The children come first. That truth forms the basis of Boulder County’s philosophy around foster care. Foster families give children a safe and supportive place to live when they can’t stay with their families. These placements are temporary, and the goal is almost always to reunite children with their parents when it’s safe to do so.
In 2025, Boulder County Human Services shifted how we manage fostering. We are now partnering with outside organizations called Child Placement Agencies (CPAs) to place and support foster children. This change allows us to focus more on keeping families together and supporting them before out-of-home care is needed. Kinship care — where relatives care for children — remains a key focus of our work.