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State budget hearing spotlights child welfare push for prevention specialists and foster-family recruitment amid rising congregate care costs
Summary
At a Feb. 20 Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee hearing, Department of Health and Welfare officials outlined budget requests to expand prevention teams, hire foster-care clinicians and licensing staff, and cover a $14.1 million supplemental driven by congregate care costs and a shortage of foster parents.
BOISE, Idaho — The Joint Finance and Approiations Committee on Feb. 20 heard the Department of Health and Welfare's request for new staff and funding aimed at reducing costly congregate care placements and increasing in-home prevention and foster-family capacity.
Analyst Alex Williamson told the committee the division formerly called child welfare, now retitled Youth Safety and Permanency, is authorized for 434.8 full-time positions and had 45.8 vacancies as of Feb. 10, with roughly 25 vacancies in active interview processes and nine posted. The department is requesting multiple position increases, including 36 prevention-specialist family service workers and a supplemental request of $14.1 million for foster-care population forecast adjustments for fiscal 2026.
The prevention specialists would expand a team that Williamson said now includes 14 staff statewide; adding 36 would bring the number to 50 and aim to increase the share of children who can safely remain at home. Williamson said the combined ongoing and one-time cost for the prevention specialist request is…
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