SJ0058 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0058 LRB093 18459 HSS 44171 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Termination of parental rights and subsequent adoption of minor children fails to recognize the importance to children of maintaining ties to siblings and is a severing of all sibling contact; and

WHEREAS, There are over 500,000 children in foster care in the United States, 55% to 69% have siblings, 30% have 4 or more siblings; and

WHEREAS, Only 26 states address the sibling relationship in legislation; 61% of children with siblings are placed with at least one sibling; this is good news; and

WHEREAS, Only 38% of children with siblings are placed with all of their siblings; current estimates indicate that 75% of sibling groups end up living apart after they enter foster care; and

WHEREAS, The policy of the State of Illinois mandates that contact be maintained between siblings pre-termination while they are in foster care or youth in care and provides for possible contact post majority via the Illinois Adoption Registry and Medical Information Exchange; and

WHEREAS, The General Assembly recognizes that generally it is in the best interests of children to maintain continuing contact after termination of parental rights; and

WHEREAS, The General Assembly recognizes efforts to maintain sibling bonds will diminish the negative impact termination of parental rights has on sibling relationships; and

WHEREAS, The General Assembly recognizes the challenges in providing continuing contact among siblings once parental rights have been terminated; and

WHEREAS, The General Assembly recognizes that the importance of maintaining continuing contact among siblings warrants further study and consideration to develop policies and programs which best address the needs of children affected by the severing of sibling ties; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that within 90 days after the adoption of this joint resolution, there shall be created a Sibling Post-Adoption Continuing Contact Governor's Joint Task Force to study and make recommendations regarding post-termination sibling contact; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Governor's Joint Task Force shall consist of 20 members appointed as follows: four legislative members, one each appointed by the President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; 15 members appointed by the Governor as follows: one member from each of the Department of Children and Family Services' six Regional Youth Advisory Boards; one Statewide Youth Advisory Board alumnus; three members from the Adoption Advisory Council; three members from the Statewide Foster Care Council; and two Youth Advisory Board Coordinators; and the Director of Children and Family Services or his or her designee; all of whom shall serve without compensation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each designate one member to serve as co-chairs of the Joint Task Force; and that the Task Force shall meet as often as necessary to accomplish its objectives, but at least four times; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Joint Task Force shall examine issues including, but not limited to: (1) establishing policies and programs regarding post-adoption contact that serve the best interests of children and respect the rights of adoptive parents, (2) determining the appropriate forum for hearing disputes in individual cases, and (3) to study and make recommendations to the General Assembly regarding continuing sibling contact post-adoption including, but not limited to, visitation, contact via telephone, and contact via mail including e-mail; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Joint Task Force shall hold public hearings on the subject of post-adoption contact; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall make recommendations regarding rights of children to maintain continuing contact with siblings post-termination of parental rights and post-adoption and shall deliver to the General Assembly and the Governor a final report with its recommendations within one year of the effective date of the creation of the Joint Task Force.