Public records show 10 years of child abuse, neglect allegations at Idaho's troubled teen facilities

While from the outside, Cornerstone Cottage could be mistaken for a suburban home, Post Falls police received 321 calls from Cornerstone Cottage from 2017 to 2022. (Erick Doxey/InvestigateWest)

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare currently oversees 28 children’s residential care facilities. These programs offer housing and treatment services meant to give kids the help they can’t find elsewhere.

Since 2013 — as far back as the state’s access to the records go — the agency has conducted 29 investigations into these facilities that came as a result of a complaint. Some of these investigations have resulted in the state finding evidence of potential child abuse, neglect and sexual assault.

While the results of each program’s annual inspection are posted publicly, these complaint investigations are not. Members of the public must obtain the documents through a public records request, which may require a fee.

InvestigateWest, however, is making each complaint investigation report available for the public to view for free.

You can access the documents below. InvestigateWest plans to continue to report on these programs, so please contact us at tips@invw.org if there’s anything you’d like to share.

Published in: The Cruelest Lie, Youth

Author

Wilson Criscione is an investigations editor with InvestigateWest. He’s spent more than a decade reporting and supervising major investigations that uncover corruption, misconduct and injustice in the Pacific Northwest.

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