Idaho State Audit Finds Child Welfare System Is Overwhelmed

Idaho’s child welfare system is overwhelmed, and the state has no system-level accountability or oversight for child welfare outcomes, according to a state legislative performance audit. Program managers, supervisors, and social workers say caseloads are 28% to 38% higher than they can reasonably handle. Safety assessors handle an estimated 15 cases per month, and case managers handle an estimated 14 cases per month; both estimate 11 as a manageable number of cases to be able to investigate, assess risk factors and provide appropriate supports to families and foster parents. The number of licensed foster parents has dropped by . . .