Local Resources

Blue Sky Bridge is the child advocacy center serving Boulder County. They offer:

• Assistance with neutral investigations through child friendly interviews.
• Education for both children and adults.
• Family support during the crisis, investigation and beyond.
• A support line to ask questions, get advice or simply talk.

Prevention and Intervention in the Fight Against Child Abuse

In Boulder County, Blue Sky Bridge facilitates a collaborative approach to child abuse investigations while providing child victims and their families with support in a safe and child-focused environment. They strive to make the community safer for all children and families through intervention, education and advocacy.

Boulder County Housing and Human Services Family Services Division offer the following programs:

• Food Assistance
• Housing/Energy Assistance
• Financial Assistance
• Foster care/adoption
• Child Protection
• Health Coverage
• Education/skill building
• Elder services

All children deserve to grow up in a safe, loving, and permanent family.

Financial stress and child abuse and neglect are closely linked. One of the most important jobs they have at DHHS is to help alleviate those stresses as they are working to keep children safe. DHHS offers vulnerable families many services that help prevent child abuse and neglect, reducing the need for foster care and bringing more stability to our communities.

Child Support Services works with parents (both custodial and non-custodial) and guardians to help make sure children have money and medical supports from both parents.

Child Welfare wherever possible, surrounds families with the support and resources they need to develop their own plans for stabilization and safety. The Boulder County Family & Children Services Division offers many services that are aimed at helping the children and families in our community.

To Report Child Abuse

• All emergencies call: 911
• Weekday work-hours, call our office: 303-441-1309
• Weekends and after-hours call the Boulder County Sheriff: 303-441-4444

• MESA operates the only 24-hour rape crisis and information hotline in Boulder & Broomfield counties.
• They offer advocacy, counseling and support for teen/adult victims of sexual assault and their families.

Since 1972, MESA has and continues to be the only rape crisis center serving Boulder and Broomfield counties. MESA serves over 1,000 individuals annually through our 24-hour crisis and information hotline.

• Longmont Public Safety (police, fire, Office of Emergency Management, Longmont Emergency Communications Center) provides a wide range of services to the community.
•  Has a team of investigators that specialize in sexual crimes against children.

Longmont Public Safety comprises just under 300 employees that provide 24-hour, 365 days-a-year emergency services to the 89,000 residents of the City of Longmont.  Their commitment is to work in partnership with their citizens in creating and preserving exceptional public safety for those who live in, work in, or visit our community.

• Safe Shelter operates a 24-Hour confidential Crisis Line, in both English and Spanish.
• Emergency safe shelter for domestic violence victims and their children.
• Provides victims of domestic violence support and referrals to the Shelter Program, law enforcement, our counseling staff or to other providers in the community.
• In addition Safe Shelter offers safety planning, individual counseling and support groups, advocacy and referrals to community services, legal assistance and family support.

Safe Shelter offers an integrated, comprehensive system of programs and services to address the needs of victims of domestic violence.

The Shelter Program offers women in violent and abusive relationships sanctuary and safety, education about the dynamics of domestic violence, information about their rights, time to build strength and develop a plan of action, referrals to community resources, and support in achieving personal goals. The Shelter Program provides children with a safe place to talk and the tools to build self-esteem.

The Outreach Program provides in-person advocacy, law enforcement and criminal justice system coordination, individual and support group counseling, transitional housing case management, and domestic violence and victim’s rights information. Trained counselors provide peer counseling in individual and group settings and case management to women victims of domestic violence. Women are assisted in developing realistic safety plans, building self-esteem and enhancing their own strengths through supportive services and referrals.

Safe Shelter’s Children’s Program focuses on breaking the intergenerational cycle of abuse, by teaching children non-violent ways of communication and providing a safe place for children to address the impact of the violence they have witnessed. In both group and individual settings with counselors, children are taught non-violent conflict resolution skills, ways to stay safe during violent family outbursts and ways to find support in school and in the community.

Safe Shelter’s Legal Advocacy Program provides legal advocacy for victims and assistance with temporary and permanent protection orders.

Safe Shelter’s Community and School Education Program educates the community regarding domestic violence in a variety of forums. Information is provided on recognizing domestic violence, assisting those who are involved in violent relationships, addressing violence through alternative and preventative strategies, and community resources available to assist victims.

Voices For Children CASA is a volunteer-based non-profit organization that trains and supervises community volunteers to represent the best interests child victims of abuse and neglect. CASA volunteers are court appointed to be a voice for these children in court. The desired result is that children are placed into safe, permanent, loving homes where they can thrive.

Safe Shelter offers an integrated, comprehensive system of programs and services to address the needs of victims of domestic violence.

The Shelter Program offers women in violent and abusive relationships sanctuary and safety, education about the dynamics of domestic violence, information about their rights, time to build strength and develop a plan of action, referrals to community resources, and support in achieving personal goals. The Shelter Program provides children with a safe place to talk and the tools to build self-esteem.

The Outreach Program provides in-person advocacy, law enforcement and criminal justice system coordination, individual and support group counseling, transitional housing case management, and domestic violence and victim’s rights information. Trained counselors provide peer counseling in individual and group settings and case management to women victims of domestic violence. Women are assisted in developing realistic safety plans, building self-esteem and enhancing their own strengths through supportive services and referrals.

Safe Shelter’s Children’s Program focuses on breaking the intergenerational cycle of abuse, by teaching children non-violent ways of communication and providing a safe place for children to address the impact of the violence they have witnessed. In both group and individual settings with counselors, children are taught non-violent conflict resolution skills, ways to stay safe during violent family outbursts and ways to find support in school and in the community.

Safe Shelter’s Legal Advocacy Program provides legal advocacy for victims and assistance with temporary and permanent protection orders.

Safe Shelter’s Community and School Education Program educates the community regarding domestic violence in a variety of forums. Information is provided on recognizing domestic violence, assisting those who are involved in violent relationships, addressing violence through alternative and preventative strategies, and community resources available to assist victims.

Children Youth and Families offer the following programs (all services bilingual):

• Counseling – Individual, group and family counseling
• Family Success-Education, resource referral and support groups
• Youth Development-Help children/youth build skills to be successful
• Community Problem Solving-Gang intervention, mediation, alcohol awareness
• Early Education –working on school readiness with young children

The mission of Children, Youth and Families is to “inspire and empower children, youth and families to be active responsible members of society while strengthening the connection with the community.”

Early Education: Bright EYES (Early Years Education Stewards) is a community based early childhood coalition that is focusing on implementing strategies in Longmont to help young children be ready for school and ready for life. Improving school readiness means ensuring that children have access to resources and opportunities to improve their health, language and cognitive skills, and their social-emotional development.

Counseling: Youth and Families provides short-term counseling services to help youth and their families assess the issues that are present in the family, set goals, improve communication, mediate conflicts and provide a direction for the future. Services include individual, group and family counseling, assessment and referral follow up, and coordinating of community and school services.

Family Success: The Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth, 10-13 years, is a nationally recognized, science based, best practices program that assists in learning techniques to deal with day to day issues that come up within the family structure. Parent will learn skills on how to support their pre-teen and teens, and youth will learn important refusal skills. Young mom’s parenting support groups are also offered several times a year.

Youth Development: Children and youth from 6th grade to 17 years old in school are provided experiences in areas including, community service, grant making, improving community and youth relationships, communication and teamwork. Programs are focused on providing youth with key experiences that help them to grow into productive and contributing members of our community or any community in which they choose to reside.

Wild Plum Center for Young Children and Families (a Head Start program) operates four comprehensive school readiness classrooms at the Wild Plum Center that offer a high-quality preschool curriculum to eligible children.

The Wild Plum Center is dedicated to empowering families and preparing children for the future. Working with low-income families, their primary mission is to prepare children for a lifetime of learning and self-sufficiency by providing a comprehensive, individualized approach to early learning and family wellness. They address any and all aspects of need within a child’s life, allowing for more fruitful educational and developmental experiences.

Wild Plum is the designated Early Head Start (EHS) and Head Start (HS) provider for the Longmont community. As such, Wild Plum Center is able to provide a wide variety of services and programs that many other child-care providers and preschools do not offer. Their services include a Family Education (EHS) or a Program Specialist (HS) who is assigned to a family and offers individualized, in-home support. Each WPC child receives annual health and dental screenings, and families are offered a variety of programs and classes in parenting, health and nutrition, a men’s group, and monthly socialization during which children and families get together to have fun and to learn from one another.

Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) works to protect, promote, and enhance the health and well-being of all people and the environment in Boulder County. While public health provides a variety of programs including disease prevention and promoting positive health behaviors, services related to child sexual assault prevention and response fall under the Family Health Division. Relevant services include:

• Counseling and support for high-risk children, youth, and families.
• Alcohol and drug treatment services.
• Promoting health and safety in child care settings

Family Health Division

The Family Health Division works actively with local health care providers and human service agencies to assure that children and families have access to health care and needed social support.

Child Health Promotion (CHP) Works with the staff of child care centers to prevent injuries, promote health and safety, reduce the spread of diseases and help families access health care.

Prevention & Intervention Program: The Prevention & Intervention Program places counselors in middle schools and high schools in both Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley School Districts to address substance abuse; depression/suicide; family and peer conflict; runaway and homelessness; grief and loss; interpersonal relationships; and school issues such as expulsion, dropout, intimidation, and harassment.

Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) The goal of the NFP Program is to assist first-time parents in succeeding while learning new skills. Families develop confidence and proficiency with parenting and economic self-sufficiency by volunteering to work with a nurse home visitor from this proven program.

Women, Infants, Children (WIC): WIC is for pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women; infants; and children. It focuses on the nutrition needs of low-income pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five years of age.

Project REACH (Respect, Empathy, Accountability, Community and Honesty) is a multidisciplinary program that provides community based services to youth who have committed sexual offenses. including:

• Therapy
• Supervision
• Case management & support

This integrated program has a multi-agency team and follows research-based state guidelines.

Boulder County Integrated Managed Partnership for Adolescent and Child Community Treatment (IMPACT) mission is to create positive, lasting outcomes for at-risk children, youth, and families in Boulder County by combining the resources and strengths of public and non-profit agencies in a seamless, deeply collaborative partnership.

IMPACT offers 

• Assessment, case planning, and case coordination for juveniles involved in the court system.
• Therapeutic services including functional family therapy (FFT), trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy, intensive outpatient therapy and other research based therapies.
• Support Services including mentoring, family advocacy, life skills and behavioral coaching.
•  Supervision services for juveniles on probation or detention.