The Reality of Sibling Placements in Foster Care
Every child has a story, shaped by the people they’ve known and experiences they’ve lived through. For many of us, that story includes a familiar place to call home and people we can count on seeing each day. However, for children entering foster care, those familiar parts of life may not always be certain. Nearly 40% of children in foster care experience more than two placements each year and it is estimated that 53% to 80% of children with siblings in foster care are separated from one or more of their siblings.
Through so much of that change, a brother or sister may be one of the few people they can hold on to. A constant amid the uncertainty. Someone who understands what they have been through on a deeper level and who knows their story in a way few others ever could. Keeping siblings in foster care together, whenever it is safe and possible, is an opportunity to protect the God-given bond between brothers and sisters and preserve an important part of their family.
Addressing the Challenges of Keeping Siblings Together in Foster Care
If preserving sibling relationships is so important, why are so many brothers and sisters placed in separate foster homes? It’s a complicated question and the answer often depends on circumstances beyond a family’s control. One of the most common challenges is finding foster families who have the space and capacity to welcome multiple children at once. Larger sibling groups can be particularly difficult to accommodate, especially when children have different medical or developmental needs.
In some circumstances, separation may also be necessary for a child’s safety and well-being. Sibling relationships can be complicated, particularly when children have experienced abuse and trauma. The difficulty of maintaining a sibling relationship can further be compounded when siblings don’t enter or leave foster care at the same time. This is a challenge that is often overlooked. One child may enter care because of circumstances unique to their situation, while their brothers or sisters remain at home. The path toward reunification or adoption may look different even for siblings who enter foster care at the same time. While some of these challenges are beyond a foster family’s control, the need for more homes equipped to welcome sibling groups remains. Increasing that capacity can create more opportunities for brothers and sisters to remain together.
The Emotional Impact of Sibling Separation
For children with siblings in foster care, a brother or sister becomes an important attachment figure, providing comfort when life gets difficult. Imagine arriving at a new home, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, and realizing the one person who has been through so much of your life isn’t coming with you. For a child already experiencing loss, that separation can carry a weight that’s difficult to put into words.
The effects of separation can show up in ways that aren’t immediately recognizable. According to the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, the stress surrounding placement changes and separation from familiar relationships can sometimes appear as symptoms of depression, anxiety, or difficulty paying attention. What may look like challenging behavior could be a child’s way of responding to loss.
The effects can reach beyond a child’s immediate emotional response. A study published in Child Maltreatment examined the placement experience of 2,297 children in foster care. Researchers found that children living with at least one sibling had a lower risk of placement moves associated with problems in the foster home compared with children separated from all their siblings. While the study doesn’t establish that sibling relationships directly cause placement disruptions, it raises an important consideration: the relationships children bring with them into foster care may influence how they adjust to a new home.
How Sibling Relationships Support Family Reunification
One of the primary goals of foster care is to reunite children with their parents when it is safe. The process of reunification can take time and preserving family relationships in the meantime can help children maintain a connection to the family they hope to return to. When siblings remain together, they can continue sharing everyday experiences and family traditions while their parents work toward reunification.
Research reviewed by Casey Family Programs has linked placing siblings together in foster care to higher rates of permanency, including reunification in some studies. One possible explanation is that keeping siblings together removes practical barriers for birth parents working toward reunification. When siblings live in the same home, parents can visit their children at the same time, reducing travel and coordination demands for both families and caseworkers. Sibling placements can also make it easier to maintain meaningful connections with extended family and relatives caring for other children, preserving vital relationships and support systems as parents work toward completing their case plans.
A Call for the Church to Help Keep Siblings Together
The challenges of keeping siblings together are real, but they aren’t challenges that foster families should have to face alone. The local church plays a pivotal part in providing families with the support and care to navigate this journey.
For some, that may mean answering the call to become a foster parent and opening their home to sibling groups. For others, it may look like coming alongside families through a foster care ministry at church or Care Community: a group of volunteers within the local church who surround foster families with ongoing practical, emotional, and spiritual support.
Caring for vulnerable children and families is a responsibility we share as the body of Christ. At WinShape Homes, our desire is to see those children and families experience healing and restoration through the Gospel. Whether you’re considering becoming a foster parent or looking for a new way to serve your church, there’s a place for you in helping children and families experience the love and care of Christ.
