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During the 2021 legislative session, the General Assembly considered several measures related to children and domestic matters, including foster care, child care, and child welfare.

Vaccinations offer protection from common infectious diseases.  The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends specific vaccines for all infants, children, and adults during their lifetime to provide immunity from preventable illness.  A recent analysis estimated that for children born in a single year in the United States, vaccination prevented nearly 20 million cases of disease and over 40,000 deaths.

During the 2020 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to parental rights, marriage and adoption, and child welfare. 

During the 2020 session, the General Assembly considered bills related to early childhood education; child welfare investigations; appropriating federal CARES Act funding; and other human services programs.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted almost every aspect of society, including the criminal justice system, leaving crowded courts, prisons and jails especially susceptible to the outbreak.  This memorandum provides an overview of how the juvenile justice system in Colorado is handling this public health emergency.  Please note that the COVID-19 situation is rapidly changing, and staff will be monitoring changes and making updates.

Final Report to the Colorado General Assembly by the Colorado Youth Advisory Council Review Committee.

The General Assembly passed legislation during the 2019 legislative session which strengthens protections for children in voluntary temporary care; requires studying challenges facing child care homes and ways to increased the availability of infant and child care in child care homes; amends child support guidelines; and modernizes marriage laws for minors.

Report No. 2019-TE5

Note: A more recent evaluation was issued in December 2023. Click HERE to access the December 2023 report.

During the 2018 legislative session, the General Assembly considered measures related to child welfare and foster care, youth mental health and suicide prevention, child abuse prevention, the juvenile justice system, and other aspects of family law. The bills described in this document passed and became law, unless otherwise noted.

This memorandum provides an overview of state laws that address age of consent for sexual activity.  More specifically, it provides information about the age of sexual consent in Colorado and other states, including exemptions that allow a person below the age of consent to have lawful sex with an older person.  The memorandum further outlines the sexual abuse charges that are used to prosecute age of consent and sexual assault-related crimes within Colorado.

During the 2017 legislative session, the General Assembly considered numerous measures on child welfare, domestic violence and crimes against children, the juvenile justice system, public school safety, and child care. The bills described in this document passed and became law, unless otherwise noted.

This memorandum summarizes Colorado law that governs the visitation rights of grandparents and great-grandparents and disputes concerning those rights.  The memorandum also summarizes relevant court decisions regarding grandparents' visitation rights. This memorandum is not a legal opinion.

Presented to the Joint Health Committees on January 9, 2017.

Presented to the Joint Health Committee.

The Public Benefits and Services Resource Manual is intended to serve as a reference guide for information on some of the state’s programs that provide direct benefits or services to members of the public. The manual is divided into four sections to make it easier for the reader to access information. The first section provides information on how to apply for certain public benefits using the Colorado PEAK website and county offices of human or social services.

Colorado currently administers 11 Home- and Community-Based Services Medicaid (HCBS) Waivers. This issue brief discusses the five waivers available to children. An issue brief entitled Medicaid Waiver Programs Part II – Home- and Community-Based Services Medicaid Waivers for Adults discusses the six waivers available to adults.

The quality and affordability of child care and early childhood education (ECE) are key concerns for parents and policymakers alike. Whether daycare, preschool, or another setting, child care and ECE allow parents to remain in the workforce and improve the school readiness of children. This issue brief provides an overview of the financial assistance available to families needing child care and describes the state's licensing and regulation of child care.

Child support is a required payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child after a divorce or other dissolution of a relationship. This issue brief summarizes how child support orders are issued, details elements of child support enforcement units and various child support enforcement mechanisms, outlines the Colorado ChildSupport CollectionConsumerProtectionAct, and provides information on cases that involve noncustodial parents who live outside Colorado.

Juvenile justice systems were created in the late 19th century under the philosophy that juveniles are different than adults and may have different rehabilitation needs. Colorado has two separate systems for the detention or commitment of juveniles convicted of crimes. One system exists within the Department of Human Services (DHS), a department with the responsibility of addressing child welfare, while the other exists within the Department of Corrections (DOC), where adult offenders are sentenced.