Sibling connections: The importance of nurturing sibling bonds in the foster care system

It is estimated that over two-thirds of children in out-of-home care have siblings. Because of the significant relationships that children may have with their parents and siblings before being removed from their home, children who enter the child welfare system may experience anxiety, trauma, grief, guilt and loss of identity. The purpose of this paper is to explore the ameliorating effect that sibling connections can have on these factors. It is the authors' position that sibling connections are extremely important to children in out-of-home care and, apart from situations where sibling contact will cause trauma or disruption for the children, professionals should make every effort to maintain sibling relationships. The authors investigate the issue of sibling connections in substitute care by adding a unique perspective to the discussion. Both of the authors are child welfare researchers who also spent a significant amount of time in foster care, together and separated from siblings. As adults who have lived within the child welfare system, the authors offer other professionals an alternative way to look at the issues, and new ideas for practice and policy aimed at resolving the challenges faced by children in out-of-home care.