Child Welfare

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Colorado Department of Human Services

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State of Colorado Child Welfare Rules and Regulations

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WELD COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES REQUEST FOR CHILD WELFARE RECORDS

Download and Complete Request for Child Welfare Records Form(PDF, 159KB)

All requests for WCDHS documents/records must be sent in writing to the Administrative and Quality Assurance unit. There is a processing fee of thirty dollars ($30.00) per hour and twenty-five cents ($.25) per printed page. We reserve the right to collect fees prior to any copies being released.

The requester will be contacted within 10 business days to be informed of total cost and obtain verbal confirmation to proceed with the requests. Please note two (2) attempts will be made to contact the requestor. If no response is received the Department will consider the request voided. The Department will process the request and have records available within 20 business days from date of verbal confirmation with the requestor for records less than 120 pages.  Anything over 120 pages will require 30 business days to process.

Step One: 

 Requests for access to records are initiated as follows:

A completed, notarized request form (attached) and a copy of the requestor’s driver’s license or picture I.D.

The request form must be completed and include the following information:
a) Full legal name, date of birth (DOB), address and telephone number of the requestor.
b) Email address of requestor.
c) Child(ren)’s first and last name and date of birth (DOB (if applicable).
d) Relationship to child (if applicable).
(If a request is being made by any person other than the Weld County DHS client, the requestor must provide documentation as to the legal authority to obtain the records. (Court order, release of information, etc.)

In person submission:

Weld County Department of Human Services Offices

Mail submission:

Custodian of Records – Administrative and Quality Assurance Unit

Weld County Department of Human Services
P.O. Box A
Greeley, CO80632

E-mail Submission:

HS-CWRecordsRequest@weld.gov

Step Two:

A Child Welfare Administrative Specialists will notify you within 10 business days of the total amount that will be due and arrange for release of records.

Step Three: 

 Fees must be paid. Forms of payment accepted are cash, checks, and money orders.

(If a digital copy was requested, confirmation of payment must be received prior to release of records)

Copies of records can be picked up at:

Weld County Department of Human Services
315 North 11^th Ave Building C 
Greeley, CO  80631
(Head to EBT window)

The following individuals may request and be granted access to records held by this department:

1. Persons who, as children, received child welfare services or who were alleged to have been the subject of a report of child neglect/abuse.
2. Parent/guardian/legal custodian responsible for the health or welfare of a child named in a report
3. A legal representative of a parent/guardian/legal custodian of the named child in a report- Must have a release of information signed by the parent/guardian/legal custodian.

The following types of information are protected from release by law and will be removed from the record prior to copying.  This information may only be released by Court order:

1. Names of the reporting party of a child abuse referral
2. Medical records
3. Uniform Parentage Act records
4. Juvenile delinquency records
5. Substance abuse treatment records
6. Attorney/client privilege records
7. Other agencies’ confidential records
8. Personal information of other individuals which should be protected in the interest of their privacy

Access to adoption records by certain parties is administered under the following provisions:

Upon request, the custodian of records shall provide direct access, without redaction, to all adoption records, as defined in section 19-1-103 (6.5) (a.5), for inspection and copying by an adult adoptee, an adoptive parent of a minor adoptee, a custodial grandparent of a minor adoptee, or the legal representative of any such individual. In addition, the custodian of records shall provide direct access to adoption records for inspection and copying by a spouse of an adult adoptee, an adult descendant of an adoptee, an adult sibling or half-sibling of an adult adoptee, an adoptive parent or grandparent of an adult adoptee, or the legal representative of any such individual, if the individual requesting access has the notarized written consent of the adult adoptee or if the adult adoptee is deceased.  Prior to releasing any personal records to an eligible party, the custodian of records must require the eligible party requesting access to provide proof of identification. The custodian of records may charge reasonable fees for providing copies of records.

Adoption records means the following documents and information pertaining to the custody, relinquishment, or adoption of a former ward, without redaction:

1. The original birth certificate;
2. The amended birth certificate;
3. The temporary waiver of custody;
4. The final order of relinquishment.
5. The order of termination of parental rights;
6. The final decree of adoption.
7. The name of the former ward before placement in adoption; the name and address of each birth parent as they appear in the birth records or other documents, including other information that might personally identify a birth parent; and the name and address of each adoptive parent; and
8. The physical description of the birth parents; the educational background of the birth parents; the occupation of the birth parents; genetic information about the birth family; medical information about the former ward's birth; social information about the birth parents; whether the former ward has siblings or half-siblings, and, if so, the names and addresses of the siblings and half-siblings; and the placement history of the former ward.

Adoption records do not include pre-relinquishment counseling records, which records shall remain confidential.

Non-Parent/legal Guardian access to their records must be through a Court order, the through the discovery process in a judicial proceeding or through the State Child Abuse Appeal Process.

The Weld County Department of Human Services Administrative and Quality Assurance Unit will be the custodian of records and will be responsible for handling client requests for records access except for adoption records. All records requests for adoption records will be handled through the Weld County Department of Human Services Child Welfare Adoption Unit.

The Weld County Department of Human Services Child Welfare Administrative Specialist will maintain a record of the request and keep on file for 6 months from the date of request.

WARNING: MISUSE OF INFORMATION

“Except as otherwise provided in this section and section 19-1-303, reports of child abuse or neglect and the name and address of any child, family, or informant or any other identifying information contained in such reports shall be confidential and shall not be public information.” Section 19-1-307(1)(a), C.R.S.

“Disclosure of the name and address of the child and family and other identifying information involved in such reports shall be permitted only when authorized by a court for good cause.” Section 19-1-307(1)(b), C.R.S.

“Any person who violates any provision of [the above referenced sections] is guilty of a class 2 petty offense and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars.” Section 19-1-307(1)(C), C.R.S.

“Any person who improperly releases or who willfully permits or encourages the release of data or information contained in the records and reports of child abuse or neglect to persons not permitted access to such information by this section or by section 19-1-303 commits a class 1 misdemeanor and shall be punished as provided in section 18-1.3-501, C.R.S. Section 19-1-307(4), C.R.S.