Children in foster care throughout Idaho have access to a broader array of services without leaving their home communities—thanks to a collaboration of Casey Family Programs’ Boise field office and the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare.
Reaching all regions of the state
The Permanency Planning and Independent Living Technical Assistance Program (TAP) makes Casey resources—both financial and technical—available to youth in foster care in all corners of Idaho, well beyond Casey’s field office.
The collaboration results in more support for youth and their families by making full use of available public funds. Casey resources are targeted to foster family support or other child development services that public funds can’t cover, such as:
- foster parent training
- more visits with birth families
- tutoring services
- special camp opportunities
Joining forces enables Casey and its partners to be more focused in serving youth in foster care—especially older teens as they make the transition to living independently in the community.
Sharing dollars and best practices
Through TAP, Casey funds are made available once the youth’s social worker has been trained in and begun using Casey’s:
- youth assessment and service plan
- outcome-oriented case planning
More than 100 state child-welfare workers have been trained in Casey’s case management practices since the program began in 1997. In 2003, TAP provided resources to 185 state children in foster care and their families throughout Idaho.
In 2001, Casey and Nez Perce Tribal Social Services in central Idaho began a collaboration to replicate the TAP model.
For more on TAP, call Julie Stevens at 1.888.581.3275 ext. 227.