(1) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that:
The state of Colorado recognizes its obligation to protect and provide for the childrenin Colorado's child welfare system;
The children at imminent risk of being placed out of the home are likely to be placedout of the home immediately if intervention services are not made available to such children and their families;
Community and home-based services are effective in helping to avoid the need toplace children out of their homes and to reunite children with their families. However, alternatives to out-of-home placement are available only to a small percentage of children in the state due to insufficient statewide resources.
Families with children at imminent risk of being placed out of the home are familiesin crisis and in need of emergency assistance to avoid such placement or to reunite families when an emergency has resulted in an out-of-home placement, which assistance includes, but is not limited to, intensive family preservation services and other services designed to maintain a child at home;
Federal financial participation is available to provide emergency assistance to needyfamilies with children in the form of intake, assessment, counseling, treatment, and other family preservation services that meet needs of the family which are attributable to the emergency or crisis situation;
The provision of emergency assistance is likely to reduce the escalating state generalfund costs of out-of-home placements, thereby making moneys available for other necessary children and family services or programs; and
Because the child welfare system is a contributing factor to the state's expenditures, itis important to maximize moneys available to the state for child welfare needs by making service delivery systems family-focused, cost-efficient, and accessible statewide.
(2) The general assembly further finds and declares that it is therefore appropriate to authorize the implementation of an emergency assistance program for families with children at imminent risk of being placed out of the home. In addition, it is appropriate to develop a plan for the use of moneys saved as a result of providing emergency assistance to families.
Source: L. 93: Entire article added, p. 1998, § 1, effective June 9.