BOISE — Last year, almost 3,000 Idaho children were served through the foster care program.

More than two-thirds of those children entered care due to neglect, substance abuse, parent death or incarceration or inadequate housing.

Child welfare advocates from across the state gathered virtually this week to educate legislators and community leaders about Idaho’s foster children.

Christine Tiddens, director of Idaho Voices for Children, said the stress and isolation caused by the pandemic has significantly impacted foster youth and their families and caregivers.

“It’s important to provide forums to bring communities together … to support our neighbors impacted by foster care, especially young adults transitioning out of foster care during these unstable times,” she said.

More than 1,300 children left foster care in 2020, according to data from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. About 65 percent of those children were reunited with their parents or caregivers.

Meanwhile, 83 young people in Idaho were emancipated or aged out of foster care on their 18th birthday.

In North Idaho, the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program trains volunteer advocates for hundreds of child victims of abuse and neglect throughout the five northern counties each year.

These advocates gather pertinent information about their cases, meeting with a child’s parents or guardians, as well as with social workers, school officials and other people involved in the child’s life. Advocates then represent the child’s best interest in court.

Erin Cunningham, a retired advocate supervisor who recently received a lifetime achievement award for her work with North Idaho CASA, spoke last month about the vital role CASA advocates play in the lives of the children they serve.

“Sometimes kids’ voices are not heard, and if they don’t have an advocate to tell the judge what is going on and what is needed, they won’t get the right help,” Cunningham said when she was honored last month. “You’re the only consistent person that stays with them from the beginning of the case to the end.”

Tiddens said events like the digital forum enable advocates to develop partnerships with legislators that lead to improvement to the safety and success of Idaho’s children and families.

“Our ultimate goal is to ensure children who have been served by foster care grow up in supportive families and receive help to heal,” she said.

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Madison Hardy contributed to this report.