Subscribe
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Apartments
Classifieds
Shopping
INDIANAPOLIS – Lindsey Cherry has six brothers and sisters, but she doesn’t know much about them.
They were split up after they entered foster care when Cherry, now 21, was 13. Under state rules, sibling visitation is largely left to the discretion of case workers and guardians.
Those no longer in foster care can’t always contact younger brothers and sisters without consent – not an easy task when family relationships are strained.
Some Indiana lawmakers want to change that system to encourage more contact between siblings and to allow children to request visits when possible. Bill sponsor Sen. Mike Delph, a Republican from Carmel with three brothers, said sibling bonds are often the longest-lasting relationships people have.
“We need to make sure that we do all we can to uphold that sibling bond,” he said.
The bill would allow children in foster care to request visits if it is in their best interests. It also would allow a special advocate to be appointed to represent the child. If the Department of Child Services denies a visit request, the child or advocate could petition a juvenile court to intervene.
Cherry thinks the proposal could help people in situations similar to hers. There were times growing up when she wouldn’t even know where some of her siblings were living. When two of her brothers were adopted out-of-state, their new parents didn’t want the boys focusing on their past, so they didn’t encourage visits, she said.
Cherry, who is married with a 10-month-old daughter, wants to build stronger connections with her siblings.
“Before we got taken away, we all were together and were very, very close,” she said. “Now, we’re not really as close as I think we should be. Being separated like that, it’s really, really hard to be able to see them or spend time with them.”
The Indiana Department of Child Services encourages sibling visits when possible and is always looking for foster homes and adoptive parents willing to take in several children from the same family, spokeswoman Susan Tielking said.
