House Bill 25-1097, introduced in the Colorado General Assembly on January 27, 2025, mandates the Department of Human Services to develop and adopt a placement transition plan template. This template will guide county or district departments of human or social services in transitioning children between out-of-home placements, such as foster care homes, kinship foster care homes, non-certified kinship care homes, or returning them to their homes. The primary goal is to ensure consistency during transitions and prevent unnecessary or abrupt changes that could negatively impact a child's well-being and sense of security.
Key components of the placement transition plan include:
Pre-transition logistics: Adequate preparation for the child's new placement.
Pre-transition communications: Ensuring interactions are child-centered, trauma-informed, and uphold the rights of children and youth in foster care.
Transition timeline: Establishing a clear schedule for the move.
Physical move plan: Detailed planning of the child's relocation.
Post-transition communications: Framework to support ongoing communication after the move.
Additionally, the department is tasked with creating a statewide training program emphasizing the importance of these transition plans. This training will be accessible online and will feature insights from individuals with lived experience in placement transitions. Newly employed county caseworkers are required to complete this training within their first year, with all caseworkers undergoing refresher training every three years. While participation is optional for foster care and kinship care providers, they are encouraged to engage in the training to enhance their skills in facilitating smooth transitions for children in their care.
Summary
The bill requires the department of human services (department)
to develop and adopt a placement transition plan (plan) template that outlines how a county or district department of human or social services (county department) will transition a child from one out-of-home placement in a foster care home, kinship foster care home, or non-certified kinship care home (placement) to another or back to the child's home. The purpose of the plan is to create consistency in transitioning children from one placement to another and to prevent children from experiencing unnecessary or abrupt placement changes that affect their well-being or sense of security.
The plan, at a minimum, must include: •
A determination of pre-transition logistics to adequately prepare for the child's new placement;
•
A framework for pre-transition communications between the county department caseworker and individuals who are directly involved in the transition to ensure the transition is child-centered, trauma-informed, and in compliance with the rights of children and youth in foster care;
•
A timeline to transition the child to a new placement;
•
A plan to physically move the child to the new placement; and
•
A framework for post-transition communications.
The department, within existing resources, shall create a training
on the importance of plans that is recorded and made available on a training system that can be accessed statewide. The training must focus on plans and individuals who have lived experience with placement transitions.
Newly employed county caseworkers must complete the training
within the first year of employment as a county caseworker. All caseworkers must complete this training every 3 years. A foster care, kinship foster care, or non-certified kinship care provider (provider) may complete the training and may receive support from the department or the county department to improve the provider's skills in transitioning a child in the provider's care from one placement to another.
