Child Protection Committee

The Child Protection Committee examines ways of reducing delays for children in foster care. It is tasked to:

A. Identify:

  1. Factors (practices, procedures, guidelines, statutes, rules) which contribute to delays in reunification;

  2. Factors (practices, procedures, guidelines, statutes, rules) which contribute to delays in termination of parental rights;

  3. Factors (practices, procedures, guidelines, statutes, rules) which contribute to delays in permanent placements;

  4. Terms in the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 which need clarification;

  5. Successful approaches to child protection cases used in other states.

B. Provide:

  1. Predictability, security and certainty as soon as possible, and make recommendations for reducing delays for children in foster care including reducing delays in reunification, in terminations, and in permanent placements;

  2. Recommendations for shared accountability and unified standards of practice within and between the key players including the Court, Tribal Court, Dept. of Health and Welfare, Prosecutor, Public Defender, Dept. of Juvenile Corrections, and CASA;

  3. Recommendations for better coordination between different courts/judges/cases involving the same family including protection order, juvenile, family law, and child protection across all Idaho counties;

  4. Recommendations for unified statewide judicial approach to child protection cases;

  5. Recommendations for increasing voluntary terminations including whether and how to accommodate the parents willing to terminate if allowed to maintain some contact in cases where such contact is not detrimental to child;

  6. Recommendations for minimizing trauma to children after removal;

  7. Recommendations regarding role oflong-term guardianship/foster care.