Back to Blogs News & Press Five Colorado Families Recognized in Celebration of National Foster Care Month DENVER (May 6, 2024) — To mark National Foster Care Month and encourage more Coloradans to become foster parents, the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) recognized five foster families during a luncheon at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on Saturday, May 4, 2024.  “These families are examples of ordinary Coloradans doing something extraordinary to strengthen families and their community. Their support for reunification and commitment to caring for youth of ..read more

Back to Blogs Parent Partner Blog Partner Profile: Investing in Foster Family Support with FosterSource Fostering children isn’t easy. Up to 70% of new foster parents quit within the first 1-2 years. Cindy, a single mom and foster parent of two kids, understands how difficult it can be and found herself struggling with a variety of things related to foster care during the pandemic – from how to navigate child welfare systems to supporting her kids with special needs. Thankfully, Cindy met Renee Bernhard, a previous foster parent and the founder and executive director of FosterSource. Fos ..read more

Back to Blogs Community Blog On the Case: Rural Caseworker Serves as a Strong Advocate for Her Community Linnea Edwards is the ultimate advocate for rural casework. As the Deputy Director for Child Welfare in Ouray and San Miguel counties, she sees firsthand the impact child welfare has in her small community.  “You really get to know your people—in your office, in your community, in law enforcement,” said Linnea. “Because of the limited number of services we have available in our community, you learn to think outside the box when it comes to getting families what they need and show ..read more

Back to Blogs Child Welfare Blog Colorado Kinnected Exemplary Status On March 21, 2024, Colorado Kinnected, Colorado’s kinship navigator program was one of 12 programs nationally to be distinguished as an exemplary program by the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center. For a kinship/grandfamilies policy, practice, or program to be considered “exemplary,” it should be well-defined, meet the needs of its intended recipients consistently and effectively, and be sustainable over time. Colorado Kinnected supports kinship families with a whole famil ..read more

Back to Blogs News & Press Colorado is Committed to Strengthen Families and Prevent Child Abuse DENVER (April 1, 2024) — The Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) at the Colorado Department of Human Services recognizes April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. OCYF calls all individuals, communities, legislators, state agencies, media, organizations as well as public and private service providers in the state to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect from ever happening. This collective responsibility creates a positive support system that families can rely on d ..read more

Back to Blogs Community Blog Governor Polis Proclaims April Child Abuse Prevention Month April marks the beginning of Child Abuse Prevention Month in Colorado.  Communities across the nation and Colorado are planting pinwheel gardens and wearing blue throughout the month of April. The Office of Children, Youth and Families calls all individuals, communities, legislators, state agencies, media, and organizations, as well as public and private service providers in the state, to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect from ever happening. Child Abuse Prev ..read more

Back to Blogs Community Blog On the Case: Utilizing Education to Pursue a Career in Child Welfare Almost 18 years ago, Brenda Jarmon applied for a job opening with Montezuma County’s Child Welfare Department as a case aid simply because she needed a job at a time when there were limited options in her small community. “I had no clue what a caseworker did at first,” said Brenda. “After a few months, the families started touching my heart. I quickly realized that if I was going to take on more responsibility to help them, I had to get a bachelor’s degree.” A few years later, after Brenda ..read more

Back to Blogs Community Blog On the Case: Hardworking Immigrant Finds Calling as Child Welfare Caseworker in Routt County This post is part of the CO4Kids On The Case blog series that shares insights from Colorado child welfare caseworkers about the important work they do and why they chose a career in social work.  In 2013, Paunita Muset took a vacation to the United States. Though she was born and raised in Moldova, a former Soviet republic country in Eastern Europe, the moment Paunita stepped foot in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, she knew she was home. When she was younger, Paunit ..read more

Back to Blogs Community Blog Celebration of Educational Excellence The Colorado Department of Higher Education and the Colorado Department of Human Services are partnering with organizations and community partners to recognize young people involved in foster care or youth services who have graduated from high school, received a GED, or obtained a college degree this year. The Celebration of Educational Excellence (CEEX) was created 26 years ago in response to the poor educational outcomes of current and former foster youth. The Celebration has grown and expanded throughout its histo ..read more

Nominate a colleague to be recognized for child welfare worker appreciation week ..read more