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Contents

Introduction

Philosophy

Practicalities of placing sibling family groups

Issues

Conclusion

References

Acknowledgements

Authors: Caroline Flack, Rosemary Hamill, Claudia Kosa-Grab, Janelle (Sam) Smith

Introduction

This paper has been prepared by a group of practising caseworkers from three different non-government agencies in the NSW Substitute Care system.

Throughout this paper, a sibling family group is defined as one which consists of three or more sisters and/or brothers who share at least one biological parent and who have lived in the same household with each other, or would have lived together had they not been received into substitute care. Some of the issues and considerations also apply to sibling groups of two children, however for the purposes of this paper, particularly when identifying substantial resources, we are looking at three or more siblings.

The lack of literature and research here in Australia on the subject of placement of sibling family groups has led to reliance on sparse overseas literature. This knowledge gap is surprising given that '... more than half of all children admitted to care also have siblings admitted ... '(Rushton, Treseder & Quinton 1989).

Philosophy

'Data, both historical and current, indicates that the principle of maintaining sibling groups together is a positive one in child welfare practice unless there are specific reasons pertaining to the children to not do so' (Amanda Cox, Barnardos).

Although it is not explicitly stated in the Children (Care and Protection) Act 1987, nor in Department of Community Services (DCS) policy, the current practice in NSW is that siblings are placed together wherever possible. Interestingly, in the UK under the Children's Act 1989 it is stated that

'... so far as is reasonably practicable and consistent with [the child's] welfare ... where the Authority are also providing accommodation for a sibling of his, they are accommodated together' (cited in Maclean 1991).

Reasons commonly cited as to why siblings should be placed together:

• It is considered to be in the best interests of the child to do so.
  
  
• Patterns for future placements are established depending upon the outcome of the first placement into care. If children are placed separately in the first placement then it is likely that subsequent placements will be the same.
  
  
• Children who are placed into foster care with their siblings are more likely to perceive themselves as 'normal' rather than as 'children in foster care'. They will retain some sense of belonging to a family and some sense of family identity and history.
  
  
• Placing children together may prevent a second loss -- they have already 'lost' their parents and will not want to lose their siblings as well. When placed together, the children can be aware of each other's grief and sadness at the loss of their parents -- this is a shared experience. A shared sense of the past and of the future is held and this provides continuity in the lives of the children (Jones & Niblett 1985; Hindle 1995).
  
  
• Sibling relationships become extremely important when parents are absent or stressed. Hegar finds that '... it is reasonable to expect most children who are at risk for placement in foster care to be bonded closely with their siblings'. (Hegar 1988). It must be noted that in sibling groups where sexual abuse has been perpetrated on one or more siblings, the importance of bonds between siblings will vary.
  
  
• It is the practice of non-government agencies (NGA) to keep sibling groups together because research, in conjunction with the experiences of former clients, indicates that '... separating children almost always causes permanent breakdown [of sibling relationships]'. Stories from clients indicate that '... the division of sibling family groups has a long-term and negative impact on people, a legacy which lasts well into adulthood' (Amanda Cox, Barnardos).
  
  
• Siblings provide a major source of emotional support as adults. This is supported by Jones and Niblett (1985) who challenge us to acknowledge the potential anger and loss sustained by these children. Hegar (1988) in a review of the nature of sibling relationships and the impact of sibling separations also concludes that '... brothers and sisters are among the most important sources of reference and support for adults'. Further, Berridge and Cleaver (1987, cited in Rushton et al 1989) link stability in long-term foster care to sibling placement. They suggest that this stability is due to '... the mutual support siblings provide in dealing with both past and present experiences'.
  
  
• Amanda Cox argues that, whilst society has recognised the rights of parents to have access to their children, it has yet to recognise the right of children to their origins. Jones and Niblett (1985) ask 'Is it a birthright of a child to remain part of a sibling group?'.

Reasons commonly cited as to why siblings should be separated:

• Where only one sibling is notified as being at risk.
  
  
• Children come into care serially rather than simultaneously.
  
  
• Only one sibling is made a State Ward.
  
  
• A child strongly requests to be separated from his or her siblings.
  
  
• One sibling may be the perpetrator of abuse against another -- for example, separating a teenage abuser from younger, abused siblings.
  
  
• Fear of disruption. There is a perceived higher risk of placement breakdown if a sibling group is placed together. Often it is regarded as a 'safer option' to separate siblings.
  
  
• The overwhelming impact on a foster family of meeting the needs of a group of damaged children all at once. For example, the siblings may be relating to each other in such a rigid and dysfunctional manner that they cannot integrate into the foster family (Jones and Niblett 1985).
  
  
• Caseworkers are commonly pessimistic about locating a placement for a group of siblings. This pessimistic attitude effects the way in which carers are recruited for sibling family groups. However, foster parents for large sibling groups can be recruited if professionals '... try hard enough' (Margaret Jones 1981).
  
  
• Insufficient resources; it is recognised that placing and maintaining siblings together requires substantial resources.

Practicalities of placing sibling family groups

1. Resources

The issue of resources, like the very idea of placing a family of three or more siblings, can be overwhelming and often not clearly defined and agreed upon by the various agencies when planning a foster placement.

Three areas need to be considered for the resources required to establish maintain and assist a foster placement.

1. Partnership and the use of inter-agency resources.
2. Acknowledgment that this is not a 'cheap option'.
3. Identifying significant resources likely to be required for the duration of the placement.

Partnership

Willingness by the statutory authority to be in partnership with an NGA requires ongoing commitment and support of this placement option for a family of children by way of funding and making available appropriate resources.

Regular meetings, contracts and agreements, not only to establish the placement but for its duration, are important between the agencies. For example, the original office which brings a sibling group into care may not be the office which continues funding the resources necessary for their placement, where the siblings are placed with foster carers who are geographically located within another area office. Clear negotiations will be required to ensure continuing full support of the placement.

Decision making needs to be accurately documented. For example, does casework remain the responsibility of the NGA and how is it to be regularly reviewed.

Not a cheap option

Placement of a sibling group has many implications, not least revising the misguided perception that this is a 'cheap option'. Whilst keeping children together is a more expensive option than separate placements, maintaining a sibling family group in a residential establishment will involve much greater costs. Therefore, the option of placing siblings together in foster care must go hand in hand with the provision of appropriate resources in order to maintain the placement.

If disputes over resources are to be avoided, there must be a working partnership between the NGA and state agency at the point of referral. Just as no one worker can or should be expected to 'do it all' neither can one set of foster parents, nor one agency. A team approach is crucial to a successful placement of a large sibling group (Jones 1981).

Significant resources

Identifying resources involves careful assessment and close partnership between the state agency, the NGA and the foster carers. Often, establishment costs are high, whereas ongoing resources which are also needed can and often do present a significant slice in the budgetary cake of the office. Requests are sometimes met with a lack of interest and refusal.

1. Significant post-placement resources should include identifying sibling groups as children with special needs who are hard to place. For example, higher category, Special Needs or Disability Allowances should be considered for all these children, recognising the additional strains on a household of placing a sibling group together.
   
   
2. Additional funds need to be made available for:
   • home help and housekeeping services;
   • respite care for foster carers, including holiday camps, child care worker residing in foster home;
   • before and after school care;
   • occasional child care;
   • therapy, where appropriate, for the child(ren);
   • baby-sitting services;
   • out of school activities such as little athletics, swimming lessons, music lessons; and
   • access for carers to psychological services, for instance, to learn behaviour management strategies.
     
3. Appropriate transport be secured to assist the family to travel together.
   
   
4. Extensions to the home may be required to accommodate the needs of a growing family.
   
   
5. Purchase of various white goods, for example, heavy duty washing machine, drier, large refrigerator.
   
   
6. The person appointed as caseworker to be funded to assist the placement through intensive casework.
   
   
7. Consideration given for funding to employ a second caseworker to undertake specific tasks, for example, play therapy.

NB: Family Group Home

The 'old' option of a Family Group Home, when employed carers/houseparents are provided to care for large sibling groups, warrants consideration as a possible approach to providing care when suitable foster carers are not available, depending on the age of the siblings and previous substitute care experiences.

2. The needs of all children

Substitute care for a sibling family group requires a placement with carers who are willing to provide an extraordinary commitment to a family of children. Within this group of children are the needs of each individual child. Every effort should be made by professional workers to assess and clearly identify what these needs are.

The detailed assessment undertaken prior to the placement should have identified the separate needs of each child and will form the basis for negotiating for resources for the foster family. For example, the individual needs of an adolescent may be for less intensive personal relationships compared with the close attachment and bonding needs of a baby or young child.

For the well-being of each child within a foster family their needs must be clearly identified and work done within a team approach, to meet them. This is a huge undertaking which requires that commitment and ongoing resources are available to the foster family.

There can be conflict between meeting individual needs and the long term advantages of sibling togetherness (Jones & Niblett 1985). Just because siblings are placed together does not mean that they are all treated the same. The caseworker identifies and responds to their individual needs in each case plan whilst acknowledging each sibling group's unique and complex network of relationships.

A case example follows. At one agency there is a permanent placement of a sibling group of five children. At the time of coming into care, the eldest was seven years old and the youngest one year old. In addition to having suffered physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect and deprivation of food, the following were some features identified in each child:

• the oldest, a girl, was 'parentified' and used to physically caring for her younger siblings and having responsibilities beyond her years;
• the second child, a girl, had deep-seated attachment difficulties, disruptive behaviours in the foster home, violence and aggression towards foster carers, particularly the foster mother and learning difficulties;
• the third child, a boy twin, had severe attachment disorder, learning difficulties, hyperactivity, regressive behaviours, and he remains fearful of change;
• the fourth child, a boy twin, had severe attachment disorder, learning difficulties, hyperactivity and intense dislike of separation from his twin brother;
• the fifth child, a girl, also had severe attachment disorder, extreme reactions when the foster mother left the room; she could not tolerate this separation for the first two years of the placement.

Each child has their own issues regarding their background of abuse and neglect, their approach to the foster placement and their interests and wishes for the future.

Where it is unavoidable that siblings be separated, access between siblings should be given priority in case planning. Review of the literature by Hegar also supports this. Ways to maintain sibling ties include by telephone, letter writing, visits, shared holidays, joint counselling sessions and trying to place siblings within the same geographical area eg, in the same school (Hegar 1988). This area of casework requires careful planning to ensure the needs of each child are met.

Issues

There are many issues specific to the caseworker, both before and during the placement, and issues relating to recruiting and maintaining carers. It is important to consider these issues when placing large sibling groups, in order to minimise the risk of placement breakdown. These issues are outlined below.

Issues for workers in placing sibling family groups

Pre-placement issues for workers in NGA include:

• Battling the subconscious expectation that a suitable placement will not be found and apprehension that the placement will fail if the children are placed together -- perhaps because of the impact of caring for several abused or neglected children.
  
  
• There may be pressure to place the children quickly. A short term plan is required and partnership between the NGA and the statutory agency needs to be clearly identified, including the roles of the workers and the aims of the plan.

During placement some issues for workers in NGA include.

• A shortage of caseworker time -- no one worker can do it all. For example, there may be so much time spent liaising with other agencies that there is less time to spend with the foster family.
  
  
• Potential for stress, frustration and burnout is high, so regular formal supervision of the caseworker by an experienced manager to assist the worker is crucial. Supervisors and workers need to be aware of indicators of a successful placement and indicators of possible disruption of a placement in both the children and the foster family.
  
  
• There is a lack of literature and research available to provide practice principles and a knowledge base of the topic. For example, there is very little research evidence of how successful is the placing of sibling groups in foster care, or even as to the numbers and proportion of children in substitute care who are part of a sibling group here in NSW. We have no research on the trends of admission regarding sibling family groups.

Issues in recruiting and maintaining carers for sibling family groups

Recruiting carers who are willing to take a sibling family group is possible, but it requires time and energy from the agency and the worker involved as there is a great deal of casework; time involved in advertising, assessing, training and providing ongoing support of carers.