(1) The general assembly finds and declares that it is important for youth in foster care, excluding those in the custody of the division of youth services or a state mental hospital, to have increased access to normative, developmentally appropriate extracurricular activities to help prepare them for independence. Foster parents and group home parents or group center administrators shall make a reasonable effort to allow a youth in their care to participate in extracurricular, cultural, educational, work-related, and personal enrichment activities. The department of human services shall promulgate rules for the implementation of this section. The rules must address policies, including but not limited to waiver of any fingerprint-based criminal history records checks for community entities, excluding all individuals required to obtain a fingerprint-based criminal history records check pursuant to section 26-6-107, providing extracurricular activities and guidelines for determining in what situations it is appropriate to waive fingerprint-based criminal history records checks, to allow youth in foster care, excluding those in the custody of the division of youth services or a state mental hospital, who are twelve years of age and older to participate in age-appropriate extracurricular enrichment, social activities, and activities designed to assist those youth to make the transition to independence, build life skills, and enhance opportunities to make positive connections.
(2) If the state department of human services or a county department of human or social services waives the fingerprint-based criminal history record checks pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, the state department of human services or county department of human or social services are not subject to liability pursuant to the extent provided by article 10 of title 24.
Source: L. 2011: Entire article added, (SB 11-120), ch. 102, p. 322, § 1, effective August 10. L. 2017: (1) amended, (HB 17-1329), ch. 381, p. 1979, § 45, effective June 6. L. 2018: (2) amended, (SB 18-092), ch. 38, p. 434, § 81, effective August 8.
Cross references: For the legislative declaration in SB 18-092, see section 1 of chapter 38, Session Laws of Colorado 2018.