Consideration: A Fighting Chance empowers families navigating Colorado’s child protective services system by providing education, legal resources, and direct support to parents and guardians facing court proceedings. We advocate for systemic reform in family court, probate guardianship, and juvenile justice through legislative engagement, appellate case law development, and court observation. Our mission is to ensure due process protections, informed parental rights, and equitable access to legal support while working to eliminate overreach and protect family unity.
What We Do
Consideration supports Colorado families at the intersection of child protective services, family court, and probate guardianship.
Education & Resources
Plain-language guides and community education on parental rights, CPS procedures, and how court processes actually work — so families walk in informed rather than overwhelmed.
Legal Advocacy
Mentoring for self-represented (pro se) litigants, guidance on appellate strategy, and funding for cases with the potential to establish precedent that protects future families.
Court Reform
Legislative testimony and bill drafting at the Colorado Capitol to strengthen due process protections and parental rights in state law.
Court Watch & Accountability
Volunteers observe and document proceedings. Courts operate differently when someone is watching, and patterns only become visible when someone is keeping records.
Community Connection
Connecting families to attorneys, therapists, shelters, and advocacy partners — because isolation is one of the most damaging parts of this process.
Why It Matters
Families in contact with child protective services routinely face inadequate legal representation, procedures that lack meaningful safeguards, limited access to information about their own rights, and economic barriers to participating fully in their own case.
Without support, parents lose custody, guardianship, and family unity — often without ever understanding what happened or what options existed. Consideration exists to close that gap.
Our Values
- Due Process — Legal procedures must be fair, transparent, and protective of fundamental rights.
- Family Preservation — The presumption should favor keeping families together whenever it is safe to do so.
- Equal Access — Low-income families deserve the same legal tools and expertise as wealthy ones.
- Accountability — Courts and agencies must operate under public scrutiny and within statutory limits.
- Systemic Reform — Individual case wins matter, but changing law and procedure prevents future harm.
How Change Happens
Individual families need accurate information, expert mentoring, and support to pursue appeals. Courts need transparency and public scrutiny. Colorado law needs reform that prioritizes family preservation and due process.
By combining direct family support, court observation, and appellate advocacy, Consideration works on all three at once — helping the family in front of us while changing the system behind them.