Boise, ID (CBS2) — Governor Brad Little signed the "Promoting Families and Protecting Children Act" on Friday to help remove barriers that foster families face and protect the kids that are in the foster care system.
The "Promoting Families and Protecting Children Act" directs the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) to reduce barriers to adoption for Idaho foster care kids, increase the number of foster families in Idaho, and build partnerships that serve mothers and babies better.
The Act also aims to promote early intervention for at-risk kids and families to prevent kids from entering the foster system in the first place. It also puts families at the center of the decision-making process at all levels of DWH.
There is no category of children more in need of protection than those in the child welfare system. Through no fault of their own, children in foster care in Idaho face enormous challenges. They need our support, and so do the foster families who step up to care for them, love them, and provide them safety,” Governor Little said. “The Promoting Families and Protecting Children Act will accelerate the improvements we know we need to address in our child welfare system in Idaho.Governor Little has also directed the newly appointed DHW Director Alex Adams to immediately implement early regulatory actions including a rule that was temporarily adopted on Wednesday that waves adoption fees to help remove barriers for the kids in the foster care system, along with an action that on Thursday the Board of Health and Welfare took to make the licensure of foster families simpler by removing certain restrictions and relying more on the judgment of the foster parent.
The Board also adopted a licensing-by-inclusion policy so that if a family didn't have a safety feature that is required by the department such as a fire extinguisher, the department would cover the cost to enroll families as foster parents.
The Governor directed DHW to inform staff and foster parents about the Foster Parents Bill, which recognizes the role and responsibility of foster parents while caring for kids in DHW custody.
None of these actions alone will solve all the issues in our state’s child welfare system, but the Governor directed me to pursue these initial steps in order to build trust with our foster families and promote an organizational culture focused on what is best for the children in the care of the State of Idaho,” DHW Director Adams said.Employees will go through training over the summer to fully implement the Foster Parent Bill of Rights by August 1.
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