: Attend an individual foster care program orientation and interview with the Foster Care Program Recruiter/ Coordinator
Step 2: Complete and submit an application.
Step 3: Successfully complete foster parent training classes sponsored by Larimer County Department of Human Services or the State of Colorado.
Step 4: Complete a comprehensive background check
Step 5: Participate in a comprehensive foster family assessment / home study.

Once you successfully complete these steps, you may be certified to foster a child.

Step 1: Orientation
You will meet with the Larimer County Foster Care Program Recruiter to complete a survey and attend an individual orientation about fostering at the county department   
•    What foster care means and what your role and responsibilities as a parent will be.
•    About the children who are placed in out-of-home care, their backgrounds and their ages.
•    What the certification process involves, such as the application form, the required training classes and the foster family assessment.
•    How the child’s caseworker and the foster care resource caseworkers will work with and support you and your family.
•    The legal procedures and the assistance and resources available to foster parents.
•    About permanency, concurrent planning, and situations where children may be placed in the foster home for foster care and later becomes legally free for adoption.

Step 2: The Application
The Colorado Department of Human Services Application To Care For Children doesn't take long to complete, and is free. The county department or private child placement agency where you choose to pursue the family foster care certification will provide you with an application.

Every applicant will have a Colorado and national background check for prior criminal and child abuse records.

Step 3: Training Classes
Foster parents are required to attend training classes as part of the certification process. The classes are taught by experienced child welfare professionals. In addition to helping to prepare you. and your family, the training covers issues including, legal processes and issues, child growth and development, discipline, parenting and family dynamics, the importance of the team approach, working with the birth family, individual differences, as well as the challenges and the rewards of fostering.

Step 4: Background checks                                                                                                              
Families applying to be foster parents are required to submit permission to complete a local, state and federal background check on all family members over the age of 17 residing in the home.   Adults with a confirmed history of misdemeanor/ felony convictions of sexual abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, other crimes of violence, or drug related offenses may not be certified to be a foster parent.   

Step 5: Family Assessment
A foster family assessment – also called a "home study" – is the process that helps us find appropriate families for the children who are temporarily in out-of-home care. Information is gathered through individual and joint interviews with a caseworker or another professional who will visit your home.
Here are some of the areas covered in the family assessment for each applicant:
•    Child and Family History
•    Personal Characteristics and Strengths
•    Marital and Domestic Partnership Relationships
•    Children and other Adults (non parents) living  in the Home
•    Extended Family Relationships and Family Support Network
•    Physical and Social Environment
•    General and Specialized Parenting  Expectations and Skills

Certification and Child Placement
Once your foster family assessment is approved, and you are approved for certification your family will be approved for certification for one year.   Each year your family will be required to renew/ update your certification  by enduring your certification file is up to date and current. After full certification a child placed in the temporary custody of Larimer County Department of Human Services may be matched with your family for temporary placement until permanency for the child is established. 
Other ways to get involved to make a difference or raise awareness for foster and adoptive children of Larimer County 
•    Recruit members of your organization, church, workplace, neighborhood or community center to volunteer to support foster families or to become foster or adoptive parents.
•    Request the assistance of your religious and business leaders in building awareness in the community.
•    Distribute information about foster care and youth in foster care in your community or compelling stories to newsletters, advocacy groups, bulletin boards, public service announcements, parent/teacher organizations, community centers, web sites and special interest groups.   
•    Sponsor or Co-Sponsor an event with Larimer County Department of Human Services or its allies such as Realities for Children
•    Organize an event such as a dinner, coffee gathering, picnic, auction, etc. Invite foster and adoptive families, community activists, elected officials and your friends and encourage them to hold their own events.
•    Enlist Local Newspapers, TV and Radio Stations  and share the need for foster families in our communities
•    Meet with reporters and the editorial board of your newspaper and urge them to write positive stories about foster and adoptive parents, recognizing the need for more foster and adoptive parents. Educate them about the challenges facing youth "aging out" of care.
•    Post information on your personal/organizational web site.
•    Distribute adoption fact sheets, bumper stickers, book marks/inserts, banners and other materials with foster or adoption information.
•    Request that your local grocery stores print foster care messages on their bags
•    Provide Recognition  to  Community / Business support , Kinship Caregivers , Media  and Respite care providers

Contact Information
Contact  Larimer County Department of Human Services Specialized Foster Care and Recruitment Coordinator,
Carla Felts @ 970 498-6959 or email at cfelts@larimer.org for more information on how you can make a difference for foster children in your community!