Custody and visitation cases for women are handled in state and county family courts under each state's 'best interest of the child' standard. Mothers seeking sole, joint, or primary physical custody can use free self-help centers inside most courthouses to file petitions, parenting plans, and modification requests without an attorney. The ABA Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence and the Women's Law Project track state-by-state custody trends, and organizations like the Battered Mothers Custody Conference advocate where abuse intersects with custody. This directory combines official state court self-help portals, county family law facilitators, women-focused family law firms, and maternal advocacy organizations.
Colorado uses 'allocation of parental responsibilities' instead of 'custody' and hears cases in district courts. The Child Support Services division runs enforcement statewide. Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, and Fort Collins anchor the major metros. Colorado Legal Services, Project Safeguard, and the Violence Free Colorado coalition support women across the state.
Colorado uses the term "allocation of parental responsibilities" rather than custody, and this state portal walks mothers through the JDF forms used in every district court. Downloadable petitions, parenting plan templates, and step-by-step filing instructions are organized by case type. The site is free, available 24/7, and works alongside the Sherlock self-help chatbot.
720-625-5000 · Statewide Online Resource · Online 24/7 · Visit Website
CLS is the statewide LSC-funded provider handling parental responsibilities, protection orders, and child support cases for income-eligible mothers in all 22 judicial districts. Intake screens by federal poverty guidelines; bring pay stubs, a state ID, and any existing district court orders. The Sherman Street office anchors a network of 11 regional offices serving rural and Front Range women alike.
303-837-1313 · 1905 Sherman St Suite 400, Denver, CO 80203 · Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm · Visit Website
MVL recruits private bar volunteers to take pro bono parental responsibilities and divorce cases for Denver-area women below 200% of poverty. Mothers are matched after a CLS intake and clinic screening at the same Sherman Street address. Volunteers handle full representation through Denver, Arapahoe, Adams, Douglas, and Jefferson district courts.
303-830-8210 · 1905 Sherman St Suite 400, Denver, CO 80203 · Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm · Visit Website
The self-help room at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse in downtown Denver lets mothers walk in without an appointment to get JDF parenting time forms, fee waiver paperwork, and procedural answers from a court facilitator. Staff cannot give legal advice but routinely review allocation of parental responsibilities filings for completeness before you hand them to the clerk upstairs.
720-865-8600 · 1437 Bannock St, Denver, CO 80202 · Mon-Fri 8am-4pm · Visit Website
Mothers in Colorado Springs, Fountain, and Manitou file APR cases at the El Paso Combined Courts on Tejon Street in the heart of the 4th Judicial District. The self-help center provides certified mediator lists, form packets, and procedural sheets specific to El Paso County's case management orders. Military spouses from Fort Carson, Schriever, and Peterson can ask about SCRA-related scheduling accommodations.
719-452-5000 · 270 S Tejon St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903 · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website
OCR oversees court-appointed Child Legal Representatives and Guardians ad Litem in Colorado dependency, APR, and high-conflict custody cases. When a district court judge appoints a CLR for your child, OCR ensures that attorney is trained and supervised. Mothers worried about a child's voice being heard in a contested parenting case can ask the judge to consider an appointment.
303-860-1517 · 1580 Logan St Suite 320, Denver, CO 80203 · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website
The 20th Judicial District self-help center at the Boulder Justice Center helps mothers in Boulder, Longmont, Lafayette, and Louisville file parenting plans and respond to APR petitions. Walk-in facilitators review JDF forms, explain Boulder County's standing case management order, and point you toward CLS Boulder if you qualify for free representation.
303-441-3750 · 1777 6th St, Boulder, CO 80302 · Mon-Fri 8am-4pm · Visit Website
ODR is the judicial branch's in-house mediation arm and handles parenting time and decision-making disputes referred by district court judges across the state. Mothers pay a sliding-scale fee based on income, far below private mediator rates. Sessions can be virtual or in-person at the Broadway office in Denver.
303-837-3667 · 1300 Broadway Suite 1200, Denver, CO 80203 · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website
The 18th Judicial District covers Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties, and the Centennial courthouse self-help center is where most south-metro mothers file APR cases. Facilitators help with parenting plan worksheets, child support guideline calculations, and the standardized case management orders used in this district. Free parking and family-friendly waiting areas are available.
303-649-6355 · 7325 S Potomac St, Centennial, CO 80112 · Mon-Fri 8am-5pm · Visit Website
Run by the National Network to End Domestic Violence, WomensLaw publishes a plain-language Colorado section explaining APR statutes, protective orders, and how Colorado handles parental kidnapping and relocation. Articles are reviewed by attorneys and updated when state law changes. Especially useful for mothers who suspect their case overlaps with domestic violence claims.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
The ABA Family Law Section maintains a national directory of family attorneys and publishes consumer guides on parenting time, relocation, and modification cases. Mothers can search by Colorado zip code and filter for collaborative practice or mediation training. Free articles cover what to ask a lawyer in the initial APR consultation.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
OCSS is the federal partner to Colorado's Division of Child Support Services and publishes the rules states must follow on locating non-custodial parents, intercepting tax refunds, and enforcing orders across state lines. Mothers with a non-custodial father living outside Colorado can use OCSS resources to understand UIFSA interstate enforcement.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
USA.gov consolidates federal links to every state custody agency, including Colorado's Judicial Branch and CDHS Child Support Services. The page explains the difference between parenting time and child support in plain English, and points mothers to the Hague Convention process if a child has been taken outside the US.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
ChildWelfare.gov is the HHS-run information gateway with detailed Colorado kinship care, foster placement, and grandparent guardianship guides. Mothers caring for a niece, nephew, or grandchild can find Colorado-specific statutes on relative caregiver authority and links to Denver Human Services.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
NCJFCJ trains Colorado district court judges who hear APR and dependency cases and publishes the Safe Havens supervised visitation model used at several Colorado exchange centers. The public-facing site has reading guides for mothers wanting to understand how judges weigh best-interest factors under C.R.S. 14-10-124.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
Cornell's free legal encyclopedia carries the full text of the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act and Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, both adopted in modified form by Colorado. Mothers can read source statutes alongside CRS Title 14 to understand how their parenting time order interlocks with federal jurisdiction rules.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website
FindLaw publishes a Colorado-specific custody overview covering APR statutes, modification thresholds, and the state's preference for joint decision-making absent endangerment. Mothers researching the difference between sole and joint allocation can read attorney-written articles before paying for a consultation.
Nationwide · Online · Visit Website