Lawmakers Begin Study of Idaho’s Foster Care System
LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — Idaho foster care parents are urging lawmakers to reform the current state system, saying that foster care bureaucracy has caused unnecessary heartache and frustration.
The Lewiston Tribune reports that the Idaho Legislature's foster care study committee met for the first time on Friday. The panel will meet over the summer and provide recommendations for consideration during the 2017 legislative session.
Parents who testified Friday argued that the state needs better implementation guidelines and should avoid arbitrarily moving children, which can cause emotional harm.
Republican Rep. Christy Perry, of Nampa, says the effort is not a witch hunt against the Department of Health and Welfare. Instead, she says that a state agency is only as good as the policies lawmakers create to guide them. Currently, Idaho has roughly 1,300 kids in foster care.