Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 Preserving Sibling Relationships Presented by: Melissa Dorris Georgia Supreme Court Child Placement Project

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 What Is Your Experience? How often are sibling visits taking place? –How often should sibling visits take place? –What are some barriers to sibling visits? How often are sibling visits court ordered? –As part of the family visit or separate? What value is placed on sibling visits? –Are sibling visits of the same priority as parent-child visits? Should they be?

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 Reasons for Maintaining Sibling Groups Attachment to and connectedness with family members Placement together minimizes the trauma of parental separation / emotional support Preference of children Increases probability of successful reunification Children from dysfunctional home may have stronger ties among siblings than to their parents

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 The Reality for Siblings –500,000 children in out-of- home care nationwide –87% - 98% of those children have siblings –Yet, agencies succeed at keeping siblings together as little as 25% of the time –As many as 180,000 – 230,000 children are separated from their siblings at any given time.

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 Characteristics of Separated Siblings Older From large sibling groups Developmental disabilities Residential placements Enter custody at different times Sex difference: 66% of girls, but only 38% of boys were placed with siblings Correlation with number of previous placements: separated siblings more likely to experience multiple placements

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 So How Are We Doing? Little research Georgia: –AFCARS data (3/31/03) estimates that “among cases with 2 or more children…” 43% housed all children in the same foster home 59% split up children in the same case

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 Unanswered Questions… How do siblings affect one another’s development? What happens when children are preventing from growing up together? How should sibling relationships be defined? When is it harmful to place siblings together? How do placement decisions affect each child’s adjustment and development? What is the nature of the loss of siblings?

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 The Legal Framework No Constitutional Legitimacy – Hugo v. Hugo (1999) – USSC declined to decide whether siblings have a constitutional right to associate Determining the “best interest” of an individual child is vastly complicated by his/her membership in a sibling group. Siblings’ rights of association are weighed against the competing rights of biological, foster/adoptive families, and sibling attachment is only one of several factors in the BIOC determination.

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 Legislative Advocacy 26 states address the sibling relationship in legislation –10 states have adopted sibling unification statutes –13 states create right for siblings to maintain contact –No statute in GA, but DFCS policy recognizes that preserving sibling contact “lessens separation trauma, eases the stress on their parents, and reinforces the importance of family relationships.” General statutory categories: –Right to maintain contact –Incorporated in “best interests” definition –Documentation requirement –Provisions for post-permanency visits –Consideration of siblings in placement/permanency planning –Exemptions from limits on foster home size –Statement of legislative intent

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 HB 1025 Proposed During 2002 Legislative Session Legislative recognition of the importance of sibling relationships Legislative finding that a child in foster care should be allowed reasonable visitation with other siblings, consistent with BIOC Requires reasonable efforts to place siblings together, when practicable Requires documentation of efforts to place siblings together or reasons why siblings were separated in (non)reunification plan

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 Program Initiatives Model Pilot Programs –IL (1994): Neighbor to Neighbor (Hull House Assn.) Public/private partnership Professional foster parents Focused on sibling placements, specialized foster care –FL (1997): Neighbor to Family Program evaluation by, funding through An Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida authorized by statute MDT approach

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 Other Sibling Programs Sib-Links (Boston): –Collaboration between Mass. DSS & Casey Family Programs –Creates foster homes for groups of 3 or more siblings –Professional foster parents –MDT approach Camp To Belong: –National non-profit organization dedicated to reuniting siblings separated in placement –Week-long summer camp

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 Casework Practice Suggestions Introduce children into a family in staggered placements Thoroughly explore kinship care options for all children entering care Document all reasons for/against separating siblings Use life books Present sibling groups in photolistings, recruitment campaigns Sibling communication and visitation when in separate placements Place children in homes in same/nearby neighborhoods and schools One worker for all siblings Joint therapy sessions, if appropriate Assess large-group placement resources –Administrative skills –Coping skills –Access to community services –Support systems –Valuation of sibling ties

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 Questions Guiding Policy What type of effort should be made to keep siblings together? Should foster home licensing requirements be waived to allow siblings to be placed together? How much contact should siblings have? And how should the case plan reflect this? How much say should a child have in the decision whether to be placed with siblings? Do children have the right to be placed in the same community/school as siblings? Do siblings have the right to have the same caseworker? Do siblings have a right to raise grievances over sibling visitation?

Child Placement Conference 11/13/03 Questions? Concerns? Comments?