Colorado authorities have “no obligation” to find a foster child who has run away and the child welfare cases of missing kids are often closed due to a lack of funding, according to a new report requested by lawmakers.

The state child welfare division, which is participating in the task force, told The Sun it does not have funding to “contract with investigators and apprehend young people,” but that counties often “make efforts to locate young people within existing resources.”

Twenty foster children exited the child welfare system by running away in the nine months from October 2022 to June, according to state data. Colorado has about 3,500 children living in foster families, residential treatment centers, and other placements.