Colorado Kinship Care Resources

What Kinship Care Looks Like in Colorado

For every child placed in formal foster care with a relative in Colorado, roughly sixteen more children are raised by kin entirely outside the child welfare system. These informal arrangements happen overnight — a grandparent gets a phone call, an aunt picks a child up from school, a family friend steps in because there is no one else. The child is safe, but the caregiver has no caseworker, no agency file and often no idea what help exists.

Colorado has built a growing set of programs for exactly these families.

The Colorado Kinnected Kinship Navigator Program

Kinnected is the state's flagship kinship support program, run through the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS). It assigns dedicated navigators in participating counties — including Adams, Boulder, Denver, El Paso, Jefferson, Mesa and Morgan — to help kinship families connect with services, legal referrals and financial support.

A Kinnected navigator can help with:

• Finding emergency supplies (car seats, beds, clothing)
• Navigating school enrollment and medical consent paperwork
• Connecting to legal aid for guardianship or custody questions
• Accessing financial assistance programs like Colorado Works TANF child-only grants
• Peer support groups for kinship caregivers

The program was expanded under Senate Bill 24-008, which expanded support for non-certified kinship caregivers. Monthly reimbursements may be available to non-certified caregivers caring for children involved in child welfare; county human services can explain eligibility and current procedures. Eligible caregivers do not have to be licensed foster parents to receive these payments.

Colorado Legal Services and Sherlock Centers

Colorado Legal Services (CLS) provides free civil legal representation for income-eligible families. Kinship caregivers who need help with guardianship petitions (JDF 824), delegation forms (JDF 751) or enrollment disputes can apply through CLS.

The Judicial Branch Self-Help Centers — called Sherlocks — provide in-person procedural help with forms and court filings. They do not give legal advice.

Key Forms for Informal Caregivers

Colorado does not have a statutory "Caregiver Authorization Affidavit." Instead, the forms that matter are:

• JDF 751 (Delegation of Power) — A parent delegates care, school and medical authority to a relative for up to twelve months under C.R.S. § 15-14-105. Free, no court filing needed.
• JDF 824 (Petition for Guardianship of a Minor) — For situations where a parent cannot or will not sign, or where the caregiver needs permanent legal authority. Requires a court petition and a filing fee.
• District enrollment forms — Each school district has its own registration paperwork. Under McKinney-Vento protections, enrollment cannot be delayed for lack of records.

Financial Support

Kinship caregivers who are not certified foster parents can still access financial help:

• Colorado Works (TANF) Child-Only Grant — Based on the child's income only, not the caregiver's. The relative must show physical care of the child and cooperate with child support enforcement (unless a good-cause waiver applies).
• Health First Colorado (Medicaid) and CHP+ — Child-only coverage, again based on the child's income. The caregiver applies through Colorado PEAK.
• SB 24-008 kinship stipends — Monthly financial assistance for non-certified kinship caregivers through county human services, without requiring formal foster home licensing.

Other Resources

• PEAK Parent Center — Free technical assistance for kinship caregivers navigating special education, IEPs and 504 plans.
• Disability Law Colorado — Legal advocacy for disability rights, special education disputes and accommodation issues.
• AARP GrandFacts — State-by-state fact sheets and resource directories for grandparent-headed households.

Putting It Together

The Colorado School and Medical Consent guide consolidates the forms, enrollment steps, medical consent rules and resource contacts into a single document, so a caregiver dealing with a sudden placement does not have to piece it together from a dozen different websites.

See more Colorado guides →