The Child Mental Health Treatment Act (CMHTA, aka HB1116) allows families to access community, residential, and transitional treatment services for their child without requiring a dependency and neglect action (when there is no child abuse or neglect).  To be eligible under the Act, a child must have a mental illness, be under the age of 18, and be at risk for further involvement with a county department of human/social services or at risk of out-of-home placement. The Act applies to both Medicaid eligible and non-Medicaid eligible children.

Join us for this 90-minute workshop to learn more about how to fully utilize the Act, what services are covered, and how to access funding.  To learn more about CMHTA, click here .

This training is cosponsored by CHART (Children's Help and Assistance for Residential Treatment, www.chartrtc.org) and COCAF (Colorado Coalition of Adoptive Families, www.cocaf.org).  A $25 donation will go to support both organizations.  Lunch is included (we cannot accommodate special diets).  The workshop is limited to the first 65 registrants; you may not register at the door. 

Click here to register.

Did you know lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in America?  

Join the fun - and COCAF - at the Mammoth lacrosse game on Friday, March 6. Part of the proceeds from the tickets purchased through our special link will be donated to COCAF. Tickets will be $25 or $10 (depending on seat location). So mark your calendars for lacrosse fun at the Pepsi Center on Friday, March 6. More information - including a link to buy the tickets - will be coming soon!

Click here to register.

For questions and information, contact Jill Crewes, Director of Training and Education, Adoption Options by phone at 303.695.1601 or by email at [email protected] .

Community Champions Network (CCN) is now accepting applications for our young adult leadership and advocacy training March 13-15, 2015, and would like your help identifying young leaders in your community who may be interested in participating.

CCN will be selecting seven teams of three young adults and two staff professionals who will join together in creating youth networks in their communities. Young adults (who must be between 18 and 25 years old who experienced child welfare or adoption) will learn about creating services that directly benefit youth and are run by those who have experienced the foster care system. Participants will also identify advocacy issues for their communities and practice using their stories to help promote changes in the system.

If you have a team that you are interested in taking to the spring training, to learn more and complete an application, click here.

Applications are due January 9, but the whole five-person team does not need to be identified by then, just one young adult and at least one staff person.

For those parents with children with physical and mental disorders but with no diagnosis, there may be hope for finally getting that diagnosis (and then the proper treatment).

Children's Mercy Hospital (in Kansas City) researchers published their groundbreaking findings on 119 children with neurologic and developmental disorders, showing that mapping a child's complete genetic information can quickly identify rare disorders that otherwise might go years without a definitive diagnosis.

To read this article from the disability scoop, click here. To read the report from Children's Mercy Hospital, click here.

This past year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has taken a number of additional important actions and made further significant strides to continue to advance the equality, health, and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, families, and communities. The Department's commitment to these issues will continue in the coming year and beyond. To read the full report, click here.

Click here to read more.

The U.S. Senate voted 76 to 16 to send legislation to the president establishing a new way for people with disabilities to save money without risking their government benefits.

Originally known as the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, the legislation was recently renamed the Stephen Beck, Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014. A longtime proponent of the bill, Beck died unexpectedly earlier this month.

The ABLE Act would allow people with disabilities to establish special accounts where they could save money to pay for education, health care, transportation, housing and other expenses. Individuals could deposit up to $14,000 annually under current gift-tax limitations and accrue as much as $100,000 without risking eligibility for Social Security and other government programs.

Meanwhile, the bill ensures that people with disabilities can retain Medicaid coverage no matter how much money is saved in their ABLE account.

Click here to read more about this legislation.

Run for Orphans

Saturday, May 9, 2015

More info to come!

Support Groups

Sometimes our children provide us with challenges that we're just not quite ready to handle.  And sometimes support groups can help us find the answers we need, or at least make us feel okay about the unique challenges we're facing.  Here are some support groups that might be helpful.

Teen & Tween Adoption Support for Parents

Potluck

2nd & 4th Monday of each month

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Resilience Center

1298 Peoria St

Aurora, CO 80011

Click here for more info.

Young Adult Mental Illness Support Group

For ages 18-28

1st & 3rd Thursday of every month

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

1st week Classroom F-G

3rd week Classroom E

St Anthony Hospital

11600 W 2nd Dr

Lakewood, CO 80228

Contact Courtney at 720-369-2629 for more information.  

Welcome Child Adoption/Foster Care Support Group

Second Sunday of the month

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Timberline Church, Room 214

2908 S. Timberline Road

Fort Collins, CO  80525

For more information contact Michele Sanner by email at mlsanner@gmail.com or by phone at (970) 481-5749.

Xpress Yourself Art & Play Therapy  

Support groups for internationally adopted children & adolescents

CCAI

6920 S. Holly Circle

Centennial, CO 80112

Call 303-850-9998, ext 22

Called to Adopt Support Group

4th Saturday of the month, 6:00 p.m.,
Christ Community Church, Greeley, CO

Click here for more info.

 Sensory Processing Disorder Parent Support Group

Facilitators:  Sarah Ahn and Jenny Burnsed, LPC

Last Monday of every month 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Bixby School,  3750 Table Mesa Drive, Boulder

Therapeutic Post-Adoption Support Group

2nd Thursday of the month, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Windsor Timberline Church

360 E Crossroads Blvd, Windsor, CO

Click here for more information.

Aurora Mental Health

Adoption Support Group

2nd & 4th Mondays of the month

Aurora Mental Health

11059 E Bethany Drive, Aurora, CO 80014

Click here for more information.

The Be The Change Challenge

(For parents of challenging children)

2nd Tuesday of each month, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

ACL Boulder, 5744 North 71st Street, Longmont, Colorado 80503

Call 630-841-0458

Click here for more info.

3rd Thursday of each month, 6:00 p.m. -  8:00 p.m.

Contact:  KimNichelle Rivera 303-226-5536

EMPOWER Littleton/Aurora/Englewood

1st & 3rd Thursday, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network

155 Inverness Drive West, Englewood, CO 80112

Contact Carol Villa at 303-790-1055 for more information or email [email protected]

Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m. 8:30 p.m.

ADMHN Building, 3rd floor

5500 S. Sycamore St, Littleton, CO  80120

Contact:  Carol 

303-790-1055

NAMI Family Support Group Teleconference

2nd & 4th Tuesdays of each month

Contact:  [email protected] 

Louisville Parent Support Group

Art Underground

 901 Front Street, Louisville, CO 80027

$25 per session; reservations required.  

 Adult Adoptee Group

Thursdays starting November 6, 2014

6:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

7950 S Lincoln St, Ste 111-E, Littleton, CO 80122