Hillsborough Teen Helps Get New Foster Care Law Passed

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Seventeen-year-old Jack Auzinger, a Hillsborough High School senior, helped write and advocate for the passage of legislation recently signed into law to protect sibling relationships for children and teens in New Jersey’s child welfare system.

"With this bill, New Jersey has taken a stance on sibling rights and moved to end sibling separation in the foster system," Auzinger said. "Youth affected in the foster care system experience situations incomparable to what the vast majority of people go through in childhood, and we have a moral imperative to support them in any way we can."

Governor Phil Murphy signed the "Sibling Bill of Rights" law earlier this month to codify the right of foster youth to remain actively involved in the lives of their siblings, and, where appropriate, to have their voice heard in the permanency planning process for their siblings.

Auzinger was among about 20 other youths involved with New Jersey's child welfare system who participated in the Department of Children and Families Youth Council. The Council was created in 2020 to integrate the youths’ lived experiences and feedback into the foster care system. The group’s advocacy helped lead to the passage of this bill.

"I have two sisters, one older and one younger, so when I was offered the opportunity to make changes in the system for siblings across NJ through the Youth Council, I jumped onto it," Auzinger said. "The Sibling Bill of Rights means a lot to me because it really sets in stone that your relationships with your siblings are meaningful and nobody can take that from you."

Specifically, the bill affords the following provisions for youth in foster care:

• to have access to phone calls and virtual visits between face-to-face visits with their sibling, and
• to be placed in the closest proximity possible to other siblings who are not in out-of-home placement.
• If placement together is not possible, when it is in the best interests of the child:

• the recommendations and wishes of each sibling who participates in the permanency planning decision will be documented in their case records and provided to the court;
• DCF workers will communicate expectations for continued contact with the child’s siblings after adoption or transfer of custody (subject to the approval of the adoptive parents or caregiver);
• Youth in placement will have the following rights:
• to be promptly informed about changes in sibling placements or permanency goals;
• to be actively involved in the lives of their siblings, including birthdays, holidays, and other milestones;
• to not be denied sibling visits as a result of behavioral consequences when residing in a resource family home or congregate care setting; and
• to be provided updated contact information for all siblings at least annually (unless not in the best interests of one or more siblings).

According to the Department of Children and Families, about 54 percent of children who are placed outside of their home have at least one sibling. The bill affects those 1,638 children.

"I was deeply moved, as I’m sure my counterparts in the Legislature were, by the compelling recommendations of the Youth Council who shared their lived experiences of their time during the child welfare process. In what could very well be the most difficult time of their young lives, it is our hope that this bill will allow siblings in the child welfare system to maintain some measure of stability and continuity," said Murphy.

Auzinger is pursuing a career in cybersecurity as he takes classes at Hunterdon County Polytech. Looking toward the future, he will continue to remember the lessons learned from helping to pass this bill.

"When I joined the youth council, I was 14 years old and knew next to nothing about the legislative process," he said. "I learned how a bill starts off, the massive number of revisions, how bills are sponsored and the advocacy it takes to get them passed. Throughout all of this I saw what youth can do when empowered to make real effective change."