Welcome!
When children experience abuse, neglect, or other hardships, they may need to be temporarily placed outside of the home to stay safe and well. Foster parents step up to be the difference for these children by providing them with temporary care while we work with their families to access tools and supports to create safer environments for their children.
Foster care provides temporary care of a child or children while supporting family and agency efforts to reunify the parents with their children. Most children served by the agency remain at home, but for those children whose safety requires temporary removal, the goal is always to reunite the family.
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Logan County needs foster families to serve children of all ages and their families. The children most in need of your help are adolescents, siblings who wish to stay together in foster care, and children with special needs.
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How We Partner with Foster Parents
It takes a team of people to provide support for children and youth in foster care. Our goal is to work cooperatively with biological families and foster parents to keep families together. We help by:
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Supporting biological parents in achieving their goals so they can be reunified with their children
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Providing a dedicated worker to help foster parents navigate the certification and placement process
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Offering ongoing training for foster parents to build skills and abilities
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Connecting foster parents with experienced mentors, support groups, and social events
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Providing reimbursements to foster parents for many of the costs of caring for the children
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How to become a Foster Parent
To be considered as a certified foster parent in Logan County, you must:
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Be 21 or older
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Be physically and emotionally healthy
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Be financially stable
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Be a US citizen or resident, and
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Complete foster and kinship provider training
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Submit your application
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Complete the home study
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Complete your certification
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Pass the background check
Foster parents come from all walks of life. In addition to the requirements above, foster parents are generally patient, kind, and have a passion for improving the lives of children and youth. When you attend our Foster Care Orientation, you'll learn more about what it takes, including the benefits and the challenges of being a
foster parent.
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For more details about the process, please contact the Logan County Department of Human Services
Phone: (970)522-2194
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Kinship care simply means family and/or friends of the children can become foster parents or “kin providers." As kinship providers, they agree to nurture and protect children who are in current or impending danger with their parent(s) or caregivers. Because they share close ties, kinship providers can care for children in a way that respects cultural values and helps maintain significant relationships in a child’s life. When a child or youth is in need of out-of-home placement, we always look first to place a child with kin.
Children who are eligible must have a current open case and their temporary custody is with the Department of Human Services. The Department’s goal is to place children with relatives or close family friends whenever it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Kinship care may be formal and involve a training and licensure process for the caregivers, monthly payments to help defray the costs of caring for the child, and support services. Kinship care also may be informal and involve only an assessment process to ensure the safety and suitability of the home along with supportive services for the child and caregivers. Approximately one-fourth of the children in out-of-home care are living with relatives.
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Kin: The First Choice for Placement
When a child or youth is in need of out-of-home placement, kinship care providers are always our first choice. Kinship care is preferred because:
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Children stay within their families, which helps ensure meaningful emotional and cultural support.
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It minimizes the trauma of out-of-home placement.
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It supports and strengthens families' abilities to protect their children and to provide a safe and stable home.
Experience has shown that children in kinship care do better at coping with the challenges of being removed from their homes, and that they are successfully reunited with their parents sooner than if they were moved to another type of placement.
Here is some additional information:
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Colorado Fact Sheet for Kinship Care
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Kinship Caregivers and the Child Welfare System
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You Can Help!
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Child Abuse and Neglect
Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline
844-CO-4-Kids
Available 24 hours a day, every day. Don't hesitate to call and get help.
Anyone witnessing a child in a life-threatening situation should call 911 immediately.
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If not you, then who?
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When it comes to preventing child abuse and neglect, caseworkers and social workers need your help.
To end child abuse and neglect all Coloradans need to educate themselves and be willing to get involved to help a parent or a child.
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Even when kids experience child abuse or neglect, they can overcome and reach their full potential with help from the community.
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Creating a brighter future for a child starts with a phone call for help or the click of a button to get involved.
If not you, then who?
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Frequently Asked Questions
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How do I become a Foster Parent?Give us a call! Contact Logan County Department of Human Service’s Resource Unit at: 970-522-2194 ext. 2340 or ext. 2970 You can have your questions answered and then ask for a certification packet to move forward with the process.
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Do I have to pay for my training?No. The training is provided through the Colorado Training Academy. Logan County DHS will reimburse you for your meals, travel and will reserve your motel room for you.
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Could I adopt out of Foster Care?Possibly. If a child has been in your home and becomes available for adoption you will be the first one asked regarding your interest in adoption.
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Who can be a Foster Parent?Here are the current criteria for becoming a Foster Parent: Single, married, or divorced With or without children Age 21 and older All income and educational levels Men, Women, LGBTQ
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How long do children stay in Foster Care?The time frame varies. Some emergency placements last from 1-3 days other children require up to 2 years or more in a foster care home.
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Are more Foster Parents really needed?YES! On November 1, 2019 we had 20 children placed outside of Logan County because we do not have homes. There is a special need for homes for sibling groups and kids over the age of 8.
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Who are the children in Foster Care?These are children who reside inside of Logan County that need a safe and nurturing place to stay for a period of time. Ages range from newborn infants through 18 year old teens.