We are Kathey and Rob Raskin of Las Vegas, and our #1 priority is the health and safety of our nation’s children, and that goes especially for those in foster care. We want DHR, across the country, to be held accountable for their actions and give our children the best futures possible. Currently, New York has been working to help foster children visit their siblings.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo of New York State has signed legislation which gives siblings separated by the state’s foster care system the right to visit and contact each other. This is a positive development for a system fraught with problems.

Gov. Cuomo stated, “This action will allow some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers to preserve family bonds [which] otherwise would be severed due to no fault of their own. I [am] proud to sign this compassionate legislation, which will bring us closer to a stronger and more humane New York for all.”

Though children with active abuse or neglect cases in the New York foster care system can file motions for visitation or contact with their siblings, the present law was unfortunately vague and unclear on whether or not the other children in foster care could petition for this same right, generating needless difficulties for siblings to sustain ties to their loved ones.

Under the bill (A.7553/S.4835), adjustments to the Family Court Act and the Social Services law permit contact or visitation between siblings, which does include half siblings, who have been separated by foster care. This will extend to:

• Children who are in foster care because of intentional placement by a guardian or parent
• Children who are in foster care because of a court decision and judicial surrender of parental rights
• Children who are in foster care and whose sibling, or siblings, is not presently in foster care

This law can be seen as a step toward make the lives of foster children better, but it isn’t enough by any means. New York, and many other states, still have a long, long way to go.

We are Kathey and Rob Raskin, and at our website Stop DHR we support holding DHS responsible and want to see change without delay. If you’ve been witness to concerns with your local foster care system, report them on our site. Then, do your part to get your state officials to work on bettering the situation. Contact your state representatives here.