Two bills introduced on potential foster care system changes
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BOISE (Idaho Reports) — The Senate State Affairs Committee introduced two bills Wednesday related to Idaho’s foster care system and regulations around housing children in the system.
Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, who chairs the Child Protection Legislative Oversight Committee, sponsored both bills. The first regulates the age of children in foster care who can be housed in temporary housing when a foster family is unavailable.
“This is a proposal to address the increasing, what I would argue are extraordinary, use of our temporary housing AirBnBs for our foster children,” Lee said.
She said initially only 20 or 30 children were in the temporary homes, but last year as many as 170 foster kids came through the homes. She’s heard of situations where children as young as age 2 were in temporary homes with a different caregiver every night.
Should the bill pass, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare would have to notify the court within seven days of placement in a short-term rental, temporary shelter, or congregate care setting.
Additionally, DHW would not be allowed to place children under the age of 12 in rentals unless the director gives written approval. The approval to put a foster child could come if the child is age 3 or older, the child is part of a sibling group, and at least one of those siblings is age 13 or older.
Another exemption would be if the child is age 6 or older and has been taken into shelter care through the emergency removal process. Teenage mothers who are in the foster care system would also be allowed to bring their child with them.
The second bill introduced on Wednesday would create an ombudsman office to monitor health and social services for vulnerable adults and children in state custody.
Lee said there needs to be a grievance process that is functional. Foster care parents have repeatedly complained in the oversight committee that they don’t feel heard by DHW.
Should the bill pass, the office of the ombudsman would operate independently of the courts and of the Department of Health and Welfare. The office would establish a procedure for receiving, examining and resolving complaints regarding children under state supervision. The ombudsman would also be charged with gathering and analyzing data to discern patterns and problems in health and social services.
“I think this would be a good start to a solution to make sure were resolving conflict in a more efficient and effective way,” said Sen. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise.
Both bills must still get a public hearing in committee before moving forward.