Lutheran Social Service Of Colorado

Programs: See schedule o. Foster care services: in fy 2017, lfs served 321 children and youth in licensed foster homes located across the front range and eastern plains of colorado. Lfs accepts referrals from any of the 64 counties in colorado who retain custody of the children, as well as placement of unaccompanied refugee minors (urm) who are referred through the us state department, office of refugee resettlement. Lfs cared for 96 urm children and youth separated from their families due to war or civil unrest during the year. Lfs foster care services provide high quality case management for all children in care, as well as enhanced support for foster families who care for these vulnerable chlldren and youth. Lfs focuses on providing the services and supports needed to keep children and families stable, reducing the number of disruptions children and youth experience during their time in foster care. In addition, lfs facilitates numerous adoptions from foster care annually.

refugee resettlement services: lfsrm is one of the largest resettlement programs in the rocky mountain region. In cooperation with lutheran immigration and refugee services and episcopal migration ministries (denver only), we welcome approximately 1,600 refugees to colorado and new mexico each year from war torn countries around the world. In addition, we serve up to another 500 secondary migrants, asylees and victims of trafficking who have chosen to make colorado or new mexico their home. Lfsrm currently provides refugee services in denver, colorado springs, greeley and albuquerque and also serves as needed in the state of montana.

see schedule o. Prevention and parent support services: lfs provides a range of programs to strentghen and support families, improve family relationships, and educate children and families on safety and parenting topics. Programs include parenting education, in-home support, body safety classes, supervised visitation, and respite care. Along the northern front range lfs provides parenting education to families through community classes, body safety education to school children through the safe touch program, and supervised visitation and safe-exchange services for parents involved in high risk divorces and those who have open child protection cases. On the southern front range lfs offers safe care, an evidence-based early childhood education intervention offered to parents in their homes for families with children ages twelve and younger to create safe, nurturing and stable environments for raising children and improving family relationships. Respite services are provided in el paso county to assist any parent or guardian who needs a break from parenting, and crisis care when a child cannot or should not be with their parent or guardian.