Vol. 14, No. 2 • May 2010

Keeping Siblings Together

The primary responsibility for keeping siblings together lies with child welfare professionals and the courts. However, kinship, foster, and adoptive parents can make a big difference by doing the following:

Express an interest in sibling groups. Sometimes siblings are separated simply because agencies cannot find a single family to care for them all (Shlonsky, et al., 2005). To help, clearly communicate to your agency an interest in caring for sibling groups.

Be open to changes. Children are more likely to be separated from their siblings if the children enter care at different times (Wulczyn & Zimmerman, 2005; Washington, 2007). Make it clear to your agency that you understand how important it is to keep siblings together, and that you would consider opening your home to the siblings of children already in your care, should the need arise.

Copyright � 2010 Jordan Institute for Families