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FAQ

Do foster parents receive payment for foster children who are placed in their homes?

Yes. Foster parents are reimbursed for the care they provide to foster children. The monies are paid by the children’s County of origin to the Child Placement Agency that certifies the foster family. The Child Placement Agency then passes the ‘child maintenance’ portion of the payment through to the foster family. For each day of care provided, foster parents receive $36.36. These payments are tax free.

Do foster children have their own health/dental insurance, or is that the foster family's responsibility?

Each child that is placed in foster care status is enrolled in Medicaid. Medicaid covers most necessary medical (including prescriptions), dental, vision and mental health services that the child will need. Things like orthodontia may not be covered, but special arrangements for these extra services can be made in some cases. Foster parents should not have to pay out of pocket for these services.

Do foster parents have to accept every child that is referred to them?

No. The foster family is an integral part of the team, and will actively participate in deciding who is the best match for their home. Foster parents are never pressured to accept children.

How long does it take to become certified?

Typically, it takes about three months to become certified. In order to become a foster parent, each foster family needs to meet certain criteria set forth by Colorado Department of Human Services. Background checks, the home study, CPR/First Aid certification and CORE training are some of the necessary items that take the most time to complete.

What kinds of children are referred for foster care placement?

We receive referrals for children who are newborn through 20 years of age. Children referred come from every imaginable background; each child’s story is unique. Unfortunately, each child who is referred for foster care placement has a history of abuse, neglect or abandonment in common. There is a special need for foster parents who are able to accept sibling groups, pregnant and parenting teens, and teenagers who are currently living in residential or group home level of care and need to be ‘stepped down’ to a foster home.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FOR FOSTER FAMILIES:

Alvarado
Dr. Gabor Mate
Empowered To Connect
Post Institute
Child Trauma Academy

Colorado has many foster children needing placement, and too few foster homes to care for them

On any given business day, we receive referrals from five to twenty children needing to be placed in a foster home. Children of every age, ethnicity and circumstance are referred, from newborn to 20 years old. Most of our children are referred along with their siblings. All of the children referred for foster care are removed from their family’s care for reasons of abuse and/or neglect. The majority of our referrals for placement originate from the Denver Metro and Colorado Springs area, although we also work with rural communities such as Lake, Summit, Chaffee and Park Counties.