Ensuring safety for Colorado’s children today and envisioning a stronger child protection system for the future.
Contact us to share a concern about your experience with Colorado’s child protection system.
Are you living in a Division of Youth Services’ youth center or an out-of-home placement and have questions or concerns?
What We Do
As an independent agency we work on behalf of Colorado’s children and families. We listen to the public about their experience with and concerns about child protection, research and investigate those issues, and determine the best way to resolve each inquiry. Our work also allows us to collaborate with lawmakers, professionals and other stakeholders to advance legislation and policies that will have a lasting, positive impact on our children and families
How We Work for Colorado
Listen
We listen to people about their experience with and concerns about child protection.
Investigate
We research and investigate concerns reported by any Coloradan about service delivery within the child protection system.
Resolve
We determine the best way to resolve concerns – that might mean bridging communication barriers or resolving conflicts based on misunderstanding.
Identify Trends
We identify trends where the community’s needs have changed and the system hasn’t had the funding, resources or practices to keep up with it. As a result, we make public recommendations for system improvement.
Lasting Change
We convene lawmakers, professionals and other stakeholders to advance legislation and policies that have a lasting, positive impact on children and families.
Our Impact
Our work plays an important role in increasing collaboration within the system, identifying opportunities for improvement and advocating for the policies, funding and resources professionals need to best serve children and families.
Advocacy
We collaborate with child protection experts, providers, the public, the General Assembly and other stakeholders to recommend systemic changes and advance legislation that improves outcomes for all Colorado children and families.
Advocacy
We collaborate with child protection experts, providers, the public, the General Assembly and other stakeholders to recommend systemic changes and advance legislation that improves outcomes for all Colorado children and families.
New research captures voices of youth who have run away from out-of-home placements
The Office of the Colorado Child Protection Ombudsman released a new report from the University of Denver’s Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab that provides an unprecedented look at the lived experiences of youth who have run away from foster care or residential treatment facilities as well as the experiences of current treatment providers. “Not all kids run away because they’re necessarily bad kids or because they want to make bad decisions,” said one youth in the survey, “but sometimes it’s …
Collaborating on better policies for Colorado families
Senior Client Services Analyst Claire Hooker discusses the importance of family time and her testimony on HB 23-1027.
FAQs
Anyone who has concerns regarding Colorado’s child protection system. We often hear from parents, grandparents, foster parents, attorneys, child protection professionals, mental health providers and medical professionals, and youth in foster care or the Division of Youth Services.
The CPO is charged with hearing the public’s complaints related to services administered by any public agency or provider that receives public money to support the safety, permanency or well-being of children. We also help Coloradans navigate the complex child protection system and connect them with resources.
The CPO will contact you regarding your complaint within 48 business hours of receiving a message. We will research your complaint – this may include reviewing records we have independent access to that are not otherwise available to the public. We may also contact relevant agencies. Once the case is closed, we will contact you.