Committee hears updates to foster-care bill of rights emphasizing sibling contact, court findings and faster notice to youth

Sen. Sarah Gelser Blue, sponsors and witnesses told the House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services on April 24 that Senate Bill 875 would revise Oregon's Foster Care Bill of Rights to clarify sibling contact, expedite notice to youth and reaffirm a suite of rights for children in Department of Human Services (ODHS) custody.

The bill would make the foster-care bill of rights explicit for all children in ODHS care, including youth in temporary lodging and out-of-state placements; require that if the court limits or prevents sibling contact it must enter written findings explaining the safety reasons; and shorten the timeline for providing the rights document from two months to seven days after placement.

Sen. Sarah Gelser Blue (Senate District 8), who introduced the measure, said much of the draft language came from youth themselves. "If a child has a right to have contact with their sibling, a right really is not something that can be decided by a foster parent or a biological parent or a caseworker," she said, describing the…