Idaho ends Wednesday’s Child contract as internal teams prepare to take over

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI)- The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare announced the contract for the Idaho Wednesday's Child recruitment program will end on Sept. 30. Internal state teams will take over recruitment and intensive services for foster children starting Oct. 1.

The program has operated for more than 25 years in partnership with Eastern Washington University and other community organizations to find homes for children in foster care. The state is reorganizing how it manages these cases to modernize recruitment practices and address safety concerns related to public profiles.

The program website will stop accepting inquiries for youth on Aug. 24. The Family Resource and Training Center, which has operated the program for the past 10 years, scheduled the site to close on Sept. 1. Families are encouraged to complete inquiries as soon as possible to ensure they are processed before the end of the month.

Jean M. Fisher, administrator of the Division of Youth Safety & Permanency, said the landscape of foster care adoption has changed. In a letter to community partners, Fisher noted that advances in technology and social media have increased risks for youth featured in public profiles.

“The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare is in a position to innovate practices for child-specific recruitment while demonstrating fiscal responsibility,” Fisher said. The department has already adjusted how it manages cases by having permanency workers coordinate earlier with family services staff.

The state also added a Family Find team to help identify previously unknown relatives or connections for children in care. These changes aim to achieve timely placement for children who cannot return to their homes. During the transition, the state will use the AdoptUSKids website to ensure recruitment efforts for waiting children continue.

Internal Youth Safety & Permanency team members will begin providing recruitment services on Oct. 1. The Department of Health & Welfare will also develop an updated website for children and families while the current platform remains unavailable.