BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Governor Brad Little has directed the Idaho Division of Human Resources to issue a policy and any necessary rule changes for all State of Idaho executive branch entities to offer the newly expanded benefit to foster parents starting October 1, 2024.
According to a press release sent to media Tuesday afternoon, state employees who become foster parents can now get eight weeks of paid parental leave after welcoming a foster child into their home.
“Right now, we have more children in need of a foster family than we have families to help them," Little said. "We are seeking to change that. Foster parents are heroes. They give of themselves and their resources to make a loving home available to children in need. We need to do all we can to make it easier for foster families to bring these children into their lives and homes. Earlier this summer, we rolled out a series of improvements in the child welfare system with my Promoting Families and Protecting Children executive order. And now, we are stepping up to do more."
In 2020, Governor Little introduced a similar benefit for new parents after the birth or adoption of a child through his Executive Order 2020-03, the Families First Act. Now, he is extending the benefits for foster parents.
According to the press release, Governor Little encourages other employers to promote fostering by offering similar employee benefits.
“Together, we are encouraging the private sector, other state elected officials, independent commissions, the Idaho Legislature, and the Idaho judicial branch all to adopt similar policies for their employees so we can ensure every child in need of a foster home has one,” Governor Little said.
Idaho's largest private sector employer, St. Luke's Health System, has already started providing benefits for foster parents, as well as the Western States Equipment based in Meridian.
“At St. Luke’s, we recognize the importance of loving foster parents. Foster parents step up to care for some of the most vulnerable children in our state – those in the child welfare system. We offer our employees two weeks of paid parental leave in addition to use of accrued sick leave and paid time off after welcoming a foster child into their home,” St. Luke’s Health System Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Sandee Gehrke said. “St. Luke’s stands with Governor Little in support of foster parents. We join him in encouraging other employers to act now to offer similar benefits to their employees.”
“Like Governor Little, our company is committed to making it as easy as possible for loving families to consider the life-changing gift of fostering. We offer one week of paid parental leave to our employees after opening their home to a foster child. Offering these benefits to foster families is one more way we communicate our support for making a loving choice that will forever impact the life of a child. We stand in full support of Governor Little’s efforts to make sure we’re doing all we can to support foster families, and we encourage other businesses to follow suit. Western States Equipment is proud to join in the effort to support Idaho foster parents,” Western States Equipment Vice President of Human Resources and Safety Dusti Swinney said.
