Support for the Timothy Montoya Task Force to Prevent Children from Running Away from Out-of-Home Placement

Project Abstract

The Timothy Montoya Task Force to Prevent Children from Running Away from Out-of-Home (OOH) Placement, established in HB 22-1375, was created to analyze the root causes of why children run away from out-of-home placement, develop a consistent, prompt, and effective response to recover missing children, and address the safety and well-being of a child upon the child’s return to out-of-home placement. The Colorado Lab conducted focus groups with children in out-of-home placement and young adults under 22 who aged out of the child protection system to assist the task force in fulfilling its duties. The Colorado Lab also conducted focus groups with out-of-home placement providers to determine what conditions led children to run away from out-of-home placement, the provider’s efforts to locate children who ran away, and the services provided to a runaway child upon the child’s return.