When a child enters foster care, child welfare agencies make efforts to identify all of the child’s siblings, including determining whether the child entering foster care already has siblings in foster care or who have been adopted. Additionally, it is important to identify siblings who reside outside of the child welfare system as they too may present a meaningful connection that should be preserved.

Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services policy states that when a decision is made to take a child into custody, the worker of record must begin both a relative and sibling search, utilizing a Sibling Tracking Form for purposes of placement. The worker also checks the State Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) for siblings who may, or may not, currently be in placement.    The worker of record uses Sibling Form to document the names, locations and status of all siblings.

Michigan’s Children’s Foster Care Manual states that “termination of parental rights or adoption does not negate a newborn child’s relationships with other siblings already in care or adopted. Efforts must be made to identify siblings by reviewing prior case records of the parents and documenting known information regarding siblings in the foster care case file.”

Texas policy requires that efforts be made when a child enters foster care to obtain information about other siblings or half-siblings who may already be in foster care or adoptive placement. These efforts may include completing a person search on the state’s data system and interviewing birth parents, relatives, and previous caretakers.