Foster care and adoption

Thank you for your interest in Garfield County’s children, and our foster care and adoption programs.

There are currently approximately 25 children living in out-of-home care in Garfield County.

There is no “typical” child who comes into care. The children are boys and girls of all ages and from all ethnic backgrounds. They enter the foster care system.

Our primary goal is reuniting children with their parents and families. However, some children and youth will need a permanent adoptive family. Feel free to call and inquire about being a foster or adoptive parent.

Foster care information

Family foster homes provide temporary substitute care for children, from birth through 18, who have been removed from their families due to physical, sexual or emotional abuse, neglect, or the parent is otherwise unavailable.

Foster parents offer day-to-day care and guidance until the child can be reunited with his or her birth family, move to a kinship family or permanent adoptive home or emancipate.

Caseworkers work closely with foster parents to identify and meet the special needs of the child(ren).The children are covered by Medicaid insurance and the foster parents are given a monthly stipend to help reimburse the cost of care.

Foster family adoption

If it is determined that a child cannot return to his or her birth family home, Garfield County Department of Human Services is responsible for finding a permanent home.

Permanency can be achieved by permanent custody with kin, or adoption. In cases where the birth parents are unable to make changes and cannot protect and care for their child, parental rights may be relinquished or terminated. The child then needs a permanent family through adoption.

Foster families who are interested in adopting are called Foster-Adopt Families. These families give their hearts to a child, not knowing if the child will be returning to a birth family or if he or she will become legally free for adoption.

While some of our Foster-Adopt placements result in finalized adoptions, it is important to understand that this outcome is not guaranteed. Again, Foster-Adopt parenting is about the child. For a child’s sake, consider taking the risk!

Services

• Adoption – competent staff available to meet with you
• Continued contact and support from the Garfield County foster care coordinator
• Financial assistance
• Information on community resources

Garfield County post-adoption services

970-625-5282, ext. 3120

Children are waiting!

There are many children waiting to be adopted throughout the state of Colorado and across the nation.

Resources

For more information visit the following websites:

AdoptUSKids

Raise the Future

• Funding for special needs of children
• Information, support and referrals
• Lists of post-adoption services
• Family and professional seminar
• An annual conference
• Funding for several county post adoption services
• Newsletters and much more!