Program areas at LFSCO
Foster care Services: in the past year, lfsrm's foster care programs provided 45,413 nights of care for 197 children and youth across the front range of Colorado who were unable to remain in their home or with Family. The program cared for 124 youth who were temporarily removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect, and 73 unaccompanied refugee minors whose parents and caregivers were unable to be located after having fled their home countries due to war, unrest or other valid concerns for safety. Lfsrm certifies and trains parents to provide high quality care to children and youth who are unable to be cared for by their biological parents or kin and provides ongoing support and oversight to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of children in care. The agency provides evidence based training to ensure families are well prepared to meet the needs of children placed in their homes in a trauma informed manner. Additionally, the agency provides high quality case management and enhanced supports, including clinical Services for children and families, and specialize culturally and linguistically appropriate foster care and independent living Services that facilitate Social, cultural, and economic integration for children who are unable to be reunified with their Family or kin. In fy 2023, lfsrm maintained a placement stability rate of only 1 change in placement per 1,000 nights of care, far below the state average of 3.5 moves per 1,000 nights of care.
Disaster relief: in the past year, lfsrm provided disaster case management support and recovery assistance to residents who were impacted by the marshall fire and straightline wind event which destroyed and damaged more than 1,000 homes in louisville, superior and parts of unincorporated boulder county, Colorado. Recovery navigators provided vital support to individuals and families including connection to emergency financial assistance for those facing housing and food instability, education on available resources and complex rebuilding processes, assistance with applications for available funding, emotional and spiritual care, and advocacy on behalf of impacted residents. During the fiscal year the program served 1,375 households, assisted 476 households with applications for funding, and opened 413 households for intensive ongoing recovery Services.
Refugee resettlement Services: in the past year, lfsrm's refugee resettlement programs served 6,312 individuals from 72 countries with resettlement Services throughout Colorado and new mexico and a small number of clients in Montana. Lfsrm provides quality case management and a range of Services to facilitate Social, cultural, and economic integration for the whole Family, assisting with housing, education, employment, and connection to a variety of other Services to meet individual and Family needs. During the fiscal year, clients served by lfsrm's resettlement programs were on average placed in permanent housing within 7 days of arrival and were employed within 3 months of arrival. Additional Services this year included refugee youth education programming, youth focused social-emotional skill building and mentoring Services, and early childhood education programming for refugee women. The program also offered micro-loans and individual development accounts to support small business creation and asset attainment.
Older adult Services: in the past year, lfsrm's older adult program acted as the legal guardian for 53 individuals with neurological impairments related to dementia, alzheimer disease, or massive stroke who were determined by their doctor to lack capacity to provide informed consent to medical treatment and were found to have no advance directives or "surrogate" decision maker to make decisions on their behalf. The program partnered with a number of hospital systems in the denver metropolitan area to identify and provide Services for clients to ensure they received appropriate medical care and were able to discharge from the hospital to live in the least restrictive appropriate to their needs. The program largely works with individuals who are indigent, many of whom are veterans and have experienced homelessness. Lfsrm provides oversight and care to individuals through end of life, including short term Services for individuals diagnosed to be within 3 to 6 months of passing to allow them to receive hospice care in their final days. The program honors the dignity of each individual and values every person's self-determination and decision making ability to the degree possible to ensure their health, safety and well-being. The program also aided 10 families who needed support during to establish guardianship for their loved ones to understand their responsibilities and requirements.
Adoption & birth parent counseling: lfsrm provides a full range of pregnancy counseling and adoption Services. Clients who are experiencing unexpected pregnancies receive unbiased and accurate information about all options to allow them to make a well-informed decision they can feel confident about. Clients receive follow-up support regardless of the option they choose and receive relinquishment counseling when needed. For clients who choose adoption, lfsrm helps to match the child with an adoptive Family and assists through the completion of the legal process. Lfsrm's adoption program supports open adoptions, providing assistance to families throughout the entire adoption process, including finalization of their adoptive child. Designated adoption assistance is provided for families who are already matched with a birth mother in order to complete their adoptions. Lfsrm also provides home study approvals for international and non-public interstate adoptions in the state of Colorado. In the past year, lfsrm's adoption program completed 18 private adoptive placements.
Family support and education Services: lfsrm provides a range of programs to strengthen and support families, improve Family relationships and educate children and families on safety and parenting topics. Lfsrm offers both court ordered and voluntary Services to support families to provide both primary and secondary prevention in response to community needs. The agency offers the state's only emergency respite center, providing free child care to families in crisis, and offers evidence based and evidence informed education programs. In the past year, lfsrm provided Family support and education Services to 5,902 children and 700 unique families.