Sticking Together: The Importance of Fostering Siblings

Fostering siblings helps ensure that brothers and sisters are not separated during a difficult time in their lives. While fostering siblings can be challenging, the rewards of providing a home to multiple children far outweigh any difficulties.

Sibling relationships are important for children, and most of our children have been through immense difficulties and traumas before entering care. Keeping siblings together provides a sense of stability and familiarity during a time of uncertainty. It also helps our children feel safe, and helps them to cling on to a sense of normalcy. Separating siblings can lead to long term emotional and psychological challenges, which can cause additional emotional distress. By fostering siblings together, children can also support each other, adapt more quickly to a new environment and continue a lifelong bond.

Rewards of Fostering Siblings

Fostering siblings brings joy and satisfaction, our foster carers know that they are offering children a loving and stable home. Fostering siblings provides opportunities for families to develop and grow together as well as teach children lifelong skills – such as conflict resolution and teamwork – that will serve them well in the future. Seeing siblings thrive, grow and develop together, knowing that one has helped to provide a stable and loving environment to grow and develop in, is a truly rewarding experience.

Real Life Experience

We spoke to Paula and Dave, foster carers from Warrington who have grown their family by taking multiple sibling groups into her home. Paula shares “I always set my heart on siblings and long term placements. We have two children, they are a family of four siblings. The two children get along well with each other. They have their moments, just like my birth children.”.

Angela, a foster carer from Runcorn also fostered siblings, she adds “Our first placement was 2 brothers aged 5 & 7.  It was important to us that we could provide a home were they could grow up together. The eldest is now 26 and he’s still with me, his brother is 24 and lives independently however I support him.”

Final thoughts

While fostering siblings can be challenging, it is an essential aspect of fostering that provides children with a sense of security and safety in a difficult time of their lives. While offering a home to siblings can be one of the most rewarding aspects of fostering, our foster carers need to offer patience, flexibility, persistence and have a willingness to cope with a range of challenges. Ultimately, the rewards of being able to provide a stable and loving home to siblings, where they can grow and develop together, can be life-changing.

Feeling inspired? Enquire today. We’d love to hear from you.