When she was in foster care in Minnesota between the ages of 7 and 18, Alayna Ghost frequently attempted to run away—mainly to try to connect with her siblings. She called her mother, grandmother, anyone with whom she thought she could reach a sibling, but no one ever answered. That continued across many placements, until she eventually resigned herself to the cycle. “I don’t really know what it’s like to have sibling relationships,” said the 28-year-old, now living in Superior, Wisconsin, “I’ll never know what it’s like to have that true sister-brother bond.”
Ghost’s experience is not unique, according to a new report from the Minnesota Office of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson. The investigation uncovered a systemic failure: many foster youth are never informed of their right to sibling contact or to be placed near their siblings, even when law requires it.
Under Minnesota’s 2018 Sibling Bill of Rights, children in foster care are supposed to be kept together with siblings where feasible, or at least placed nearby, to ensure “frequent and meaningful” contact. The law also mandates that youth be told of this right, including the ability to connect with siblings not in foster care. But the ombuds office was unable to find a single documented case in which such notification had been made to youths separated from their siblings. In fact, the report notes, “there are zero cases where … notification had occurred but had not been documented.”
The report also showed that many sibling visits were cancelled or restricted due to behavior, and in those cases, no alternative efforts were documented to restore or increase contact. In some instances, contact was limited even where safety concerns were not on record.
Misty Coonce, who serves as Ombudsperson for Foster Youth, expressed surprise at how pervasive the issue remains years after the law’s passage. “Seven years later, it really isn’t being implemented … that is incredibly hard,” she told The Imprint.
To address these shortcomings, the ombuds office calls for clearer guidance for caseworkers, mandatory documentation of sibling-rights notifications, and stronger oversight. They also renewed support for a broader Foster Youth Bill of Rights, which did not clear the legislature this year.
In response, the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families acknowledged the findings. Assistant Commissioner Rebecca St. George commended the ombuds office’s efforts and recognized the need for improvement, including clearer tools for local agencies and changes to how expectations are communicated. She also noted that current state law does not require that youth notifications be documented, an omission the department says is under reconsideration.
One local example of better practice comes from Hennepin County, which reported that 86.1% of sibling groups in out-of-home placement are housed together. Where separation is unavoidable, the county says it prioritizes arranging visits. Still, the disparity between this county’s practices and the wider state trends highlights the inconsistency across jurisdictions.
National research supports the importance of sibling contact. A 2020 analysis by Casey Family Programs showed that 53% to 80% of foster children nationally live apart from their siblings. Evidence suggests that placement with siblings enhances the chances of achieving permanent outcomes such as reunification, adoption, or guardianship.
Minnesota State Representative Peggy Bennett—author of the 2018 sibling rights legislation—said she was dismayed to learn that the law’s protections are not routinely being upheld. “You have to trust that the executive branch is overseeing these … but obviously, in this case, there’s some kind of gap, and somebody dropped the ball somewhere,” she said.
Ghost, meanwhile, reflects on her own separation. She only learned of an older sister at age 13; sibling visits were infrequent, often cancelled, and never did all her siblings live together. She says that the loss of consistent contact was traumatic and continues to affect her. “Just wishing I had memories … that aren’t traumatizing,” she said.