Colorado is reshaping the behavioral health system for children, youth, and families. The Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) works with state, local, and community partners to create a system that is easy to access and use.
This page shares updates on BHA’s work to improve behavioral health support for children, youth, and families.
Last updated: April 23, 2025
System reform for children, youth, and families
The Colorado Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) is establishing a mental health system that supports families when and where they need it. BHA oversees the statewide collaboration needed to improve current services. We have several goals for this system reform.
Expand services for young people who need extra mental health support.
HB 24-1038 became law in 2024 and empowers state agencies to address system gaps for kids and teens with complex mental health needs. To do this, the law:
- Creates a better system to figure out the kind of help kids need
- Expands services so more kids can get care at home or in foster care instead of in a facility
- Adds more treatment beds for kids who do need residential care
- Trains more staff to work in residential facilities
- Makes sure these facilities meet high-quality standards
- Increases funding to help providers offer better care
Reduce out-of-home placement for kids.
A 2019 bill, SB 19-195, created a law to reduce the number of children who need to get mental health support outside of their homes. To do this, the law focuses on:
- Helping families keep children at home when possible
- Expanding Medicaid coverage for more services so more kids can access these services
- Proposing a single statewide referral system to make finding help simpler
- Standardized screening tools so providers can identify and address behavioral health needs earlier
Make Medicaid mental health services better for kids and teens in Colorado.
By improving support like in-home care, crisis help, and care coordination, young people can get the right help when they need it. Medicaid coverage for these services will ensure more families can access critical care.
BHA is a partner in the funding and delivery of services, with the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). Together, we are expanding and improving Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) to support youth in need of services like:
- Intensive in-home mental health services
- Community-based mental health services
- Intensive care coordination
- Mobile crisis intervention
- Stabilization services
You can learn more about HCPF's IBHS work at their website.
BHA’s Children and Youth Behavioral Implementation Health Plan helps support these reforms by documenting all of the existing cross-agency work into a single space. It lays out a five-year roadmap through partnerships between state agencies and county and community partners. Some key elements of the plan include:
- Programs to support youth with complex mental health needs
- Staffing support for mental health jobs
- Promoting more prevention services
- Available transition and recovery services
- Mental health system development that is informed by the communities where services are provided
The Children’s Behavioral Health Implementation Plan
BHA released the Colorado Children and Youth Behavioral Health Implementation Plan in 2024. The plan lays out the pathway to access care for children and youth in Colorado. Children and youth have unique needs, experience unique challenges, and require unique support and interventions. Mental health and substance use services for children and youth cannot be a mirror of adult services. Through the plan, BHA is connecting efforts across state agencies, coordinating workstreams with the legislature, and expanding access to children’s behavioral healthcare.
The plan has closed out its first year, with 19 out of 19 action items completed. Below, you can find a full review of the year one action items. This summary includes details on how the tasks were accomplished and which departments oversaw them.
BHA has published a Progress Report on the first year of the plan. The Progress Report recounts the plan’s foundational elements, year one goals, and details of the accomplishments.
For more information, contact Matt Holtman at matt.holtman@state.co.us.
Vision
The vision for the children and youth behavioral health system in Colorado is to be a comprehensive, equitable, effective continuum of behavioral health services that meets the needs of children and youth in the right place, at the right time, to achieve whole person health and wellbeing.
This means Colorado's children and youth receive the treatment and support services they need to thrive in their community. To achieve this vision, state agencies need to work in unison and support efforts to:
- Promote the well-being of children and youth;
- Establish a comprehensive continuum of behavioral health services;
- Create the foundation for a system of care framework unique to Colorado;
- Reduce barriers to access and affordability of care;
- Support a competent and adequate workforce; and
- Have accountability and oversight to ensure a quality behavioral health system.
Priorities
The Children’s Behavioral Health Implementation Plan has more than 100 action items for state agencies. It identifies and addresses the most immediate priorities to be addressed within one to two years:
- Create a governance structure in BHA that utilizes the various committees, councils and work groups addressing child and youth behavioral health.
- Develop a set of services to meet the needs of youth with high acuity behavioral health.
- Create policy that increases investment in promotion and prevention efforts.
- Create an implementation plan specific to the delivery of intensive in-home and community-based services.
- Create the necessary policies that support the formation of Affordable Care Collaborative Phase III.
- Successful roll out the Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations (BHASO) system by July 2025.
Community outreach
The Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) is committed to co-creating a better behavioral health system for children, youth, and families in Colorado in partnership with the communities who rely on these services. Our commitment to public engagement extends beyond formal rule-making opportunities and exists in shared spaces with our partner agencies as well. The calendar below includes meetings and events hosted by the BHA, the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), and the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF).
We encourage stakeholders, families, providers, and community members to attend any event you want to learn more about. These events give you a chance to join in on discussions, give feedback, and help improve services for children, youth, and families.
We believe the voices of children and youth should be heard in every space. By attending, you can help make sure their needs are part of the larger behavioral health system.
Below are the color codings of each agency calendar:
- Behavioral Health Administration Events in blue
- Colorado Department of Human Services in grey
- Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing in red
I Matter
I Matter provides free behavioral health sessions for Colorado youth ages 18 or younger or 21 or younger if receiving special education services.
Substance use prevention
Through prevention and intervention programs, we work with our community partners to improve access to substance use help.
Crisis Resolution Teams
Crisis Resolution Teams provide families of youth and young adults with intensive, short-term, in-home services and ongoing supports.
CYMHTA
Colorado's Children and Youth Mental Health Treatment Act (CYMHTA) allows families to access mental health treatment.
COACT Colorado
COACT is Colorado's system of care for children and youth with behavioral health challenges and their families.
Ascent Colorado
Ascent Colorado provides treatment and support to youth and young adults who have experienced an onset of psychotic spectrum illness.