The Youth Bill of Rights (HB24-1017) went into effect August 7, 2024. This webinar explains the rights provided for in the bill, and the role of child welfare professionals in implementation of the bill and enforcement of the rights.
The Youth Bill of Rights:
- establishes 9 categories of rights for young people residing in foster care or participating in the Foster Youth in Transition Program;
- requires that young people receive a form notice of their rights developed by OCR with input from young people with lived experience; and
- creates judicial enforcement mechanisms – e.g., courts may issue any orders to any party to ensure the provision of YBOR rights and YBOR rights may not be limited/denied unless a court finds by clear and convincing evidence that there are extraordinary circumstances and the limitation/denial is necessary for the safety of the young person.
OCR’s implementation efforts related to HB24-1017 have included the development of a Foster Youth Rights webpage, which includes a statutorily-mandated notice form (available in 6 languages).
