BOISE — A new bill could make it easier for foster care children who age out of the current Idaho system and for those struggling with mental issues to receive help. The House Health and Welfare Committee voted unanimously in favor of giving HB 336 a do pass recommendation Wednesday morning. Then, in a quick turnaround, the full House voted unanimously to pass it that same afternoon. If enacted, it will cost between $200,000 to $400,000 per year, estimated bill sponsor Rep. Jason Monks, R-Meridian.
“This is an investment that will far exceed the cost to Idaho. It’s really not about the numbers, it is about the kids,” Monks said.
The bill would do two main things:
Children can remain in foster care until age 21
Currently, children age out of the system as soon as they turn 18. Under this bill, a judge could decide to allow a child to remain in the system until age 21.
Bill sponsor Jason Monks, R-Meridian, noted that upon turning 18, 20% of children in foster care “instantaneously become homeless.” He added that 70% girls who age out become pregnant by age 21 and 60% of boys who age out are convicted of a crime by age 21.
“Those are pretty tough statistics.”
Put new procedures and timelines in place
The bill would require that if the state Department of Health and Welfare places a foster child in a residential treatment center due to emotional or behavioral issues, it must file a written notice about that placement within seven days. Within 30 days, the department would have to follow up with an assessment of the child to decide the best treatment options for them. The bill outlines what the assessment must involve, including deciding whether the child should be in a foster home, creating goals for the child and creating a continued treatment plan. Within 60 days, a follow-up would have to be done to review the plan and decide if the child should remain in the residential treatment center.
At the moment, there are few formal expectations or timelines for this decision-making process for Idaho foster children.
Representatives offered glowing praise of HB 336 both in the committee and House.
“This is why I came to the Legislature, this kind of wonderful bill that protects children. In my career, I’ve seen lots of these young people who have been homeless right after foster care. The system failed them, and this fills that gap. This is long overdue,” said Rep. Marco Erickson, R-Idaho Falls, who signed on as a co-sponsor of this bill.
Erickson, who has a master’s degree in psychology, has spent more than a decade working in mental health and with at-risk youth in eastern Idaho.
Rep. Brandon Mitchell, R-Moscow, said the bill “hit close to home.” He told both the committee and House about his former foster daughter who suddenly become homeless when she was required to leave her foster care group home upon turning 18.
“She called us and said, ‘Mom, Dad, I want to come home.’ And we let her come home. We helped her get started with school,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said she has since completed her degree in nursing. She joined the National Guard, served one tour in Iraq and will soon be completing a second. She married and had a child.
“She still calls us daily or quite often,” Mitchell said.
Her sister had a different experience, according to Mitchell.
“Her sister, who also aged out of the system, did not have that support. She took a completely different path. She is now living in Vegas and some of the things I’ve heard she is doing is not positive,” Mitchell said.
The bill now heads to the Senate.