Maintaining sibling relationships: Which approaches or supports have been most effective in enabling siblings to live together safely, or in sustaining strong relationships where living together is not possible, when one or both are experiencing the ‘care system’ or are adopted?
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.
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Research fields
Related UKRI funded projects
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Sharing Our Stories: Experiences of Sibling Bereavement
There is no guarantee of a positive relationship with our siblings. Indeed, it is with brothers and sisters that we can have the fiercest of fall outs and most subtle of reconcilliations. Yet the relationship we share wi...
Funded by: ESRC
Lead research organisation: University of Sheffield
Why might this be relevant?
Partially relevant as it focuses on sibling bereavement rather than maintaining sibling relationships in the care system.
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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?
Fully relevant as it specifically addresses kinship care households and the needs of siblings in the care system.
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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 rather than sibling relationships in the care system.