Washington's foster care rate is $410, according to the survey. Idaho's cost-cutting frustrates advocates for the poor, who fear there are more children like the McGuckins living in quiet poverty.
"It's a lesson that we've seen before," said Matt Haney, a spokesman for the nonprofit Idaho Community Action Network in Boise. "When the state doesn't help out and provide social programs to families, they get in dire situations, and dire situations create dire events."
Poverty, according to Boise State University professor Linda Anooshian, is one of most common factors among foster children. Helping impoverished families avoid child welfare involvement is wise, both financially and socially, she said.
"This family probably didn't need a whole lot" to stay together, said Anooshian, a child development expert. "But now, even with a huge investment, I don't see chances for those kids to have a very rosy future."
Gov. Dirk Kempthorne's staff said Idaho's child protection laws passed by the Legislature reflect what the people want.
"From the governor's perspective, the number one concern is the safety and well-being of these children," said Mark Snider, Kempthorne's spokesman. "The people of Idaho, through their Legislature, have expressed that we want laws and rules in place to protect children."
Bill Walker, a spokesman for Health and Welfare, on temporary assignment in Sandpoint to help the McGuckin case, said the foster care rates do hinder recruitment of new foster parents.
But he described the rates as "a small factor" in finding foster care families. "Foster parents don't get into this very tough job for the money," he said.
There are 163 children in 153 North Idaho foster homes, but many of those only accept family members.
The region's methamphetamine epidemic is continually adding to the count. By one estimate, 70 percent of children in custody disputes involving North Idaho's Health and Welfare have a parent who uses meth.
The epidemic, combined with 1999 federal law, is increasing the number of kids being adopted out of foster homes. Statewide in Idaho, the count of adoptions rose from 57 in 1998 to 102 in 2000.
The Adoption and Safe Families Act shortened to 12 months the time in which state social workers nationwide have to develop a permanent living plan.
After a year in foster care, a judge must decide whether a child should remain in foster care, be adopted or be returned to his or her parents. If a child remains in foster care for 22 months, parental rights are automatically severed.
The result, said Jesse Lassandro, is a rising number of parents rights being severed.
"The whole idea (of the federal law) is so kids don't languish in foster care, but we're seeing more terminations than we did," said Lassandro, executive director of First Judicial District Court Appointed Special Advocates, a nonprofit agency that looks out for the kids interests in custody disputes.
The adoption law would apply to the McGuckin children if their mother is unable to get them returned. An attorney representing the children, Sara Seaborg, hopes the case ends with reunification of the family.
"I hope we can resolve it without too much pain to these children," she said. "They've been through a lot. It's time to get away from the media attention and start talking to them, and doing some counseling."
Staff writer Susan Drumheller contributed to this report.
• Jonathan Martin can be reached at (509)459-5484 or by e-mail at jonathanm@spokesman.com.
