These facilities are licensed by the Department to provide twenty-four hour group care and treatment for five or more children operated under private, public, or nonprofit sponsorship. “Residential child care facility” includes community-based residential child care facilities; qualified residential treatment programs(QRTP), as defined in 26-5.4-102 (2), C.R.S.; shelter facilities; and psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTF), as defined in 25.5-4-103 (19.5), C.R.S. A residential child care facility may be eligible for designation by the executive director of the Department pursuant to article 65 of title 27.
Children or youth who are admitted to a residential child care facility must be:
- Five years of age or older and up to age eighteen
- Less than twenty-one years old and placed by court order or voluntary placement
- Accompanied by a parent if less than five years of age
Carve out populations for Family First Prevention Services Act, thats allows for IV-E reinbursement, includes youth who are pregnant and/or parenting, youth who are victims of sex trafficking, and young adults 18-21 years old in an independent living program. These populations may be placed within a Specialized Group Facility or a Residential Child Care Facility.
A residential child care facility license can either stand alone or if the licensee chooses to operate as a QRTP, PRTF, or shelter care they are required abide by additional regulations pertaining to those specific licensing types.
(Note: Family First Prevention Services Act only allows Title IV-E federal reimbursement for youth placed in a Qualified Residential Treatment Program. Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities can be reimbursed through medicaid reimbursement. Placements to Residential Child Care Facilities that are not QRTP or PRTF are through private placements, Regional Accountability Entities, and Children’s Habilitation Residential Program)
What type of license is issued to a Residential Child Care Facility from CDHS?
A Residential Child Care Facility, including additional status of Qualified Residential Treatment Provider, Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility, Shelter Care Facility, or Homeless Youth Services facility, is issued a license that is time limited for one year from the effective date. Each year the facility will receive a renewal application which is submitted to the Department with the associated fee. Once the facility has a full review of rules and regulations, by the Department, that representative may approve the facility for the next year’s license.