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Kinship
Kinship caregivers are relatives, friends, neighbors and other people with a significant relationship to the child, youth or family. Kinship caregivers provide care and protection to children and youth who can’t remain safely in their home due to issues including:
- Child abuse and neglect
- Substance abuse
- Incarceration
- Mental health
- Domestic violence
- Death of a parent
- Financial hardships
- Military deployments
As kinship caregivers, you aren’t alone. You’re a member of a large and growing community of caring people in Colorado. For every child being cared for by kin in foster care in the state, there are 16 more being cared for by kin with no child welfare involvement. To keep up with what's going on in Colorado’s kinship community, check out the Colorado Foster Care Facebook page.
- Meeting Kinship Family Needs
The following resources might be able to help or provide referrals for assistance with basic needs such as food, rental/mortgage assistance, or other needs.
Be the Source (formerly known as Foster Source): Promotes healing for children and families impacted by foster and kinship care through meaningful, transformational resources, community and support.
211 Colorado: 211 Colorado streamlines services and provides one central location where people can get connected to the resources they need, such as food banks, rental assistance and support for families with children with special health care needs.
Colorado Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP): The Colorado Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) is a federally funded program that helps eligible hard-working Colorado families, seniors and individuals pay a portion of their winter home heating costs. The goal is to help bring warmth, comfort and safety to your home and family by assisting with heating costs.
Colorado PEAK Colorado PEAK is the place to apply for and manage your medical, food, cash or other State of Colorado benefits online.
Colorado Works is Colorado's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. When you join Colorado Works, you can get help with a monthly cash payment, schooling, training, jobs and more.
Easter Seals Colorado (303-233-1666): Easter Seals is dedicated to supporting people with disabilities and their families as they live, learn, work and play in their communities.
El Grupo VIDA (877-435-7123): Provides information, referrals, and support for Spanish speaking parents.\
Medicaid Ombudsman (303-335-9875/help123@maximus.com): Ombudsman can help solve problems with your health care issues (both physical and mental health) for Medicaid Managed Care patients. They also can help with health care rights along with appeals and grievances.
Food Bank of the Rockies: Coordinates with more than 800 Hunger Relief Partners throughout Colorado and Wyoming, acting as a distribution hub for food, essentials, and logistical resources. They also operate their own direct programs, providing for neighbors in need through Mobile Pantries, Food for Kids programs and home-delivery services for older adults.
Hunger Free Colorado: A statewide nonprofit that connects people to food resources to meet existing needs and drives policy, systems and social change to end hunger. We envision a day when every Coloradan has equitable access to the nutritious food needed to thrive and reach their full potential.
Feeding Colorado: A resource for finding local food banks. Click the name of the food bank listed beside the county, which will take you to the food bank website, full of local food resources.
- Physical Health & Wellness
The following resources provide information and/or support to help families meet their physical health and dental needs.
Children and Youth with Special Needs – 2-1-1 Colorado
Health Care Program for Children with Special Needs (303-692-2370): HCP offers support for families with children with special needs and focuses on care coordination and providing specialty clinics throughout the state of Colorado. HCP services are available to children with special needs, regardless of insurance status or family income.
Medical
Health First Colorado: Colorado’s Medicaid program, providing free or low-cost health insurance to qualifying individuals and families. It is an income-based program that covers a wide range of services, including doctor visits, dental care, and behavioral health services, with benefits and costs varying based on income and family size.
- Health First Colorado Regional Organizations Every member of Health First Colorado has a primary care provider and belongs to a regional organization that helps connect you with the health care you need.
- Medicaid Waivers: A Home and Community-Based Services waiver is an extra set of Health First Colorado benefits that individuals could qualify for in certain cases. These benefits can help individuals remain in their home and community.
Dental
Colorado Dental Association (CDA) The CDA supports Colorado dental charities and nonprofit dental clinics throughout the state. These organizations offer dental care on a sliding fee scale to individuals who are unable to afford treatment. Several of these organizations have financial and residency requirements. Others are established to help a certain portion of the population (i.e. children, the homeless, people with disabilities, etc.).
Health First Colorado Dental Benefits
Here’s another dental resource for 60+ low-income individuals without other dental insurance.
Nutrition
WIC Colorado WIC wants to see your family happy, healthy and thriving. In addition to food assistance, we also provide nutrition education; breastfeeding counseling and pumps; and the support you need to keep your family healthy.
SNAP The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps low-income households purchase food. Families and individuals can receive a monthly benefit to buy healthy food. They can double their benefits value by shopping at participating vendors that support the Double Up Food Bucks program.
Insurance
Connect for Health Colorado Colorado’s Official Health Insurance Marketplace
Community-Centered Boards (CCBs) Colorado has 20 CCB organizations serving children and adults with developmental disabilities. They determine eligibility for community-based services and provide case management services. CCBs also assist individuals with gaining access to Medicaid Waivers, which provide additional Medicaid benefits to individuals with special needs.
Single Entry Point (SEP): Single Entry Point (SEP) Agencies provide case management, care planning, and make referrals to other resources for clients with the following qualifying needs: elderly, blind and disabled, mental health, persons living with AIDS, brain injury, spinal cord injury, children with a life-limiting illness, children with a physical disability.
Request an immunization record for yourself or your child. Immunization records from CIIS may not be complete. CIIS immunization records include what has been reported to and entered into CIIS. Schools, childcare centers, primary care providers, and vaccines for children (VFC) providers also might have access to the CIIS immunization records and might be able to print records for you.
- Mental Health & Wellness
The following resources provide information and/or support to help families meet their mental and behavioral health needs.
The 988 Colorado Mental Health Line is available for free, immediate, human support 24/7. If you or someone you know is struggling with an emotional, mental health, or substance use concern, call, text, or live chat with 988 today. We’re here to listen.
Call 988 Text 988 Live Chat
Matter Colorado I Matter connects youth 18 and younger (and 21 and younger for those receiving special education services) with a licensed therapist for up to six free counseling sessions. No insurance, credit card or legal status information is required. We offer sessions in person or online.
Colorado Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) Connect to care navigation through Colorado LIFTS. Find mental health services near you. We work with service providers around the state to provide help for those who need it.
Caregiver Support The reauthorization of the Older Americans Act in 2000 gave rise to the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP). The goal is to provide services to caregivers providing assistance to older adults, as well as grandparents over the age of 60 raising grandchildren.
Colorado Early Childhood Mental Health Support Line (833-326-4411)
- Peer & Community Support
The ARC Colorado promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.
Raise the Future Colorado Family Support is dedicated to raising the future for children and families, working to create and maintain safe, healthy, and thriving homes and families. We provide a range of family support services designed to serve families and professionals.
Be the Source (formerly known as Foster Source): Promote healing for children and families impacted by foster and kinship care through meaningful, transformational resources, community and support.
Parent to Parent of Colorado Connecting families of individuals with disabilities or special healthcare needs to emotional and informational support.
Family Voices Colorado Family Voices provides support services to youth with special medical needs and their families.
- Education & Early Childhood
The Colorado Department of Education provided public education information.
Developmental Monitoring and Screening | Learn the Signs. Act Early. | CDC
The PlayBook: The content in this book is aligned with the Colorado Early Learning and Development Guidelines, which offer practical tips that everyone can use to ensure children are valued, healthy and thriving.
PEAK Parent Center (800-284-0251): Provides information about all types of disabilities, training on a variety of topics and technical assistance on your child’s IEP.
Child Find/Early Intervention Colorado (888-777-4041): Colorado has a Child Find system for appropriately identifying infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities, and timelines for making referrals to local early intervention programs at no cost to parents.
Colorado Department of Early Childhood
Colorado Universal Preschool: All children in Colorado can register for up to 15 hours of free, high-quality preschool in their year before kindergarten through Colorado’s Universal Pre-K (UPK) Program.
Colorado Shines (877-338-2273): Helping Families Navigate Child Care. The State of Colorado offers a free search tool to help you find and research licensed child care programs in your community. Find each program’s quality rating, licensing history, and monitoring reports to help you make the best decision for your family.
The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) supports families with lower incomes to pay for quality child care. Learn more about income requirements and find out if you qualify for financial support through CCCAP.
- Legal Process & Resources
Colorado Center on Law and Policy (303-573-5669): The CCLP works to promote justice, economic security, access to health care, and sound fiscal policies for the people of Colorado through advocacy, litigation, education and research.
Disability Law Colorado (303-722-0300): Specialize in civil rights and discrimination issues. They protect the human and legal rights of people with mental and physical disabilities throughout Colorado.
The American Bar Association and the Dave Thomas Foundation released a Kinship Legal Toolkit to assist judges and attorneys in understanding the value of kinship, the federal laws impacting kin, and their role in supporting kin who open their hearts and homes.
- Safety
How to Build a Disaster Emergency Kit or “Go Bag” for Your Family - HealthyChildren.org
- Kinship Care & Child Welfare
The Kinship Forms webpage provides essential resources for caregivers, including the Notification to Potential Relatives and Kin packet and the Kinship Foster Care Training/Support Verification Form. These tools are designed to help county departments efficiently communicate with families and streamline the foster care certification process.
View the 2024-25 Kinship Placement Data report.
- Colorado Kinnected Kinship Navigator Program
- Other Helpful Resources
Get help. CO HELP (877-462-2911). The Colorado Health Emergency Line for the Public is a toll-free hotline for up-to-the-minute public health information.
Find your local public health agency | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
- Local/Regional Community Support
Catholic Charities (Metro Denver, Central Colorado, & Southern) provides services to help families alleviate hardships they’re facing.
SCFD Free Days. Organizations from across the metro area provide hundreds of free days and free programs each year, made possible, in part, by funding from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).
RISE Foundation supports families providing care through foster care and adoption. They provide practical and relational support through things like meals, laundry and encouragement.
Cobbled Streets focuses on enhancing the well-being of foster youth by ensuring access to opportunities and by building their community to foster a sense of belonging, connectedness and inclusion.
Project 1.27 works to recruit, train, resource and support Colorado foster, kinship and adoptive parents caring for children/youth in care.
Elevating Connections is dedicated to building sustained positive relationships for current and former youth in foster care, including those experiencing sibling separation to use their voice & build meaningful community connections.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Colorado creates meaningful matches between adult mentors (“Bigs”) and youth (“Littles”) through community-based and site-based mentoring.
Fostering Healthy Futures. A positive youth development program that uses mentoring and skills training to empower youth to foster their own healthy futures.
Mentor Colorado provides a public voice, develops and delivers resources, and promotes quality for mentoring through evidence-based standards, innovative research, and essential tools.