Helping one family at a time matters. Changing the rules everyone plays by matters more. Consideration works at the Colorado Capitol, in the appellate courts, and in the courtrooms themselves.
Court Watch
Most dependency and neglect hearings in Colorado are open to the public. Almost nobody attends. That absence is part of why these proceedings run the way they do.
Court watchers change that. Volunteers sit in on hearings, take notes, and document what happens. Courts behave differently when the public is present, and systemic patterns only become visible when someone keeps consistent records across many cases.
What a court watcher does
- Attends a hearing, in person or by remote link when the court allows it
- Observes quietly and takes notes on what was said, by whom, and what the court decided
- Submits those notes to us so patterns across cases can be tracked over time
- Never speaks during the proceeding, records it, or approaches the parties
That last point matters. Court watching works because it is respectful and lawful. Recording is generally prohibited, and a watcher who disrupts a hearing hurts the family they came to support.
Who can do this
Anyone. No legal background is required and we will train you. Many of our watchers are parents who went through the system themselves; others simply believe courts should not operate unobserved. A few hours is a meaningful contribution.
How to join
Court watch requests come up on short notice, often only a few days before a hearing. We keep a volunteer list and send out requests as they arise, with the date, time, and location.
To be added to the list, reach out through our Contact page. We do not publish hearing details or family names publicly — those go only to volunteers on the list, and only with the family’s consent.
Attorney & Judicial Accountability
Family court reform is not only about legislation and agency practice. It also depends on holding attorneys and judges to the standards they are already bound by.
Colorado has an Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel (OARC), which investigates complaints against attorneys, and a Commission on Judicial Discipline, which handles complaints against judges. Both processes are open to public scrutiny, and disciplinary hearings before the Presiding Disciplinary Judge are generally public proceedings, the same as any other court hearing.
It is worth understanding how this system is structured. OARC and the Office of the Presiding Disciplinary Judge are both offices of the Colorado Supreme Court itself — the Court appoints the Presiding Disciplinary Judge and holds administrative oversight of the entire attorney regulation system. In other words, the body that licenses and disciplines attorneys, and the body that hears the resulting cases, both operate under the authority of the same court whose own judges and appointees can be the subject of complaints. That structure is documented on the Court’s own regulatory websites, and it is a reasonable basis for public attention rather than an assumption that oversight happens automatically.
If a parent believes an attorney representing them, or opposing them, acted unethically, a complaint can be filed with OARC directly. If a complaint has been dismissed and the parent believes that was not handled fairly, attending a related public hearing and observing the process firsthand is one legitimate way to see how the system functions.
As with all court watching, we encourage anyone attending these hearings to observe respectfully, take notes rather than photos or recordings, and treat it as public oversight rather than advocacy tied to any particular group or campaign.
Legislation
We draft bills, testify at the Capitol in Denver, and track legislation affecting parental rights, dependency proceedings, and guardianship.
[Bill tracker to be added — needs bill numbers, our position (support/oppose), current status, and how supporters can help]
How to Help
Testimony from people who have lived through the system carries more weight than anything an organization can say. If you are willing to testify, contact us — we will help you prepare and tell you when hearings are scheduled.
Appellate Work
Trial court decisions affect one family. Appellate decisions become law that binds every court in the state. We fund and support appeals with the potential to establish precedent protecting parental rights and due process.
See our Cases for appeals we are currently supporting.
Events
[Calendar to be embedded here once the Google Calendar feed is connected — will show court watch dates, Capitol events, and hearings]
Coalition & Allies
Family court and CPS reform is bigger than any one organization. We work alongside a growing network of advocates across Colorado, and we show up for each other’s fights.
Jeffco Kids First
Advocacy for parental rights and family court accountability in Jefferson County and statewide.
Protect Kids Colorado
Statewide advocacy on child welfare and family policy legislation.
Partners
The Probate Trap / F.A.C.E.U.S.
Advocacy focused on probate court and guardianship — the same patterns of overreach, applied to adults and elders instead of children. theprobatetrap.org