Farragut State Park hosted north Idaho foster families last Saturday, Aug. 29, for a day of fun, learning, and togetherness. The event was the latest installment of a program that began last year. Foster Family Adventures, offered by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and Department of Health and Welfare, invites foster, kinship, and adoptive families to explore the beauty and nature of Idaho while learning recreational and outdoor skills. 

The Mayfly Project, founded in 2015 with the vision of using fly fishing to support children in foster care,  hosted a hands-on workshop teaching kids how to tie flies. 

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game taught fishing basics and educated families about fish native to Idaho. Youth had the opportunity to practice casting and reeling in fish (plastic fish “swimming” atop the grass) and then redeemed their catch for prizes. 

Idaho Parks and Recreation staff led a nature hike that doubled as a nature-themed scavenger hunt. The feathers, leaves, and holes spotted by kids provided abundant opportunities for discussion and learning.

Farragut State Park was a World War II naval training station. Attendees could tour the now-restored brig and a museum highlighting the rich history of the area. 

Parks and Recreation Director Susan Buxton and Health and Welfare Director Alex Adams both attended and thanked foster families for making the selfless choice to support Idaho’s youth.

Idaho Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d’Alene, attended to show his support, noting that the state plays a crucial role in the lives of foster children and “provides a stable place for kids in really rough times.” 

Redman spoke of the need for foster parents in Idaho and across the country. When asked how others could help and get involved, Redman said, “Be obedient to the calling. There is no greater good than to help a young child.” 

To learn more about foster parenting, call 211 or visit Health and Welfare’s foster parent webpages. 

To learn how you or your business can support foster parents and events like this, call the Division of Family and Community Partnerships at 208-334-0641.

Fostering Family Adventures is a cooperative effort spearheaded by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho Business for the Outdoors, and Regence BlueShield of Idaho. 

Additional sponsors and contributors include the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Mayfly Project, Fostering Idaho, Scheels, Museum of North Idaho, Trader Joe’s, and the Idaho Potato Commission.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.

Kinship caregivers—relatives, close family friends, or others with a strong family connection—play an essential role in giving children safe and loving homes when parents aren’t able to. 

Idaho will honor and celebrate them during Idaho Kinship Family Day on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, with celebrations happening simultaneously in three locations:

Meridian – Settlers Park, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. MDT

Pocatello – Heritage Park, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. MDT

Coeur d’Alene – Canvas Church, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. PDT

These free events will feature food, fun, and games, along with information on resources and supports available to kinship families. It’s a chance to connect with other caregivers, build community, and be honored for the vital role you play.

What is kinship care?

Kinship care refers to the full-time care, nurturing, and protection of a child by relatives, members of their Tribe or clan, godparents, step-parents, or other adults who have a family relationship with the child (sometimes called fictive kin). Kinship families step in to provide stability and love when parents aren’t able to, and Idaho Kinship Family Day is dedicated to recognizing their contributions.

RSVP

Please RSVP at this link for the location you plan to attend.

Also happening now

Don’t forget about My Family. My Story., a statewide art and expression series that invites children and caregivers to share their personal experiences through art and storytelling. Entries are due by Sept. 1, and selected submissions may be featured in future publications.  Entries received after Sept. 1 will be included in the 2026 series.

More information, including entry forms, is available at the DHW website here.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.

When Lori lined up her adopted foster children for the Main Street Mile in their Idaho hometown last summer, the kids weren’t thrilled. They ran anyway. This year, before she could even bring it up, they asked when the race was—because they wanted to do it again.

(Follow this link to watch a video featuring Lori’s story and advice about self-care for foster parents.)

For Lori, those small wins matter. Strong of heart but often tested, she has adopted five children from foster care, many with developmental or behavioral needs. Life at home is full—chickens, dogs, cats, schoolwork, and therapies. The demands are constant, and Lori knows firsthand that when parents don’t take care of themselves, the strain can overwhelm even the strongest intentions.

She has lived that reality. Her first marriage ended under the stress of foster parenting, but Lori stayed committed to her children. Back in Idaho, she and her second husband decided to foster again—welcoming three brothers and later adopting them.

“Sometimes they'd say some very personal things, but it's not all about you when you're doing foster care,” Lori said. “Even though it's your life, it's a lot about those kids and the things that they've struggled with.”

That perspective has shaped how Lori balances caregiving with self-care. She studies medical specialties while working toward a bachelor’s degree, homeschools her children, and manages speech, occupational, and behavioral therapy appointments. She also makes space for things that bring renewal—hunting, fishing, searching for huckleberries, and celebrating moments of progress, like her daughter learning to define her own identity.

“She’d take on anyone’s emotions,” Lori said. “Now she is starting to gain, ‘this is who I want to be’ versus taking on other people.”

Self-care for Lori doesn’t always mean time away. Sometimes it means being present in new experiences—camping together, trying a first swim, or introducing a new food. These moments strengthen both her children and herself.

The challenges remain—estrangement from her first adopted daughter, trauma recovery, disrupted sleep—but Lori has no regrets.

“You don’t know until you try it,” she said. “It may not be good for you, but there are so many kids who need the love and affection. This isn’t easy, but your life becomes way more meaningful when you help other people.”

To her children, Lori means everything. She is their mom.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.

As I prepare to move on to a federal role for which I’m nominated, I want to express my gratitude to Idaho’s foster, kinship, and adoptive families—and to share my full confidence in the future of the Department of Health and Welfare (DHW).

Gov. Brad Little has named Juliet Charron as the next director of DHW, and I can’t think of a better person to lead the agency forward. Juliet has been serving as DHW’s deputy director over Medicaid and Behavioral Health, where she has overseen services that reach more than 350,000 Idahoans. She brings a combination of policy expertise, operational strength, fiscal acumen, and compassion for the people we serve. 

Her leadership at DHW has already delivered meaningful improvements in care coordination, contract oversight, stakeholder transparency, and tribal partnerships. With a background in Medicaid leadership roles in Texas and experience in both government and community-based health systems, she understands how to manage complexity—and how to stay focused on outcomes. Juliet leads with a commitment to doing right by Idahoans.

I’ve worked closely with Juliet during a year of focused effort and rewarding progress. Since stepping into this role in June 2024, I’ve focused primarily on one goal: improving outcomes for Idaho’s children and families. That goal united teams across the agency and sparked real change in our effort to double the rate of Idaho foster families.

Together, we’ve:

•    Eliminated adoption-related fees for relatives and kin.
•    Expanded support for foster families, including paid leave for state employees who foster.
•    Launched new tools like support lines, newsletters, the Fostering Family Adventures parks program, and alliances with other state agencies and community partners.
•    Worked with the Legislature and Gov. Little to secure a $23 million investment to hire 63 new staff and expand in-home support services.
•    Opened the Payette Assessment and Care Center, ending the use of short-term rentals for children in crisis.
•    Created the Continuum of Care Bureau and strengthened coordination with courts to improve placements.

Our goal to double the number of licensed foster homes by July 2026 is a big lift—but we’re well on our way. Looking forward to the coming year, DHW is already charting a course to:

•    Increase foster parent reimbursement rates.
•    Strengthen prevention to keep families safely together.
•    Implement new kin-specific licensing and extended care reforms.
•    Expand tech tools to improve communication and decision-making.
•    Host a fall conference with the courts focused on prevention and advancing timely permanency.

I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together—and even more confident in what’s to come under Juliet’s leadership. With her depth of experience, strong values, and focus on making a difference, Juliet is ready to lead DHW into its next chapter.

To every family who has opened their home and heart to a child in need: thank you. Your impact is lasting, and it has been an honor to serve alongside you.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov. 

Never leave children in cars, especially during the summer. As summer temperatures rise across Idaho, it’s critical to remember that life-threatening heat-related dangers don’t require triple-digit temperatures. In fact, when it comes to parked cars, even an 80-degree day can quickly become life-threatening—especially for children. 

Every year, dozens of children in the U.S. die from being left in hot cars—either intentionally for a short errand or unintentionally when a caregiver forgets they’re in the back seat.

The interior temperature of a vehicle can increase by nearly 20 degrees in just 10 minutes, a potentially deadly situation even during a seemingly mild day in the 80s. Cracking windows or parking in the shade doesn’t prevent the rapid rise in temperature. On an 85-degree day, the inside of a car can surpass 100 degrees in minutes—putting young children and pets at serious risk.

Even cooler days aren’t safe. In some cases, cars have reached over 110 degrees in less than an hour, even when it’s just 70 degrees outside. 

Children are especially vulnerable because their bodies heat up three to five times faster than adults. When a child’s core body temperature reaches 104°F, heatstroke sets in. At 107°F, the child may die. These medical emergencies can occur in as little as 15 minutes.

To prevent tragedy:

• Never leave a child or pet alone in a car—not even for a moment.
• Always check the back seat before locking your vehicle.
• Lock unattended cars to prevent children from climbing in and becoming trapped.
• Use a reminder, such as placing a phone or purse in the back seat.
• Ask daycare providers to call immediately if a child hasn’t arrived as expected.

With Idaho temperatures expected to hover in the 80s and 90s over the next few weeks, do not leave children and pets in the car for any reason. 

More info from the Centers for disease Control and Prevention: 

• Infants and children and heat
• Heat and pets
• Protect yourself from the dangers of extreme heat

Dr. Kathryn Turner is deputy state epidemiologist in the Division of Public Health.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.

The Idaho Child Support program is celebrating a major milestone: 50 years of service to families across the state. 

Launched in 1975 as part of the federally funded Child Support Enforcement program, today’s Child Support Services (CSS) program plays a vital role in helping families thrive. Through a federal-state partnership, the program works to ensure that noncustodial parents contribute to the financial support of their children. This not only strengthens families, but also helps reduce the need for public assistance.

Since October 2024, Idaho’s Child Support program has collected more than $102 million in monthly support payments, helping more than 80,000 families. Many of these payments are made reliably each month by parents who are committed to supporting their children. 

When needed, collections may also result from enforcement actions, including income withholding from wages or unemployment benefits, intercepting tax refunds, suspending licenses, reporting to credit agencies, and placing liens.

Idaho’s Child Support program is also receiving national recognition. Among all states, Idaho ranks fourth overall in federal incentive performance. These rankings are based on key outcomes including:

• Establishing support orders
• Establishing paternity
• Collecting current monthly support
• Collecting overdue payments (arrears)
• Cost effectiveness of services provided

Out of the five performance categories, Idaho ranks second nationally for cost effectiveness, collecting $9.46 in support payments for every $1 spent on the program.

These achievements reflect the dedication of Idaho’s Child Support Services team, whose efforts make a meaningful difference for families and children across the state.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.