A task force on preventing youth from running away from out-of-home placement has identified a lack of guidance on reporting or locating a youth who has run from care, and a lack of detailed structure when responding to such a situation, among several issues in its first-year report.
"Colorado lacks a detailed structure and practice for immediate response after a youth runs away from care," the task force noted in its interim report, suggesting gaps in data are also an issue when it comes to predicting which children might be at risk of running away.
The Timothy Montoya Task Force to Prevent Youth from Running from Out-of-Home Placement released its 2023 Interim Report on Tuesday.
Named after 12-year-old Timothy Montoya-Kloepfel, who was hit and killed by a car shortly after running away from his out-of-home placement in June 2020, the task force was created by the Colorado General Assembly.
"The report provides legislators, stakeholders and the public with an overview of the task force’s efforts and findings during its first year of operation," according to a news release.
Entering its second year of a two-year effort, the 22-member group is studying why youth run away from care.
"The study will help the task force develop a consistent, prompt and effective response for when youth run away from care, how to promote youths’ well-being upon their return and programs to deter youth from running from care to begin with," the task force said.
Among the areas the task force noted may need further study:
- "existing qualitative data is inadequate when it comes to predicting who will run away from care"
- "an absence of requirements for reporting or actively locating a youth who has run from care"
- "standardized data-entry processes, consistent data-extraction methods, expanded collection and time-limited studies of each child who runs away from care"
- the need for a "statewide response team, standardized guidelines and temporary placements for youth after running away from care"
The task force’s next meeting is Oct.11, from 8 to 10 a.m., (MDT). For more information – including a complete schedule of meetings, Zoom links, agendas, reports and meeting materials – visit the Timothy Montoya Task Force homepage at coloradocpo.org/tmtf.
You can read the first-year report at coloradocpo.org/tmtf/interim-report
