Screenshot of the new poster outlining Oregon’s Foster Children’s Bill of Rights. Source of the screenshot: Oregon DHS
Oregon’s 2013 Legislature passed a law requiring Oregon’s Department of Human Services to establish the Foster Children’s Bill of Rights.
While Oregon’s DHS already had in place specific rules pertaining to the rights of children and youth in foster care, the intent of this new law was to make these rights more accessible and understandable to Oregon’s children and youth in foster care.
In addition to the Foster Children’s Bill of Rights, the Legislature also mandated that DHS establish a Foster Care Ombudsman in order to help children and youth in foster care understand and be aware of their rights, as well as work to address issues encountered while in care.
In Minnesota
Minnesota has an Ombudsperson for Families whose mission is:
to ensure that children and families are protected by law in all child placement proceedings conducted by public and private agencies.
Within this office are four ombuspersons who work with different communities of color.
While Minnesota does not have a Bill of Rights formally legislated for children and youth in foster care, as Oregon and several other states do, children and youth in foster care do have rights outlined within various state statutes and rules. For example, most recently the legislature passed a law aimed to promote school stability for children and youth in foster care by allowing them to remain in their home school districts without requiring permission from the school board(s).
The Children’s Law Center (CLC) of Minnesota has developed a document outlining the rights of children and youth in foster care in Minnesota. This document was made for the children and youth themselves. It also includes tips on court etiquette, an overview of the different people with whom foster children may have contact, and pertinent information for teens and young adults.
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