§ 26-5.3-102 — Legislative declaration

Colorado § 26-5.3-102

• Jurisdiction: Colorado
• Title 26: Human
• Art.: Emergency Assistance for Families

Text

(1) The general assembly hereby finds
and declares that:

(a) The state of Colorado recognizes its obligation to protect and provide for
the children in Colorado's child welfare system;

(b) The children at imminent risk of being placed out of the home are likely to
be placed out of the home immediately if intervention services are not made
available to such children and their families;

(c) Community and home-based services are effective in helping to avoid the
need to place children out of their homes and to reunite children with their families.
However, alternatives to out-of-home placement are available only to a small
percentage of children in the state due to insufficient statewide resources.

(d) Families with children at imminent risk of being placed out of the home
are families in crisis and in need of emergency assistance to avoid such placement
or to reunite families when an emergency has resulted in an out-of-home
placement, which assistance includes, but is not limited to, intensive family
preservation services and other services designed to maintain a child at home;

(e) Federal financial participation is available to provide emergency
assistance to needy families with children in the form of intake, assessment,
counseling, treatment, and other family preservation services that meet needs of
the family which are attributable to the emergency or crisis situation;

(f) The provision of emergency assistance is likely to reduce the escalating
state general fund costs of out-of-home placements, thereby making moneys
available for other necessary children and family services or programs; and

(g) Because the child welfare system is a contributing factor to the state's
expenditures, it is important to maximize moneys available to the state for child
welfare needs by making service delivery systems family-focused, cost-efficient,
and accessible statewide.

(2) The general assembly further finds and declares that it is therefore
appropriate to authorize the implementation of an emergency assistance program
for families with children at imminent risk of being placed out of the home. In
addition, it is appropriate to develop a plan for the use of moneys saved as a result
of providing emergency assistance to families.

Legislative History

Source: L. 93: Entire article added, p. 1998, � 1, effective June 9.