Boulder County’s Child, Youth, and Adult Protection Services helps children, youth, and adults stay safe and supported.
We believe children grow best in families, and adults do best in caring communities. We aim to treat everyone with dignity, respect, and honesty.
If you have a concern or complaint about a Family and Children Services (FCS) employee, there is a clear process to share your concern. This page explains how to do that and how we will respond.
We are here to listen, support you, and work toward improving our services.
Concerned About a Child or Youth’s Safety?
If you are worried about a child or youth’s safety, call the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 844-CO-4-KIDS (844-264-5437). If a child is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.
Child Welfare Complaints
If you have a concern about how a child welfare case is being handled, here’s what you can do.
Step 1: Contact Boulder County Child Welfare Services
Start by contacting Boulder County Human Services to talk about your concern. Your complaint will first go to the employee’s supervisor. The supervisor may contact you by phone, in person, or arrange a meeting with you and the employee to try to resolve the issue.
If the concern is not resolved at that level, it will go to the program manager. If the program manager cannot resolve it, it will go to the division director.
Complaints reviewed by the division director are considered grievances. The FCS director will review the grievance and try to resolve it quickly.
If you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you can take your complaint to the Colorado Department of Human Services or the Colorado Child Protection Ombudsman (see “Step 2”).
Step 2: Contact the State for Additional Help
If your complaint is not resolved locally, you can contact the state.
Submit a Complaint to the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS):
You can also contact the Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman (CPO). The CPO is an independent state agency that reviews complaints about child protection services. It also recommends system improvements and helps families understand the process. Learn more at the Colorado Protection Ombudsman website.
Appeal a Finding
If you want to appeal a confirmed finding of child or adult mistreatment, contact the Child and Adult Mistreatment Dispute Review Section (CAMDRS) at 303-866-4546.”
Complaints Involving the Courts or Judicial System
Concerns about court decisions or court-appointed professionals must be sent to the right agency:
