Important program update
The Family Resource and Training Center wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to every one of you who has had such a caring heart for the youth we have served through this program for the past 10 years.
Please read the information below outlining how the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare plans to continue its diligent efforts to find permanency for all children in foster care in Idaho.
Please complete inquiries for any youth you are interested in as soon as possible so that we may process your inquiry before our website closes.
July 28, 2026
To Our Community Partners,
The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare has been proud to partner with Eastern Washington University (EWU) and other community partners to recruit adoptive families for Idaho’s children in foster care. Since Idaho’s Wednesday’s Child began over 25 years ago, the landscape of adoption from foster care has changed yet there continues to be a need for child-specific recruitment for youth most in-need of a permanent home. Over the years the department has reorganized how permanency cases are managed to address this need and to achieve timely permanency for children who cannot return home. These changes include permanency workers “teaming” earlier with family services workers and the addition of a Family Find team to help identify previously unknown relatives and connections for our youth in care. Meanwhile, advances in technology and social media have resulted in increased risks related to public profiles causing Idaho and other states to consider the long-term impact to the youth featured.
The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare is in a position to innovate practices for child-specific recruitment while demonstrating fiscal responsibility. With this in mind, the contract for Wednesday’s Child, Waiting Families and intensive recruitment services is ending effective 09/30/2026. These services will be provided through Youth Safety & Permanency team members beginning October 1, 2026. During this transition, the current website for Idaho Wednesday’s Child will be unavailable while an updated website is created for both our waiting children and waiting families. Idaho will continue to use the AdoptUSKids website during the transition to ensure ongoing efforts to achieve permanency for waiting children.
Thank you for your continued support and advocacy on behalf of Idaho’s children.
Thank you,
Jean M. Fisher
If you’re a family who prefers the quiet life, but you also enjoy doing activities here and there, Xena may be just the right fit for you! This sweet teen considers herself an introvert and can be pretty shy until she gets to know someone. Once she opens up though, it won’t take you long to see all of the amazing qualities she has! Xena has a deep desire to have more friends and to connect with her peers and she’s really proud of herself for how hard she’s been working on learning to be more comfortable talking with people, so that they can get to know her. Though talking is sometimes hard for her, Xena is a wonderful listener and feels good when she can lend an ear and help someone else feel better.
When she’s at home, Xena loves to do arts and crafts; play Fortnite; swim; and eat her favorite food, Chicken Alfredo. She prides herself on keeping her room and personal space clean and organized and enjoys feeling like part of a family by helping out around the house. Xena is looking forward to learning how to play the electric guitar and she loves to travel. She’s currently trying to master the art of kayaking, so that someday soon she can take a kayak tour trip to Sandspur Island in Florida where they have an abundance of turtles, iguanas, and birds, along with an enormous wild raccoon population! Animals are definitely one of her favorite things and she’s hopeful that she’ll be able to have a cat of her very own she gets settled into her new home. This smart girl enjoys school and does well, particularly in her favorite classes- Art, History and English. She plans to work hard to finish high school and then go onto college to become a veterinarian.
Xena and her Permanency Team are looking for a 2-parent family with an easy-going attitude and a good communication style; who also have structure and clear expectations in their home. Xena needs a family who will motivate her to become more active by spending a lot of one-on-one time with her. She attended church in the past with her previous foster parent and might enjoy being part of a family who regularly goes to church together. When it comes to the make-up of her adoptive family, Xena is hoping for at least one sibling. She’d be happy with a younger sibling, but is really hoping for another teen close to her own age in the home. Xena describes a great fit for her as living in a small- town setting, but nothing too rural if possible. Xena and her Team are also open to the possibility of finding the right family for her out of state.
Xena is a driven teen with goals that she wants to achieve, in order to have a bright and happy future! With the love; acceptance; guidance; support and lifelong commitment of a wonderful family, she’s sure to achieve great things in life. If you believe that you possess what this amazing teen is looking for in her Forever Family, we encourage you to submit an inquiry for Xena today!
The Idaho Wednesday's Child Program prioritizes the safety and security of children, above all else. In an effort to protect the safety of the youth we serve, our process requires families to possess a current, approved adoption home study. Only families with a current home study can view youth's full profiles with videos and photos and submit inquiries, on the Secure Gallery Page.