Children with a sibling who is experiencing care: What support is provided for pregnancy planning or during pregnancy to parents who have a child who is currently experiencing care away from home? Does this vary by locality, age of the mother, or other characteristics? Does this vary by caring environment where the first child is living whilst experiencing care?
Background
Children in care should be supported to maintain loving, lifelong relationships with their brothers and sisters. Sibling bonds can often represent children’s most enduring sources of stability, identity and belonging, particularly during periods of disruption.
However, significant evidence gaps limit understanding of how well this ambition is currently realised. Basic descriptive data on the scale and nature of sibling separation is incomplete, including the reasons why children are unable to live with their siblings while experiencing the ‘care system’. While the Independent Care Review provided qualitative insights into the emotional impact of sibling separation, there remains limited evidence on its longer-term consequences for relationships, wellbeing, and wider life outcomes. Better evidence is needed to understand the extent and drivers behind preventable separation of siblings, which supports are most effective in sustaining these relationships.
Next steps
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Research fields
Related UKRI funded projects
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Kinship care re-visited: Using Census 2011 Microdata to Examine and Map the Extent and Nature of Kinship Care Households in the UK
The research project will use microdata from the 2011 Census to provide nationally representative, reliable statistics and maps on the distribution and characteristics of kinship care households in the four countries of ...
Funded by: ESRC
Lead research organisation: University of Bristol
Why might this be relevant?
The project focuses on kinship care households in the UK, which includes support for parents with children in care, addressing the needs of kinship families.
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Keeping the Child in Mind? Family Functioning and Experiences of Shared Parenting After Separation
By age five, 25% of children in the UK will have experienced their parents' separation, a risk factor for emotional and behavioural problems which have long-term personal and societal costs. Alongside managing emotions, ...
Funded by: ESRC
Lead research organisation: University of Edinburgh
Why might this be relevant?
Partially relevant as it focuses on shared parenting after separation, not specifically on support for pregnancy planning or during pregnancy for parents with a child in care.
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Post-separation families and shared residence: setting the interdisciplinary research agenda for the future.
Fewer children in the UK are being raised by families consisting exclusively of two biologically related parents and their other off-spring. Post-separation family life raises important issues in both law and moral philo...
Funded by: AHRC
Lead research organisation: University of Birmingham
Why might this be relevant?
Partially relevant as it explores post-separation family life and shared residence, but does not directly address support for pregnancy planning or during pregnancy for parents with a child in care.