Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Alex Adams joins state officials and business leaders to announce the Idaho State Park Foster Family Passport at Lucky Peak State Park, as foster parents and families stand behind him. (Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun)
As the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare seeks to address issues in foster care, the agency is looking to funnel more resources toward preventing kids from being placed in foster care in the first place.
In its budget request to be considered during the 2025 legislative session, the state health agency is asking to raise the child welfare budget by almost $15 million to $65.2 million, and add 68 new full-time staff for a total of nearly 503 staff in fiscal year 2026, which starts June 2026.
If approved by the Idaho Legislature, some new funding and staff requested would go toward funding prevention work, reducing agency caseworker workloads, enhancing support to foster parents and improving kids placements in child welfare.