SB 1099 (Steinberg): Sibling Visitation for Separated Youth

With the signing into law of SB 1099 (Steinberg, Chapter 773, Statutes of 2014), any party can now request a court order for visitation between a youth in foster care and a sibling who is not, as long as that sibling is in the physical custody of a shared biological or legal parent. In addition, the court will now be required to revisit any decision to suspend visitation at each 6-month review hearing. Also, in order to address instances where sibling visitation is technically active but not occurring as desired by the youth, the social worker must now document specific circumstances surrounding visitation in their court report, such as the location, length, frequency, and supervision status.