How Hard Is It To Keep Siblings In Foster Care Together?

In an effort to engage with parents (foster parents or not) we invited some bloggers to share their opinions on research put together by Fosterplus in an infographic and survey.

One of those bloggers is Emma Iannarilli, an award winning blogger, you can read her pieces daily at www.fashion-mommy.com

Over to you Emma…

According to Foster Plus, 70% of siblings in foster care are placed in settings together. Authorities do everything they can to ensure that children do not face the distressing situation of losing the companionship of their brothers and sisters when they are placed in temporary or longer term foster care situations.

I must admit that this is something I have often thought about in regards to foster care, on many different levels. How many people would be happy to take in a family needing care rather than just an individual child? What is the situation when the family taken into care is a larger one, with a wide range of ages and children of both sexes? What if one of the siblings in a family has special educational needs, or a disability?

I think, to a fair extent, I was thinking this could be some Dickensian style story, where families were always separated and sent off in different directions, often at other ends of the country. So the fact that the reality is so different, and that families are kept together, to give some support and stability to the children, is heart-warming, and very good to know. There will still be some cases when some level of separation is inevitable, but in general, siblings will be with family if possible.

As someone who grew up with both a sister and a brother, I think it is crucial that these family ties are kept strong and secure if this can be done. The separation from the parents can be unavoidable for so many reasons, including hospitalisation, economic issues and different levels of abuse. All are traumatic, but to also be separated from siblings at the same time must be harrowing.

You can find out more information about becoming a foster parent by making an enquiry here.