Representatives Zach Nunn, Don Bacon, and Gwen Moore announced on April 29 the introduction of the Protecting Sibling Relationships in Foster Care Act. The bipartisan bill aims to keep brothers and sisters together in foster care placements. Nunn also introduced a resolution designating April as National Foster Sibling Connection Month.
The issue of sibling separation affects many children in foster care. Research shows that keeping siblings together improves emotional stability and long-term outcomes for youth in the system. An estimated 53 to 80 percent of children in foster care are separated from at least one sibling due to a lack of specialized placements for large or complex sibling groups.
“When brothers and sisters enter foster care, staying together can be the difference between stability and a traumatic disruption in a young life. Kelly and I experienced this personally, adopting two daughters, two siblings, who had each other as they made a very difficult transition,” said Rep. Nunn, Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth Co-Chair. “I’ve worked with families navigating this system — and the biggest barrier to keeping siblings together isn’t willingness, it’s capacity. This bill funds the foster care models that can actually keep siblings together, and our resolution makes clear that Congress sees this as a priority.”
The proposed legislation would authorize $10 million over five years for a pilot program within the Department of Health and Human Services aimed at developing new models that prioritize placing siblings together. It would establish competitive grants for state, tribal, local, faith-based, and nonprofit organizations; support specialized placements for large or complex sibling groups; and require data collection on placement outcomes.
“Keeping siblings together in the foster care system significantly increases their chance of having positive life outcomes,” said Rep. Bacon. “As a foster-to-adoptive parent of a sibling group, this bipartisan foster care package helps address the unique challenges faced by families caring for sibling groups with large numbers, wide age ranges, and complex needs.”
Rep. Moore added: “The sibling bond is so important…when siblings become separated in the foster care system it can create more distress and pain for children and families…Our bipartisan legislation would help develop better tools to successfully keep siblings together…”
Nunn represents Iowa’s Third Congressional District covering 21 counties in central and southern Iowa according to his official website. His office is based in Des Moines according to his official website where he provides constituent assistance with federal agencies according to his official website. He serves on both the House Financial Services Committee and House Agriculture Committee according to his official website, prioritizing pragmatic policies supporting families like those impacted by this legislation according to his official website.
The companion resolution calls on all levels of government agencies to prioritize joint placement of siblings while improving data collection practices around separation cases.
