If you are interested in more information about the laws, rules, and policies of the Idaho Child Welfare Program, here are some resources to help get you started.
The Idaho Child Protective Act is the general law that governs child protective services in Idaho.
Child and Family Services Administrative Rules explains and clarifies the law in greater detail and can be helpful to understanding more specific procedures.
Idaho Child Welfare Standards are internal to the Child and Family Services program and provide practice guidance to social workers. Standards are heavily influenced by best practices and federal and state laws. Those that are relevant to responding to child maltreatment are referenced below.
Idaho Child Protective Act
Idaho Administrative Rules - Child and Family Services
Responding to child abuse, neglect, and abandonment
Idaho's process for receiving and documenting reports of child maltreatment. Definitions and the protocol for deciding if a report is a assigned to a social worker are explained.
Time frames that social workers must follow when responding to a report of child maltreatment.
Child safety is the central concern and function of child protection. This standard explains the process social workers follow to make safety decisions when working with families both initially and ongoing.
Learn more about child protection's role and response when reports of substance affected infants are received.
Outlines how the department assesses allegations of educational neglect.