2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 26 - HUMAN SERVICES CODE (§§ 26-1-101 — 26-24-101) › Article 6 - Child Care Centers (§§ 26-6-101 — 26-6-923) › Part 9 - FOSTER CARE, RESIDENTIAL, DAY TREATMENT, AND CHILD PLACEMENT AGENCY LICENSING (§§ 26-6-901 — 26-6-923) › Section 26-6-912 - [Effective 9/1/2024] Investigations and inspections - local authority - reports - rules

(1)
(a)
(I)
(A)
The state department shall investigate and pass on each application for issuance of a license, each application for a permanent or time-limited license following the issuance of a probationary or provisional license, and each application for renewal of a license to operate a facility or an agency prior to granting the license or renewal. As part of the investigation, the state department shall require each individual, including but not limited to the applicant, an owner, an employee, a newly hired employee, a licensee, and an adult who is eighteen years of age or older and resides in the licensed facility, to obtain a fingerprint-based criminal history record check by reviewing any record that is used to assist the state department in ascertaining whether the person being investigated has been convicted of any of the criminal offenses specified in section
26-6-905 (8)
or any other felony. The state board shall promulgate rules that define and identify what the criminal history record check entails.
(B)
Rules promulgated by the state board pursuant to this subsection (1)(a)(I) must require the fingerprint-based criminal history record check in all circumstances, other than those identified in subsection (1)(a)(I)(C) of this section, to include a fingerprint-based criminal history record check using the records of the Colorado bureau of investigation and the federal bureau of investigation and to apply to any new owner, new applicant, newly hired employee, new licensee, or individual who begins residing in the licensed facility. As part of the investigation, the records and reports of child abuse or neglect maintained by the state department must be accessed to determine whether the owner, applicant, employee, newly hired employee, licensee, or individual who resides in the licensed facility being investigated has been found to be responsible in a confirmed report of child abuse or neglect. Information is made available pursuant to section
19-1-307 (2)(j)
and rules promulgated by the state board pursuant to section
19-3-313.5 (4)
. Except as provided in subsection (1)(a)(I)(C) of this section, any change in ownership of a licensed facility or agency or addition of a new resident adult or newly hired employee to the licensed facility requires a new investigation as provided in this section.
(C)
When two or more individually licensed facilities are wholly owned, operated, and controlled by a common ownership group or school district, a fingerprint-based criminal history record check and a check of the records and reports of child abuse or neglect maintained by the department, completed for one of the licensed facilities of the common ownership group or school district pursuant to this section for an individual for whom the check is required pursuant to this part 9, may satisfy the record check requirement for any other licensed facility under the same common ownership group or school district. A new fingerprint-based criminal history record check or new check of the records and reports of child abuse or neglect maintained by the department is not required of such an individual if the common ownership group or school district maintains a central records management system for employees of all its licensed facilities; takes action as required pursuant to section
26-6-905
when informed of the results of a fingerprint-based criminal history record check or check of the records and reports of child abuse or neglect maintained by the department that requires action pursuant to this part 9; and informs the department whenever an additional licensed facility comes under or is no longer under its ownership or control.
(D)
The state board shall promulgate rules to implement this subsection (1)(a)(I).
(II)
Rules promulgated by the state board pursuant to subsection (1)(a)(I) of this section must also include:
(A)
A comparison search on the ICON system at the state judicial department with the name and date of birth information and any other available source of criminal history information that the state department determines is appropriate for each circumstance in which the Colorado bureau of investigation fingerprint check either does not confirm a criminal history or confirms a criminal history, in order to determine the crime or crimes for which the person was arrested or convicted and the disposition thereof;
(B)
Any other recognized database that is accessible on a statewide basis as set forth by rules promulgated by the state board; and
(C)
When the results of an investigation performed pursuant to subsection (1)(a)(I) of this section or this subsection (1)(a)(II) reveal a record of arrest without a disposition, a name-based judicial record check, as defined in section
22-2-119.3 (6)(d)
.
(III)
If the operator of a facility or agency refuses to hire an applicant as a result of information disclosed in the investigation of the applicant pursuant to subsection (1)(a)(I) of this section, the facility or agency is not subject to civil liability for the refusal to hire. If a former employer of the applicant releases information requested by the facility or agency pertaining to the applicant's former performance, the former employer is not subject to civil liability for the information given.
(b)
An applicant for certification as a foster care home or kinship foster care home shall provide the child placement agency or the county department from which the certification is sought with a list of all the prior child placement agencies and county departments to which the applicant has previously applied, and a release of information from the child placement agencies and county departments to which the applicant has previously applied, to obtain information about the application and any certification given by the child placement agencies and county departments. A child placement agency or county department from which the certification is sought shall conduct a reference check of the applicant and any adult resident of the foster care home or kinship foster care home by contacting all of the child placement agencies and county departments identified by the applicant before issuing the certification for that foster care home or kinship foster care home. Child placement agencies and county departments are held harmless for information released, in good faith, to other child placement agencies or county departments.
(c)
(I)
For all applicants applying to be a foster care home or kinship foster care home, regardless of reimbursement, the county department or child placement agency shall require each adult who is eighteen years of age or older and who resides in the home to obtain a fingerprint-based criminal history record check through the Colorado bureau of investigation and the federal bureau of investigation. The applicant must provide the county department or child placement agency with the addresses where the applicant and any adult residing in the home have lived in the preceding five years, including addresses from other states. The county department or the child placement agency shall conduct the following background checks of the applicant or an adult residing in the home:
(A)
A fingerprint-based criminal history record check to determine if the applicant or adult residing in the home has been convicted of any of the crimes listed in section
26-6-910 (5)(a)
;
(B)
A check of the ICON system at the state judicial department to determine the status or disposition of any pending criminal charges brought against the applicant or adult who resides in the home that were identified by the fingerprint-based criminal history record check through the Colorado bureau of investigation and the federal bureau of investigation;
(C)
A check of the state department's automated database for information to determine if the applicant or adult who resides in the home has been identified as having a finding of child abuse or neglect and whether the finding has been determined to present an unsafe placement for a child;
(D)
A check against the state's sex offender registry and against the national sex offender public registry operated by the United States department of justice that checks names and addresses in the registries and the interactive database system for Colorado to determine if the applicant or adult who resides in the home is a registered sex offender; and
(E)
When the results of a fingerprint-based criminal history record check performed pursuant to this subsection (1)(c)(I) reveal a record of arrest without a disposition, a name-based criminal history record check, as defined in section
22-2-119.3 (6)(d)
.
(II)
In addition to the fingerprint-based criminal history record check, the county department or child placement agency shall contact the appropriate entity in each state in which the applicant or any adult residing in the home has resided within the preceding five years to determine whether the individual has been found to be responsible in a confirmed report of child abuse or neglect.
(III)
The screening request in Colorado for criminal history record checks through the Colorado bureau of investigation and the federal bureau of investigation must be made pursuant to section
19-1-307 (2)
(k.5), rules promulgated by the state board pursuant to section
19-3-313.5
, and
42 U.S.C. sec. 671 (a)(20)
.
(IV)
The department must conduct an investigation pursuant to this subsection (1)(c) for any new resident adult whenever the adult is added to the foster care home or kinship care home. The department shall not use information obtained from state records of abuse or neglect for any purpose other than conducting the investigation for placement or certification.
(d)
(I)
When the state department, county department, or child placement agency is able to certify that the applicant or licensee is competent and will operate adequate facilities to care for children pursuant to the requirements of this part 9 and that standards are being met and will be complied with, it shall issue the license for which the applicant or licensee applied. The state department shall inspect or cause to be inspected the facilities to be operated by an applicant for an original license before the license is granted and shall thereafter inspect or cause to be inspected the facilities of all licensees that, during the period of licensure, have been found to be the subject of complaints or to be out of compliance with the standards set forth in section
26-6-909
and the rules of the state department, or that otherwise appear to be placing children at risk. The state department may make such other inspections as it deems necessary to ensure that the requirements of this part 9 are being met and that the health, safety, and welfare of the children being placed are protected. If, as a result of an inspection of a certified foster care home or kinship foster care home, the state department determines that a child residing in the foster care home or kinship foster care home is subject to an immediate and direct threat to the child's safety and welfare, as defined by rules promulgated by the state board, or that a substantial violation of a fundamental standard of care warrants immediate action, the state department may require a county department to immediately remove the child from the foster care home or kinship foster care home.
(II)
The state board shall adopt rules concerning the on-site public availability of the most recent inspection report results of facilities, when requested. The state board shall also adopt rules concerning a requirement that all facilities licensed pursuant to this part 9 post their licenses and information regarding the procedures for filing a complaint pursuant to this part 9 directly with the state department, which rules must require that each facility display its license and complaint procedures in a prominent and conspicuous location at all times during operational hours of the facility; except that the rules must not require foster care homes to post their licenses and the rules must not require foster care homes and child placement agencies to post information regarding the procedures for filing a complaint pursuant to this part 9 directly with the state department. The state board shall adopt rules requiring foster care homes to make their licenses available to their patrons for inspection, upon request, and requiring foster care homes and child placement agencies to make the information concerning the filing of complaints available to their patrons for inspection, upon request.
(e)
Notwithstanding any provision of this part 9 to the contrary, the state department may enter into an interagency agreement or a memorandum of understanding, or both, as necessary to complete the criminal history record checks and other background checks required in this section.
(2)
(a)
(I)
Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2)(a)(II) of this section, the state department may authorize or contract with a county department, the county department of health, or another publicly or privately operated organization that has a declared interest in children and experience working with children or on behalf of children to investigate and inspect the facilities applying for an original or renewal license or applying for a permanent license following the issuance of a probationary or provisional license pursuant to this part 9 and may accept reports on the investigations and inspections from the agencies or organizations as a basis for licensing. When contracting for investigations and inspections, the state department shall ensure that the contractor is qualified by training and experience and has no conflict of interest with respect to the facilities to be inspected.
(II)
The state department shall not authorize or contract with a county department, the county department of health, or another publicly or privately operated organization that has a declared interest in children and experience working with children or on behalf of children for investigations and inspections described in subsection (2)(a)(I) of this section of any facilities that provide twenty-four-hour care and are licensed pursuant to this part 9.
(b)
A city, county, or city and county may impose and enforce higher standards and requirements for facilities licensed pursuant to this part 9 than the standards and requirements specified pursuant to this part 9.
(3)
Every facility and agency licensed pursuant to this part 9 shall keep and maintain such records as the department may prescribe pertaining to the admission, progress, health, and discharge of children under the care of the facility or agency and shall report relative thereto to the department whenever called for, upon forms prescribed by the department. Both the facility or agency and the department shall keep confidential all records regarding children and all facts learned about children and their relatives.
(4)
Within available appropriations, the state department shall monitor, on at least a quarterly basis, the county department certification of foster care homes and kinship foster care homes.
(5)
As described in section
19-3.3-103
, the state department and the office of the child protection ombudsman shall coordinate site visits to investigate and review residential child care facilities that house unaccompanied immigrant children who are in the custody of the office of refugee resettlement in the federal department of health and human services as set forth in
8 U.S.C. sec. 1232
et seq. The state department and the office of the child protection ombudsman may share final reports based on their site visits.
(6)
When the state department receives a serious complaint about a facility or agency licensed pursuant to this part 9 alleging the immediate risk to the health or safety of the children cared for in the facility, the state department shall respond to the complaint and conduct an on-site investigation concerning the complaint within forty-eight hours after its receipt.
Amended by 2024 Ch. 289,§ 14, eff. 9/1/2024.
Added by 2022 Ch. 123, § 17, eff. 7/1/2022.
This section is set out more than once due to postponed, multiple, or conflicting amendments.